When Ford Motor Company set out to redesign the F-150 – the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the YearTM and the best selling pickup of the past 31 years – the truck team knew it wanted to improve fuel efficiency. Even before fuel economy jumped from 10th to third place among pickup buyers’ top purchase considerations, the design team knew it needed to deliver a substantial improvement over the outgoing model, without sacrificing any capability.

The ‘Black Art’ of Aerodynamics

While Ford’s truck engineering team worked to make fuel efficiency gains through powertrain performance and weight reduction, the design team focused on what some designers call the “black art” of aerodynamics.

The new F-150 4×4 is now best-in-class for aerodynamics and unsurpassed fuel economy in its segment. The new F-150 SuperCrew 4X4 with a 5.5-foot box has the lowest coefficient of drag – 0.416 – of comparable configurations. That’s 6 percent lower than a comparable 2008 F-150.

The 2009 F-150 has a fleet-wide fuel economy improvement of 8 percent versus the 2008 model. For trucks equipped with the 5.4-liter V-8 engine, fuel economy improves by as much as 12 percent. At the same time, the new F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,030 pounds – a combination no other competitor can match.

Unsurpassed Fuel Economy in a Pickup

In addition, Ford is announcing the introduction of the new F-150 SFE (Superior Fuel Economy) edition delivering up to 21 miles per gallon on the highway while still providing 7,500 pounds of towing capability – fuel economy that is unsurpassed in the full-size pickup segment.

Improved from Front to Back

Key aero improvements for the new F-150 include:

• A new chamfered shape to the rear of the cab, which incorporated the center-high-mount stop lamp. This shape helps direct aerodynamic wake over the pickup box efficiently.
• The top of the tailgate, which angles outward to create a bold lip. This wider surface at the top of the tailgate works with the cab chamfering to direct airflow over the box efficiently.
• The front bumper valence and spoiler design, which has been improved to better manage airflow underneath the truck without compromising off-road driving capability.

Other areas that Ford’s truck designers focused included the grille opening, running board, side mirrors and doors. Conventional wisdom suggests that a grille opening needs to be large to maximize air flow to the radiator, but the size of the grille opening on the new F-150 was optimized to allow enough air into the radiator while blocking the excess to minimize drag. In addition, designers shaped the running board and side mirrors and inset the doors to minimize wind noise and drag.