It is nice to see that Ford has a few good women working on their high performance products. The automobile industry is one where you would expect to find a group of men sitting around a drafting board talking about wheelbases and horsepower, but thanks to SVT NVH engineer Hether Fedullo, the blue oval’s latest high performance off road machine is everything that it can be. Ms. Fedullo’s love for cars started early on when she would watch Formula 1 races on Sunday mornings with her father or “The Dukes of Hazzard” on her own time. She went on to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Technical University and interning with the Ford Motor Company simultaneously.
Once Hether graduated from college she went to work full time with the Dearborn based automotive conglomerate as a power train engineer before being moved into Ford’s Specialty Vehicle Team where she specializes in controlling the noise, vibration and harshness that comes with a high performance ride like the Ford Raptor. “NVH orchestrates the vehicle,” Fedullo said. “You could compare us to the conductors of the symphony. Like the conductor orchestrating the symphony, we figure out what the customer should and shouldn’t hear, and help the engineering team implement that plan.”
Her role was key to dampening all of the unwanted noises found in the Ford Raptor; “For instance, when developing Raptor the team worked to gain an intimate understanding of the customer and what they wanted. We made sure to assign attributes to meet those needs… we tuned the truck for great off-road performance without comprising the on-road experience.” So we say thank you to Ms. Fedullo for being part of the development of a great product and the Ford Motor Company for giving women the ability to thrive in the automotive world.
Ford is trying to expand their largest market with an all-new version of their best selling truck that they promise is ready to compete in the Baja 1000 desert race right out of the box with it’s 35 inch tires, Fox Racing long travel shock absorbers and SVT forged lower control arms as well as an all new power plant for the Ford lineup. When the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor launches it will be equipped with the blue oval’s proven three valve Triton 5.4 Liter V8 delivering 320 HP and 390 lb-ft of torque, however the high performance off road specialty truck will also be offered with a Ford’s new 6.2 Liter engine that is supposed to put out somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque. However all the power in the world won’t do you any good if they aren’t reliable, so Ford set out to vigorously test the Raptor’s power train.
Both of the Raptor’s V8 engines underwent extreme laboratory testing that included running the motors over 6,000 PRM for more than 150 hours on the dynamometer as well as being in shocked by severe climate changes when running at wide open throttle. Mike Harrison, Ford Motor Company’s premium V8 systems manager said that “Running it over 6,000 rpm for more than 150 hours, which is over the peak power limit of the engine, really puts it through its paces…We’ve tested it in harsher operating conditions on the engine dyno than would ever be seen by a customer who races.”
After the laboratory testing was complete the engines also were put to the test on Ford’s newly developed 62 mile desert evaluation loop in Borrego Springs, California as an additional real world evaluation in order to confirm their durability because there will be plenty of demand for on throttle antics by high-performance, off-road enthusiasts. Harrison wants everything to work in tiptop form so that Raptor customers won’t have anything to worry about, even desert racers. Harrison said that his crew would then do “a careful teardown of each engine at completion of testing to ensure there absolutely are no issues with the hardware.” SVT chief functional engineer Kerry Baldori said that “Desert testing proved to be a very quick way to learn about the reliability of the truck and it put another level of extreme loads on the engine that our normal durability testing doesn’t cover.”
Nissan officially revealed the details of the 2009 Frontier mid-size pickup, a model that receive numerous refinements for the new model year. The new Frontier is scheduled to arrive at Nissan dealerships nationwide in mid-July 2008.
The 2009 Nissan Frontier, a no-compromise pickup forged with premium hardware, extraordinary power and off-road athleticism, continues to be a leader in the mid-size truck segment. Improving its already impressive packaging, the 2009 Frontier gets updated with a new front fascia, grille and headlight design and new 16-inch and 18-inch wheels.
Additionally, a new PRO-4X off-road model is added, along with new Frontier Crew Cab LE/PRO-4X Value Truck Packages (VTP) that offer an array of popular optional equipment at a greater value than if purchased separately. Other enhancements include a new center radio and HVAC stack (V6 models), new seat cloth for LE models and two new exterior colors – Red Brick and Navy Blue.
The 2009 Frontier will be offered in King Cab and Crew Cab body styles and in 4x2 and 4x4 driveline configurations. Under the hood there will be a 4.0-liter DOHC V6 engine that delivers 261 hp and a peak torque of 281 lb-ft. The Frontier King Cab 4x2 model will use a 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine, with 152 hp and 171 lb-ft.
The BBC’s best automotive journal, Top Gear, has a problem with proper German sports saloons built for businessmen and that is that they are all just too similar. So that is why Richard Hammond decided to introduce a pair of very special GM cars from Australia. First up was the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition. Aside from being the most popular track on the V8 Super car calendar, it is also a blindingly fast version of what we here in America have come to know as the Pontiac G8. The Bathurst comes complete with a set of racing stripes on the hood and a supercharger underneath it. The VXR8 wears some very race inspired bodywork to go along with the 560 HP and the bargain £44,995 price tag.
Top Speed had the pleasure of trying out a greener option for that other necessary item in any weekend racers garage, a work truck. Sure its nice to have a classic Ferrari or a an all out race car in your garage, but what good are they if you cannot get them to an appropriate environment. That is where our GMC Sierra 2WD Hybrid Crew Cab comes into play, this pick up can haul up to 6,100 pounds of trailer and seat six individuals inside the cab. Aside from the nice touches like the 18 inch chrome rims and larger than life front grill, the Sierra Hybrid has the benefit of being an alternatively fueled vehicle.
The full sized trucks 2-Mode Hybrid/Electric power train is tuned to get as much as 21 MPH when driving around town, impressive for any vehicle that weighs over 5,000 pounds. Don’t let the size discourage you, the Sierra Hybrid is easy to drive and the power adjustable front seat allows the driver to find the perfect vantage point.
The truck uses a combination of an electric module and a 6.0 Liter Chevrolet small block to make 332 HP, but you most likely won’t have to use much of those ponies, we found ourselves driving the Sierra around on electric only power most of the time, negating the need for any of the eight pistons. It was nice to know that they were there when we needed them like when passing on the highway or pulling a heavy load. One thing was for certain, the GMC Sierra Hybrid is working hard to give trucks a good name again.
No it will not be called Robust! Volkswagen has chosen for their new pick-up the Amarok name. It comes from the language of the Inuit, who live in northern Canada and Greenland, and means wolf. The Inuit, one of the Eskimo peoples, regard the wolf as the king of the wilderness, an impressive figure due its strength, robustness, endurance and superiority.
It will be launched as a double-cab pickup with four-wheel drive. The single-cab version will be available at a later date. The pickup features not only state-of-the-art, robust engineering but also efficient engines and current Volkswagen styling.
The new pick-up will be launched first in South America and Central America in Spring 2010, followed by Russia and Europe as well as Africa and Australia.
We here at Top Speed like the Kia Soul for its fresh boxcar styling, loads of creature comforts and its energetic fun to drive attitude. So, any vehicle that has the ability to take all those things we find attractive and turn up the volume, is something we are looking forward to. Revealed back in January at the North American International Auto Show, the Kia Soul’ster did all those things and while it was just a concept back then, it could soon become a production vehicle appearing as early as the second half of 2010.
The reactions at the Detroit Auto Show were very positive, but at the time, the Korean automaker refused to reveal any information about the vehicle’s possible mass production. If the Soul’ster does make it into production, we can’t wait to have to have an open air, Jeep inspired Soul in the Top Speed test fleet.
What exactly does the high-performance R/T badge mean. In the 1960’s on musclecars like the Dodge Coronet it meant Rapid Transit, I’ve also heard that it meant Real Trouble for anyone who would dare to challenge any Mopar at the strip or at a streetlight. In the 1990’s with the birth of the Viper it meant Racing Technology. But today on our 2010 Dodge Ram Sport, the R/T badge stands Road/Track, and although I couldn’t imagine any Chrysler Engineers clocking a Nurburgring time I’m sure the new coil spring rear suspension should be up to the job. One thing is for sure; the restyled aggressive exterior would be right at home in any NASCAR paddock > More
Toyota announced prices for the facelift version Tundra and Sequoia. The prices for Tundra will range between $22,960 for the Regular Cab 4x2 standard bed with a V6 engine and equipped with a Work Truck Package to $42,155 for the CrewMax Limited 4x4 with a 5.7-liter V8 engine.
Prices for Sequoia will range from $38,530 for the SR5 4x2 with a new 4.6-liter V8 engine to $58,905 for the Platinum 4x4 with a 5.7-liter V8.
Ford revealed prices for the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor. The new pick-up will go on sale this summer and prices will start from $38,995 for the 5.4-liter V-8 version and from $41,995 for the 6.2-liter V-8 Raptor.
Customers can choose from three additional packages: luxury package ($1,950) with 10-way power leather heated front seats, power adjustable pedals and a Sony audio system; exterior graphics package ($1,075) with "digital mud" decal; and the interior accent package ($395) with orange seat inserts and orange mesh trim on the dashboard and doors.
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