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2015 Ford F-150 Concept could be unveiled in Detroit  Now that Chevrolet has officially announced the 2014 Silverado, it is time for its biggest competitor - Ford F-150 to make the next move. New details suggest that Ford will in fact be offering a first concept version of the 2015 F-150 next month at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The current generation F-150 is on sale ever since 2009 and received an updated version with new engines and a new look in 2011. However, do not expect the production version of the F-150 to arrive shortly after the concept - rumors suggest in fact that customers interested in the new generation pick-up will have to wait until late fall of 2014. That will offer the Ford model quite a disadvantage in front of its Silverado competitor set to go on sale in the second quarter of 2013. The 2015 F-150 will be about 700 lbs lighter than the current generation and Ford has promised a fuel economy improved by 15 to 20%. The model will be offered with a new generation of V-6 engines, internally known as the "Nano" family, in the 2.7 to 2.9-liter displacement range. Full details will be unveiled at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, stay tuned!
2013 Ford Raptor Phase 2 by Roush Performance
The Ford Raptor is a truck that doesn’t need to do a lot to catch attention. Its mere presence alone usually does the trick. Every so often, however, somebody decides that Raptor deserves a boost, and when this “somebody” happens to be Roush Performance, you know you’re bound to get something special. This latest program isn’t all to Roush’s credit, as Cooper Tire and Mickey Thompson, two companies that know a thing or two about fitting vehicles the size of the Raptor with a set of polished wheels and tires, had hands in it too. For all the impressive characteristics of the Raptor, the one that really brought this program to a new level was Roush Performance’s new Phase 2 R2300 calibration supercharger kit. This upgrade gave the Raptor a staggering output of 590 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The horsepower output, in particular, is a sharp spike from the standard model’s 411 horsepower and Roush’s Phase 1 program, which netted 525 horsepower. The supercharger kit also includes a new 7 5mm supercharger pulley and Roush’s own PCM calibration. The kit was created through hours upon hours of research and testing that included it undergoing extreme environmental temperatures from -20 degrees F up to and through 120 degrees F. Roush went above and beyond by performing these tests at an altitude of 14,000 feet above sea level to ensure both quality and performance. The price for the program has been set at $599 and comes with a 3-year or 36,000-mile warranty on the Roush parts only. Unfortunately, the program isn’t for sale or can’t be installed in California in large part because it’s not approved by the California Air Resources Board.
2013 Ford F-150 Luxury Performance Raptor by Chris Ross
Trucks aren’t exactly famous for their luxurious touches. Of course, we doubt that anyone looking to buy a pick-up is doing so to get Rolls-Royce type luxury, so that has never really mattered. Chris Ross feels a little different about this, as he has developed a new tuning package based on the Ford F-150 Raptor. With its 411 HP 6.2-liter V8 engine in tow, this pick-up truck has just received a Luxury Performance Raptor for the 2012 SEMA Auto Show. The Ford F-150 was developed in cooperation with teams like Roush Performance, Fox Racing, and Meguiar, and takes the pick-up to an unexpected level of luxury. Roush is offering a Phase 2 ROUSHcharger kit that will increase the output to an impressive 590 hp and 535 lb.-ft. of torque. In order to handle the extra power, the truck was also equipped with a new suspension kit and a new set of wheels sized 19" up front and 20" at the rear. More details on this impressive kit will be unveiled during the 2012 SEMA Auto Show, so stay tuned! 2013 Ford F-150 by K-Daddyz Kustomz
Ford is reestablishing their tuning connection with K-Daddyz Kustomz with another rendition of the F-150 for the SEMA Auto Show. This tuning package really isn’t anything new considering this team put together the same package for the 2009 SEMA Auto Show, but hopefully we’ll be pleasantly surprised with new upgrades when the show doors open. The Ford F-150 by K-Daddyz Kustomz is based on a 2013 Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Super Cab and features the same description as the tuning package from a few years ago: street influence with a touch of urban luxury. In art, that translates to a bright red monochromatic exterior paint finish with new 24-inch wheels and tires. The first details suggest that the model will also include a fully detailed undercarriage and a mind-blowing Rockford Fosgate audio system. Under the hood, the tuner will keep the same 5.0 liter Ti-VCT V8 engine, but will add a supercharger that will most likely will help in increasing the standard output of 360 HP. 2013 Ford F-150 by Truckin Magazine
Tuning packages for muscle cars and sports cars are always fun to look at, but every once in awhile, we need a tuned up truck that will answer the needs of every off-roading truck lover in existence. Ford is answering that call with a line-up of updated F-Series pick-up trucks for the 2012 SEMA Auto Show. The first truck is based on a Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Super Cab and has been developed in cooperation with Truckin’ Magazine. The tuner opted for a grey exterior paint finish with a custom stripe kit in order to provide the car with an aggressive look and feel. This very cool F-150 has also received a new set of wheels,as well as a lowered stance and a high-performance brake package. The interior was largely left alone except for a few luxury touches. The Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Super Cab by Truckin Magazine is powered by the usual 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 engine, but at this point, we can’t say whether or not the engine has been privy to any engine boosts. That being said, the truck’s 365 HP should be more than enough for off-road adventures. 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor by Roush and Greg Biffle
Roush Performance, in cooperation with Greg Biffle, have developed a very cool Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, specially designed for the Sherwin-Williams Planet Color All-Star Charity Challenge. This Ford F-150 SVT Raptor will be put up against Toyota driver Clint Bowyer and his ’50s-style work truck based on the Tundra. The winner of the Charity Challenge will be determined once the F-150 custom truck heads to the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas in September. Bowyer’s Tundra was already auctioned for an impressive $100,000. The F-150 Raptor will receive a TVS2300 supercharger that increases the output from the pick-up truck’s 6.2-liter V8 engine to an impressive 525 HP. Next to the supercharger, the tuner has also added a performance exhaust system, custom 18" wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFGoodrich tires, a TireGate tire carrier, and light bars at the front and rear. The F-150 Raptor is painted in a cool red finish combined with some racing graphics that give the car a true racing look. Hit the jump for a video of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor by Roush and Greg Biffle. Full story Ford SVT Raptor vs Mars Rover Curiosity: A Cheeky Infographic From Ford
We love infographics, as they are a quick and fun way to educate your customers or readers. We also love how Ford has let its automotive hair down in recent years and become a little more cheeky, for lack of a better word, with its commercials and other advertisements. Combine the two together and you have some really good stuff. Ford did just that combination, as it pits its SVT Raptor, which has a $43,970 MSRP, against the Mars Rover Curiosity, which is costing the tax payers a total of $2.5 billion. Really, there is no comparison between the two in a literal sense, but Ford has used its recently discovered sense of humor to compare the two in a sharp iconographic. Things like the 35-gallon fuel capacity of the Raptor against the 10.6 pounds of plutonium-dioxide fuel aboard the Curiosity Rover are the types of goofy comparisons made. Or how about Ford’s punchy 6.2-liter V-8 pitted up against the nuclear radioscope thermoelectric power generator strapped to the Rover? Simply no competition, but Ford definitely gives us a good chuckle with this one. We have provided the full infographic after the jump, so you can see exactly what we’re talking about. Full story 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor by Geiger
Ford’s mighty F-150 SVT Raptor recently got a host of changes to make it more driver-friendly and off-road capable, but the lack of engine modifications seem to have inspired Geiger Cars to make a few changes of their own. Their package basically pays homage to Hennessey’s VelociRaptor 600 - even though probably not on purpose - with similar improvements done at an expert level. But let’s get back to the F-150. In its standard form, the Ford truck’s 6.2-liter V8 delivers a total of 411 HP, but after the German tuner’s handywork, it now delivers an impressive 600 HP. This was done with a built-in compressor that also amounts to a fuel savings at a constant speed of 100 mph. The package includes a few other additional features, including a six-speed automatic transmission, differential lock, 17-inch alloy wheels with massive 35-inch off-road tires BRGoodrich, a Sony sound system, dual-zone air conditioning, and numerous leather items. These changes can be applied for both the Super Cab and Super Crew Cab versions. The problem with all of these updates is that they come with an astronomical price of € 74,900, or about $90,500 at the current exchange rates. Ford’s Killing it with the EcoBoost Engine There are very few things in this world that include the word “Eco” in its name and still remain fun. Ford somehow managed to find a way to have its cake and eat it too – what a weird saying – with the EcoBoost engines. Not only are they more economical than the engines they replaced, but they, for the most part, are drastically more powerful. For example, let’s look at the F-150. In 2011, Ford dropped the 5.4-liter V-8 and 4.6-liter V-8 from the F-150’s options list and replaced them with the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine. The 2011 EcoBoost engine pumped out 55 more horsepower than the 2010 5.4-liter and 73 to 117 horsepower more than the 4.6-liter V-8. Add in the fact that the 6-pot boosted engine also got 2 mpg city and 2 mpg highway better than the 5.4-liter, and 1 mpg and 2 mpg better than the 4.6-liter V-8, and you have a winner. Well, this all added up to some impressive sales, even more impressive that Ford could have imagined. According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford anticipates selling about 1.6 million EcoBoost engines in 2013, according to its current pace, which is 100,000 more units that its initial target was. Ford is seemingly always adding a new EcoBoost engine, with the 2.0-liter and 1.0-liter variant coming out this year and a 2.3-liter variant looking like a sure thing for 2015, so we see this number going nowhere but up in the coming years. Ford definitely bet the farm on the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 to start with and much like it did in 1996 when it drastically restyled the F-150, it won back the farm and took the neighbor’s farm along with it. Our hats have to go off to Ford and its ability to think outside of the box and constantly give the customer what he wants. It’s no wonder Ford was one of the few Detroit automakers to survive without a government bailout.
Photo of the Week: Ford F150 Raptor on ADV.1 wheels
We’re not going to lie about the fact that we are big fans of the Ford F150 SVT Raptor. As we outlined in our review a couple of years back, the car is extremely fun to drive even if the whole concept of which it’s based around makes no sense. Nevertheless, it seems fitting that one day this incredible off-roader would make its way into our ‘Photo of the Week’ article, and the following picture courtesy of GREATONE! finally has. The F150 SVT Raptor as a standalone car is already something to behold, but this following example takes how love for the car to new extremes. Featuring an aggressive camo paint-job and some incredible ADV.1 wheels, this is undoubtedly one of the coolest Raptor’s you’re ever likely to see. And as for the photo? Wow sums it up nicely. Set in a rural environment which the F150 SVT Raptor calls home, the following picture helps to capture the true size of this beast. With the added bonus of the picture being offered in a range of sizes big enough for any computer, this week’s selection was the easiest thus far. Follow the link here to find the original photo where it can be downloaded in whichever size tickles your fancy.
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