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Editor at Large: Photo Log of the 2011 Ford F-150 Powertrain Media Days

By CE Contributing Authors October 7, 2010 View Profile

When Ford Motor Co. invited me down to Fort Worth in late September, I spent two days driving around the Texas countryside, kicking the tires, pushing the pedals and pulling out all the stops on Ford’s next generation F-150 trucks. The company released four new gas engines, standard six-speed transmissions and cool new technologies like EPAS and tow/haul at the event, touting its F-150 as the most popular truck for the last 33 years (and well, probably at least one more year with all these new powertrains). I hauled trailers, went drag racing, grilled engineers, talked with marketing experts and even took a few photos along the way. Some of the images are below (along with a few, crisp press images). Wave your cursor over each photo to read captions, and turn to the November print issue of Compact Equipment for the full story.  – Keith Gribbins, Managing Editor, Compact Equipment

CE Editor Keith Gribbins flies to Fort Worth to test drive the new 2011 Ford F-150 powertrains. He takes this all very seriously.

All 2011 Ford F-150s come with a six-speed transmission as standard. Ford says the revamped 6R80 transmission provides smoother operation and better fuel economy.

This beefy 6.2-liter V-8 rated, 411-hp gas engine rounds out an all new engine lineup for the 2011 F-150. The 6.2 is standard in the special edition Harley-Davidson and Raptor trucks and optional in other models. The workhorse engine can tow a class-leading 11,300 lbs.

On our two day journey in Texas, Ford invited journalists to test drive their new powertrains in all types of applications, like hauling 6,700-lb trailers down the back roads of Fort Worth.

We think the Ford Raptors are some of the coolest looking sport trucks in the industry, so we thought we’d run a photo of one, hauling ass in the dessert.

At the 2011 F-150 powertrain media day, Ford set up a drag racing test for writers -- timed acceleration at The Texas Motor Speedway. The goal was to score a perfect .500 reaction time on the starting line and then try to get up 70 mph in a quarter of mile. This editor clenched his best start at .607 and 72 mph.

The basic trim levels – XL, STX, XLT, FX2/FX4 and Lariat – are again offered in addition to King Ranch, Platinum, SVT Raptor and Harley-Davidson F-150. This is the opulent cab of a new Harley-Davidson F-150.

The Texas Motor Speedway is a magnate for power, speed and driving enthusiasts. In last September, Ford Motor Co. decided to capitalize on the track’s victorious momentum, introducing four new powertrains to its F-150 lineup and using the Texas Motor Speedway as its backdrop.

Headlining that engine lineup is the uniquely named EcoBoost, which Ford says will deliver an unbeatable combination of best-in-class towing (11,300 lbs), payload (3,060 lbs) and torque (420 lb-ft), while giving customers the fuel economy of a V6.

This is how we picture you and your future crews using the new 2011 Ford F-150 in the near future.

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