2014 North American International Auto Show - 2015 Ford F-150

If ever American automakers have a chance to shine, surely it would be in Detroit aka the Motor City. The North American International Auto Show is possibly the single most important place where legacy automakers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler can really strut their stuff and this year was no different. However, other automakers see the show as the event as both a place to cement the importance of the American market to their individual brands and the chance to heighten competition in wide array of segments. I've personally looked forward to attending in person one day but alas, I've never gotten a chance (braving the merciless northern winters be damned).

While basically every automaker with an interest in the U.S. market has a presence, I'll focus on the significant debuts as well as a few surprises, starting off with what I think is the most important debut this year.

2015 Ford F-150

2015 Ford F-150

Just how important is a pickup truck to an automaker? So American is this vehicle, that fierce rivalries develop between not just the automakers that build them, but owners as well. While foreign brands have tried to infiltrate the market to varying degrees of success (re: Nissan Titan/Frontier and Toyota Tundra/Tacoma), it remains a distinctly three-way fight between Ford, GM and Chrysler. As far as sales go, only one stands cab and wheel above the rest and that is the Ford F-150. Not only is it the best selling truck in America, it is the best selling vehicle ever, with annual sales around the 700,000 number. When a vehicle defines your bottom line, you really can't afford to screw it up (to put it another way, the Ford GT supercar wouldn't have been possible without the cash-cow F-150 selling as well as it does). With the fiercest ever competition from Chrysler's Ram and the GM Silverado/Sierra twins (both either all-new and significantly revised themselves) Ford had to do something pretty radical to fend off the others. Enter the first-ever aluminum bodied F-150.

That's right...ALUMINUM.

The F-150 has always been a porky truck, even by half-ton standards and compared to the Ram and GM twins. In the truck world, heaviness usually amounts to towing power and a stout frame with which to do work. It doesn't however, help with fuel economy and efficiency. Even trucks must bow to the fuel economy gods. With the F-150's last mid-life update in 2011, Ford partially addressed this by ditching the old Triton 5.4L V8 and sticking a new Ecoboost twin-turbo 3.5L V6 in its place with the aim of providing V8 power with V6 fuel economy (also replacing the old base 4.6L V8 with a 3.7L V6). To satisfy the naysayers however, Ford also equipped the F-150 with two more efficient V8 powerplants: a 5.0L V8 that slots below the Ecoboost 3.5L and a powerhouse 6.2L V8 as the top spec engine. The buyers however, spoke with their wallets, reversing the V8 trend and ordering the 365hp/420lb-ft twin turbo V6 in record numbers. Even Ford was pleasantly surprised at the orderbooks, such that today, the Ecoboost motor accounts for nearly one third of all F-150s sold (see my review here). However, for 2014, Ford goes a step further thoroughly redesigning the frame and body of the F-150 to, not only be stouter, but lighter. And not just by a few pounds here and there. Using experience gained from working with aluminum when it owned Jaguar, Ford has managed to dump as much as 700lbs from the F-150. I don't need to tell you that a lighter vehicle is a more efficient vehicle. 

2015 Ford F-150

While aluminum (a military, dent-resistant grade used on the U.S. Army's M2 Bradley) covers every body panel, including the bed, the fully boxed frame uses more high and ultra high strength steel, further reducing the F-150's lard load. Ford went the extra mile in ensuring the aluminum was also dent resistant and easily repaired, though that last part remains to be seen. Under the hood, the 3.5L Ecoboost is carried over along with the 5.0L V8, but an even smaller Ecoboost 2.7L V6 was introduced that will slot above the base V6, itself downsized from 3.7L to 3.5L. The monster 6.2L V8 is killed, leaving the the larger turbo mill as the top engine. An improved six speed automatic will back all engines While no power figures for the new engines are available as yet, its a safe bet that payload and towing figures will increase as well as EPA fuel economy figures. Currently, the Ram EcoDiesel (no relation) holds the fuel economy crown of 17 city/25 highway and Ford is keen to upstage it. In switching from steel to aluminum, Ford may have put the pickup market on its head, but also, it will give body shop businesses growing pains. Aluminum has traditionally been an expensive material to work with, it's high cost relegating it to liberal use in more expensive vehicles (the Jaguar XJ, Audi A8 and high end sports cars among them) so it will be interesting to see how repair costs are affected.

2014 Ford Atlas Concept

Aside from weight savings, the new F-150 will also boast a look that stays faithful to the Atlas concept that was previewed in 2013. Muscularity and power are instantly transmitted by the in-your-face grille, the tall, broad hood and the semi-stacked headlights (high trim models will feature segment-first LED headlights and LED lighting all around). Aerodynamics also played a key role in the styling, the windshield base moving forward and allowing the glass itself to be raked further back. Active grille shutters, a prominent air dam and a squashed top surface on the tailgate are all aero-cheating tricks to help the F-150 move more silently through the wind. Inside, owners will find a high end interior that will rival luxury cars in terms of technology and sheer opulence. Every F-150 will get vibrant screens in the instrument cluster and in the dash: 4 inch size for lower trim models and larger 8 inch units for higher trims. Since this is a pretty big truck, a 360 degree camera system will be featured that will help in maneuvering and reversing and slate of driver assistance tech such as lane departure warning, blind spot assist and forward collision mitigation will be on offer.

2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

In all this though, the one F-150 model that I've lusted after is the Raptor. With the F-150 being redesigned it's unclear if Ford will bring it back a second time, what with its signature 6.2L V8 being put out to pasture. However, one positive is that the Raptor sold very well during its tenure so it would be unwise for Ford to not at least examine the possibility, dent resistant aluminum be damned. Who knows? A 700lb-lighter Raptor would make for some truly awesome desert running and dune-jumping.

With the introduction of the 2015 F-150, Ford has once again raised the bar and delivered a truck that pushes the envelope on how efficient a half-ton pickup can be. One can only imagine how Ram and GM will respond, let alone Toyota and Nissan.

Images courtesy of Ford.

 

First Impressions - 2014 BMW M4

It's a bittersweet day M fans.

Rejoice for with the new F30 BMW 3 Series comes the promise of a M-ified version, only this time around (and for the rest of eternity) the vaunted M3 badge will only apply to the 4 door car. That's right. The arrival of the BMW 4 Series (no longer the 3 Series coupe) also means that the badge 'M4' will be affixed to the super coupe from BMW's M division.

Say what?

Let me explain. Exhibit A: Audi. Rather than make an A4 2 door (like they did with the A4 convertible...sorta), they branched off the 2 door version into the A5 (and with it, the S5 and hyper RS5) even though both cars share the same chassis. This has worked wonders for Audi and BMW is keen to follow suit. But is that such a bad thing though? The 3 Series Coupe has always been the stylish brother of the 3 Series lineup (which included 4 door and 5 door wagon variants) so in BMW's think tank, it made sense to branch off the 2 door into it's own line, sort of like the 6 Series is essentially a more stylish 2 door version of the 5 Series. Besides, with the arrival of new 3 Series variants like the Gran Turismo (see 5 Series GT for ugly reference) it was probably for the best.

So now, on to what makes this M4 so special (sounds weird saying M4 doesn't it?). Unlike the E90 M3, which sported a high revving 4.0L, 414hp V8, the new M4 will jump on the downsizing trend that has gripped the automotive world in the name of greater efficiency and, in a positive way, back to BMW's bread and butter engine configuration. In the V8's place will be a highly tuned version of BMW's legendary straight six coupled with two turbochargers and not related to the 335i/435i's N55 single turbo 3.0 liter (the M5's twin turbo 4.4 liter V8 is closely related to the same unit used in the 550i) or the earlier N54 powerplant. Displacing slightly more than 3.0 liters, power is rumored to be in the neighborhood of 420 to 450 horsepower with torque trouncing the paltry 295lb-ft of the naturally aspirated V8 by a significant margin. Figure closer to 400 lb-ft. The high-revving nature of the previous M3 will be retained, despite the forced induction employed by the new engine so look for a redline of around 7000-8000 rpm. BMW's 7-speed DCT dual-clutch transmission will send torque to the rear wheels (though a manual transmission is very likely) but don't expect BMW to follow Mercedes AMG on the AWD train. M engineers specify weight and balance as the primary reasons for turning their noses up at sending power to all four wheels, though the electronic M differential will have the ability for torque vectoring between the driven wheels. To keep the M4 light on its feet, BMW has employed more than a sprinkling or carbon fiber composites, particularly in the roof, trunk and hood with the emphasis on keeping the weight low and centralized. Bucking the bigger-is-porkier trend, the M4 will actually weigh less than it's predecessor by a good margin.

A look at the images reveals nothing less than something that came out of the M factory (toxic waste green hue aside). Signature cues include the large vents below the front bumper that provide cooling to the large carbon ceramic brakes as well as a carbon fiber front splitter for increased downforce. Unlike the bigger M5, these vents are more aggressive in design and feature multiple aerodynamic enhancements. The twin-kidney grille features unique inset slats and the traditional power dome in the hood. Just behind the front wheel wells, BMW has created functional fender vents it calls 'Air Breathers', beginning a character line that flows down the sides up to the widened rear hips. Large 20" wheels in typical M design are stuffed inside the wheel wells that, in tune with the widened hips, serve to enahnce the wider track of the rear end. The stylish character line ends in a rear unique to the M4, featuring a fully integrated tail spoiler and lower diffuser housing M's signature quad tailpipes finished in carbon fiber. Perhaps the coolest feature on the M4 concept is the roof which, also finished in carbon fiber, sports the just-visible M colors of blue, purple and red in stripes. The suspension has seen a thorough going over with wider tracks front and rear and a fully reworked rear suspension that features lightweight aluminum in the majority of its construction. Alas, the M4 will swap hydraulic steering for an electric unit, but before you take up flaming torches and pitchforks, the M engineers sweated the details to ensure that steering feel was not lost in the transition. The E92 M3's steering was a benchmark for feel and effort so look forward to the M4 to preserve that special touch in your hands.

Expect the production M4 and its four door companion to be unveiled in early 2014 with sales a few months after at a price starting in the $60k range. Like previous models, a convertible variant will follow (and here's hoping North America gets a wagon). With Audi RS and Mercedes AMG cranking out ever higher performance vehicles, the pressure is on BMW to deliver a car that will meet the Germans head on (and head off the new kid Cadillac ATS-V) keep the M badge as the standard bearer of the segment. Though calling the new car the M4 will take some getting used to, the performance being previewed should encourage M enthusiasts to accept the new car. And if the the new name still bothers you, there will always be an M3 available on the next stand. If you're willing to accept two more doors that is.

 Images courtesy of World Car Fans