Tough truck torture tested

IN PREPARATION for the arrival of a new F-150 ute – tipped to be in the second half of the year – Ford Australia has subjected the big American ‘pick-up truck’ to the rigours of Aussie driving conditions by putting it through its paces at their You Yangs vehicle testing facility near Melbourne.

Keen to underline Ford Australia’s ‘Built Ford Tough’ mantra, the Blue Oval people have been working on localising the F-150 to ensure it delivers on the promise.

The process is critical as Australian conditions are extreme coupled with owners who demand vehicles with broad capabilities, particularly ‘light’ commercials.

The F-150 has dominated in the US market for almost half a century and looks set to continue getting the job done with a range of different models and powertrains on offer including full EV (not in Australia).

Ford says the 2023 F-150 is the toughest and most productive model ever and will do well when it eventually arrives Down Under.

Gauged by the number of forward orders for the F-150, that is already common knowledge here with buyers registering their interest in the big ute as soon as it was confirmed for local consumption.

Ford says it is holding “thousands of prospective orders” through their dealer network.

It will be available here in XLT and Lariat grades and will feature the popular 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine coupled with 10-speed automatic transmission in 4x4 Crew Cab configuration.

Both variants will be available in 3683mm short wheelbase (SWB) with a 1676mm load box and 3987mm long wheelbase (LWB) with a 1981mm load box configurations. 

Ford Australia. Performance and Customisation Chief Program Engineer, Dave Burn said,

“When F-150 hits Australian showrooms, customers can rest assured it’s been put through the same local durability program as Next-Generation Ranger and Everest which, of course, is the same program left-hand drive F-150 went through in the States.” 

Ford says durability is at the core of the new F-150 and during local engineering and development it had to cope with everything from -40° Celsius and +50° Celsius temperatures, trailer towing, mud, ultra-fine sand, water crossings, and corrosion tests.

Total Australian durability test mileage was in excess of 135,000km which is the equivalent of driving around Australia nine times.

Ford Australia didn’t hold back driving the F-150 across their 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 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,” said Mr Burn.

The F-150 goes on sale in Australia in 2023 with pricing and final specification details announced closer to market release.