Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Smart New Features Take Capability, Comfort and Convenience to New Levels for All-New Ford F-150


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  • 360-degree camera system using exterior cameras creates a bird’s-eye view of the truck to help the driver park, maneuver in tight spots, and navigate down narrow roads and trails
  • Ultimate configurability for cargo – inside the cab and in the bed – makes new Ford F-150 even more capable
  • Available LED headlamps are a segment first, providing brighter illumination and longer life

Ford’s all-new F-150 improves capability, comfort and convenience with more than a dozen smart new technologies for owners of America’s most popular truck. Many of these features are appearing for the first time ever on a pickup truck.

“For F-150, the impressive lineup of tech-savvy features is all about maximizing productivity at work and play,” said Pete Reyes, Ford F-150 chief engineer. “Every new technology and feature we added to the vehicle is aimed at helping our customers do more with their trucks.”   

Improving visibility
 

F-150 provides drivers extra visibility with a new 360-degree camera system. The system – the first of its kind for pickups – provides a view of all four sides of the vehicle, making it easier to navigate into parking spaces or around tight corners. Images from cameras mounted in the grille, tailgate and under each sideview mirror are stitched together to provide the driver with an overhead bird’s-eye view, and visibility of as much as seven feet of surrounding space. 

Visibility also is enhanced by energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the interior and exterior of the new F-150, providing brighter, whiter light and better durability than older incandescent lamps.

F-150 drivers will appreciate segment-first LED headlamps. These lamps provide a better quality of light that is more representative of daylight colors, plus they consume less energy than traditional headlamp technology and are designed to last the lifetime of the truck. 

The new F-150 also features forward-facing LED spotlights on the sideview mirrors, and LED cargo box interior lighting for excellent visibility in the truck bed at night or when a bed cover or cap is used. 

“We know that work keeps going when the sun sets,” said Reyes. “The new F-150’s exceptional lighting technologies can help light work sites well into the night.” 

Improving the driver experience
 

Ford is introducing a suite of smart driver-assist technologies on a pickup for the first time, including lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and a collision mitigation system. 

Lane-keeping assist uses the truck’s front camera system to monitor lane markings, and can alert the driver if the vehicle drifts out of its lane – even providing steering torque to pull it back into the center of the lane if needed. 

Adaptive cruise control uses onboard radar to automatically slow the truck down when cruise control is engaged and the truck is approaching slowed traffic. The system automatically resumes the previous speed once the slowdown is gone. 

The collision mitigation system also uses the truck’s onboard front radar to alert the driver if the truck detects a possible collision. The system can pre-engage the brakes to help the driver slow the truck even more quickly. 

Ford’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert is a driver-assist feature that helps detect vehicles in blind spots during normal driving and traffic approaching from the sides when reversing out of parking spots. 

Smart cargo solutions
 

The all-new F-150’s cargo box receives significant upgrades to make it more versatile and driver-friendly. In addition to the LED box lights, the new F-150 offers remote lock/unlock of the tailgate, along with a feature that is new for pickup trucks – a tailgate that automatically lowers itself with the push of a button on the key fob to help customers when their hands are full. 

Ford’s pioneering tailgate step has been redesigned to be fully integrated into the tailgate and virtually invisible when not in use. To use the step, simply drop the tailgate into the down position, grab the bottom step, pull it straight out from the tailgate, and drop it down into the step position – all in one easy motion. The grab handle is now housed inside the tailgate, keeping the inner surface of the tailgate uniformly flat. 

F-150 also features the new BoxLink™ system, with stowable cargo ramps and lockable die-cast aluminum tie-down cleats customers can configure in dozens of ways. These segment-first cargo ramps can be mounted quickly on the tailgate to enable easy loading of ATVs, motorcycles or mowers. 

F-150 SuperCab is now easier to load and unload, thanks to a flat load floor and rear doors that open almost 180 degrees – ideal for placing cargo in the vehicle when in tight spaces such as parking lots and garages. 

Greater convenience
 

To help drivers maintain a close eye on the truck’s many systems, the instrument panel has been completely redesigned with an all-new 8-inch productivity screen featuring computer-generated graphics and customizable information. The speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and amp meter are all now fully computer-generated, and the driver can choose additional screens for a specific use such as towing or off-roading. The driver also can configure the locations and colors of the individual instruments. 
 
The all-new Ford F-150 will feature a high-power inverter with two available 110-volt 400-watt outlets in the dash and second-row center console in SuperCab and SuperCrew models. These outlets are perfect for recharging power tools or running electrical equipment on the job site, and their central location keeps them secure and easily accessible from any side of the truck.

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