Light trucks are still the most popular vehicle in the United States. The most successful among them are the Ford F-150 pickups. Debut which took place in 1975. In 1997, the next generation of these pickups came out. This generation of Ford has much softer and more expressive forms. The appearance of the car is peculiar.
It combines almost Spartan simplicity, hidden power and heavy elegance. Particularly impressive is the huge size of the front of the pickup. From a technical point of view, everything is very simple, durable and reliable. The basis of the design is a powerful steel frame. Attached to her body and, on rubber pads, cabin. The driving rear axle is a continuous beam on springs, to which a long pipe of the universal shaft with a diameter of one hundred millimeters goes.
Interesting front suspension - on single teams diagonal levers. Moreover, the cast cross, the size and shape of a section resembling a railroad rail, are of different lengths and intersect with each other. This design, with all simplicity, allows you to place quite long levers. When the suspension is working, they provide the minimum deviation of the wheels from the vertical, which means from the calculated track and, as a result, better stability. The cabin is very spacious.
The wide three-seater sofa can be moved back and forth. However, this “fit” for the driver ends and there are no other adjustments. Landing at the wheel is almost vertical. On the right is an impressive lever of a five-speed manual gearbox.
There are models equipped with a four-speed automatic transmission. Brakes: with the amplifier, front - ventilated disc, rear - drum. The tire size is 235 / 75R15. On the instrument panel - speedometer, voltmeter and indicators of oil pressure, coolant temperature and fuel level. The latter can be switched to either of the two fuel tanks. At the same time, the supply of gasoline to the engine also switches over.
An inflatable airbag is hidden in the hub of the steering wheel; the stalk is one to the left. It has been given control of high beam, direction indicators, windshield wiper and washer. The power unit is a gasoline six-cylinder, in-line engine of 5 liters. In short, this is not a passenger car, but passengers are not denied comfort and safety equipment. In 2001, a conceptual pickup - the sporty F-150 Lightning Rod - was presented at the Chicago exhibition. Equipped with a powerful V8 engine and an avant-garde look for American pickups. In an effort to please the young admirers of Ford, the body and seats were decorated with Maori tattoos.
The high popularity of the F-150 among American buyers makes the company be wary of updating the model. After all, the novelty should keep in itself all those qualities that attracted buyers earlier, adding to them the latest developments of technical progress. Also, upgrades are needed to compete on equal terms with such car monsters as the Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra, not to mention the newcomer to the market - the full-size Nissan Titan pickup. The answer to the competitors was the updated Ford F-150 family.
The new generation debuted at the auto show in Detroit in 2003. Then a full-size pick-up of a new design, equipped with modernized engines, and personified the 2004 model, was presented to the public. This generation had a more manly image. Aggressive industrial design in the style of the Mighty F-350 Tonka concept truck, shown at the Detroit Motor Show 2002, chopped body lines, a massive false radiator grille, large 17- or 18-inch aluminum wheels - all this underlines the main purpose of the pickup: tirelessly work for the good of the middle class. More stringent forms now emphasize, rather than hinder, the size of a pickup truck.
The track has become wider, the wheels have increased, the cabin has straightened and has lost its bulkiness of the sidewalls. The pickup still has a frame structure, but now the frame is made of box-section elements. Such a construction exceeds the frame from the traditional open profile in rigidity: 9 times torsion, and 50% bending - on bending. The newcomer received a modified suspension. The front has double wishbones and struts with springs, and some elements of the front suspension (for the first time in this class) are made of aluminum to reduce unsprung masses.
Behind, in addition to the reinforcement of leaf springs, the position of the shock absorbers was changed: they were carried beyond the frame dimensions, which made them tougher by improving their resistance to rolls and buildup and without harming smoothness. The size of the cabin and cargo compartment increased. In addition, the Ford F-150 received an unusual front door with a rough line of side windows, as in the larger F-250/350, which allows for better visibility in the rear-view mirrors. Geometric design prevails inside the cabin.
F-150 received an interior composed of laconic planes, circles and right angles. In addition to the 231-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 engine, a new 5.4-liter 300-horsepower Triton V8 with 3 valves per cylinder and - for the first time on Ford trucks - variable valve timing appeared. The box is automatic (on some models, the automatic transmission lever is located on the floor), disc brakes on all wheels, ABS is standard.
As an option, four-wheel drive is offered. Ford F-150 is offered in several different configurations, for different groups of buyers. Three types of cab, all four-door. Regular Cab has one row of seats, behind which there is a place for cargo - access there is provided by the doors that open against the move. In the SuperCab and SuperCrew two rows, in the latest, more spacious version, the rear doors are regular, on the front hinges. Two body styles of different lengths and finishes are Styleside (bulging rear wings) and Flareside (normal sides).
Five options for interior trim (XL, STX, XLT, FX4 and Lariat) - from the simplest for the "workhorse" to the most expensive with leather and wood. In the list of additional equipment, now you can even find a DVD-player with a liquid crystal display. Cargo compartments can be of different lengths: from five and a half to eight feet (from 1.68 to 2.44 m). The maximum capacity of the pickup is about 1300 kg, and the maximum mass of the towed trailer is 4300 kg. F-Series models have been leaders in the pickup truck market for 25 years now, and the last few years have kept the lead among all types of cars in the USA.
The F-150 sales record was set in 2001: at that time 911, 597 pickups of this series were sold. Also in 2003, the F-150 SVT Lightning was introduced. In addition to the obvious external differences and independent rear suspension, the concept boasts a six-speed manual and a forced engine - the 5.4-liter Triton V8 from the F-150. The unit is equipped with a supercharger and develops no longer 300, but 500 hp.
Moreover, the SuperCooler device is able to add another 50 hp to the engine, but short, with a duration of no more than 45 seconds, in bursts.
