2015 Hennessey VelociRaptor 600 Kicks Serious Ass!

Sadly, Ford discontinued the SVT Raptor for the 2015 model year, and even though we fully expect a 2016 version to bow in less than a month at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, that hasn’t stopped the folks at Hennessey from making a 2015 version of their ass-hauling, off-road truck. At over 600 horsepower, the Hennessey VelociRaptor is quite a beast!

Hennessey takes a F-150 equipped with the 5.0L V8 and adds a big honking supercharger to boost output to over 600. A high-flow intake feeds air to the Roots-type supercharger at 8 psi of boost. Built on the FX4 package, the truck also has off-road credentials.

The wheels are 17″ Hennessey specials, with 33″ BFGoodrich tires. A high-tech coilover off-road suspension keeps everything in check, and a winch helps you get out of the deep stuff (or if you need to help someone else out along the trail). Brembo brakes will also be an option.

The best part? The whole package comes with a 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty! Hennessey promises to build no more than 500 of these trucks, making them a bit of a rarity. They’ll be sold at Ford dealerships and come with a price tag of $73,500. Considering how expensive trucks have become, it doesn’t really seem that bad to have a unique truck that’s more capable than most trucks on the road today.
                                                                                                            via Ford-Trucks

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Does The F-150′s Fake Engine Noise Bother You?

Earlier this year, I had an opportunity to test-drive the 2015 Ford F-150 at the official press launch in San Antonio. After spending most of the day in the fantastic 2.7L EcoBoost, I jumped into a Lariat with the 3.5L EcoBoost. I’ve driven several EcoBoost-equipped F-150s in the past, and this one sounded different.

When I’d get on the throttle, it sounded gnarlier than I remember. I didn’t think much of it, but it turns out that Ford is using the stereo system to augment the engine noise with some V8 grunt.

In hindsight, I knew something was up. But if I’m being 100% completely honest, my brain didn’t immediately think “it’s a fake!” Rather, I thought they did some engineering voodoo with sound tubes and what not to make the engine sound a little beefier. In the Focus and Fiesta ST, they use the sound tube to great effect. BMW has been pumping engine noise into the cabin for years, especially on their performance models. Even the new Mustang has an augmented sound track by the vehicle’s stereo.

On the surface, as an enthusiast, it does bother me. I don’t like the idea of having a fake engine noise, especially in days when a car like the Challenger Hellcat sound so amazing. But thinking back to that driving experience, I really think the sound augmentation made the truck sound awesome. Isn’t that what you want; your truck to sound awesome?

The only real downside I can see with this type of setup is that if you modify the truck and that changes the engine noise, it will still sound relatively the same inside the truck. I suppose for the people who want an authentic V8 sound and the ability to modify to make it sound better, the 5.0L V8 is still available.

So what say you? Does the augmented engine noise in the higher-trim Ford F-150s bother you?

                                                                                      via Ford-Trucks

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Have No Fear, Aluminum is Here

The 2015 Ford F-150 will be the largest mass-produced vehicle made mostly out of aluminum. Once the Rouge plant in Dearborn is running at full capacity, they’ll be producing an astonishing 60 trucks per hour. Not only is that a lot of trucks, but that’s a lot of aluminum.

When Ford made the announcement that they were going to construct America’s best-selling vehicle out of the same stuff soda cans are made out of, people began to question whether it’d be a good idea. How long would it last? What is going to happen to repair costs? Will insurance rates go up?

Recently, we asked you if you thought the media stories are overblown or if they were right on. Many of you aren’t concerned about Ford’s use of aluminum. However, a few of you expressed concerns about the material, repair costs, and overall vehicle costs. Let’s take a few moments to address some of the concerns and share why I don’t believe the concerns will become reality.

Aluminum Makes the Truck More Expensive

The starting price of the 2015 Ford F-150 is $25,420. The starting price of the 2014 F-150 is $25,025. That’s a price increase of $395. Additionally, the 2015 comes with an all-new 3.5L V6 engine, getting a combine EPA mileage rating of 20 mpg. That’s a 1 mpg increase over the 3.7L that came with the 2014 model.

If there is a significant new production cost with aluminum, and there is, it’s being mostly absorbed by Ford through the complete renovation of the Rouge plant, along with the eventual conversion of the Kansas City plant. Dealerships also absorb some of the costs by purchasing $40,000 worth of equipment to allow them to work on the new trucks.

Ford’s bottom line may suffer short term by the added costs, but in the long-term it should all work out as the quantities of scale take over. The demand for aluminum will require more efficient ways of producing the material for automotive application, which will lower the cost.

Aluminum Makes Insurance More Expensive

           

From the get go, Ford has been working with insurance companies to make sure they fully understand the aluminum repair process so that rates won’t increase. Forum member 1piece-at-atime works at a body shop that is certified to work on the new truck, and during training many of his fellow classmates were members of the insurance industry.

At the shop where I work we’ve been adding equipment, and training, for the new F150 for months. It’s been a big investment. We are now certified by Ford for aluminum repair. One of the training classes I attended about half of the people were from the insurance industry. They said that insurance costs were supposed to be comparable to 2014 trucks. And instructors say the new trucks are supposed to be very repairable. Is there going to be a learning curve for all involved? Yes! But we in the collision industry have been working with aluminum panels for quite a few years. All auto manufacturers have made big changes in how cars and trucks react in a collision. There are many different types of steel used to make car bodies safer. In the trade we learn to adjust. We have to.

Repairing aluminum will be better than having to replace an entire piece, which is how aluminum pieces were often repaired in the past. Ford’s special tools to work on the truck should keep repair costs in line with a steel truck.

Aluminum Isn’t As Strong

Please. Yes, if the truck was completely constructed out of pop cans, you’d have an issue. I have personally driven the new truck. I have handled body pieces. I have seen the testing these trucks go through. I have no doubts about the truck’s overall strength. Aluminum won’t rust, and hopefully the measures Ford has taken will help prevent corrosion of the aluminum.

Ford’s best selling vehicle is the F-150. The executives at Ford get paid based on the performance of the stock. If Ford started selling a subpar truck shareholders would dump the stock right away. There’s no way that they’d put such a popular vehicle on sale that isn’t up to snuff. I know that that’s asking for faith from the company, but it’s just good business sense to build a good product.

Aluminum Isn’t New

Aluminum has been used in vehicle construction for a long time now. When a manufacturer wants to make their vehicle lighter, they go aluminum (or carbon fiber). The new Mustang uses copious amounts of aluminum. So does the Chevrolet Corvette. Aluminum has been used in the construction of automobiles since 1899. Carl Benz, of the obvious German manufacturer, used aluminum in engine construction as early as 1901.

We’ve learned a lot in the 100+ years in the use of aluminum, and that knowledge and expertise is put to use in the new F-150.

Should you buy a 2014 if you still need a truck? Only if you want a deal. There’s no reason to jump in now to avoid getting an aluminum-version of the truck.

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