When Ford’s toughest of trucks, the F-150, arrives down under next year, in XLT and LARIAT form, it will not only boast an impressive list of standard features, but will also hae been tested right here in Australia.
As part of its pre-launch preparations, the car maker has conducted extensive local durability testing on the converted left-hander, putting it through the same program as the next-gen Ranger and Everest.
Both variants will feature the top selling 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine, coupled with 10-speed automatic transmission in 4×4 Crew Cab configuration, in ether SWB (145-inch wheelbase, 5.5-foot load box) and LWB (157-inch wheelbase, 6.5-foot load box).
Durability is at the core of the new F-150 and during local engineering and development it had to cope with everything from -40 degrees Celsius and to +50 degress Celsius temperatures, trailer towing, mud, ultra-fine sand, water crossings, and corrosion tests.
In all, durability tests in Australia saw the big Ford truck to more than 135,000km, or the equivalent of driving around Australia nine times. It’s been driven across Ford’s torturous Silver Creek Road durability track hundreds of times.
Similarly, some of the world’s most punishing roads were replicated in the laboratory at Ford Australia’s You Yangs Proving Ground with the F-150’s driveline, steering, wheels and suspension punished on a kinematic and compliance (K&C) rig.
“We’ve torture-tested, tuned and re-worked the right-hand drive F-150 so that Aussie customers know they’re getting the full factory F-150 experience. We’re doing everything to make sure the truck will be right at home here in Australia,” “Ford Australia’s performance and customisation chief program engineer Dave Burn said.
The F-150 goes on sale in Australia in 2023. Pricing and final specification will be announced closer to market release. Exterior colours will include Oxford White, Agate Black, Iconic Silver, Antimatter Blue, Carbonised Grey and Lucid Red.
