User-One

Well eventually gas will get to a point that people will get a car if they can. That's they way its always been in Europe, pick up's are exclusively used for work.

Within 10 years I'd say ford will produce something like a ridgeline aka f-100.

It was quite an idotic move when ford dropped the ranger and stated for anyone that wanted one to get a 3.7L f150. If they dropped that 3.7 into the ranger it would have gotten better gas mileage, been cheaper, more payload (with modification) and be a rocket.

junehhan

If the 2015 next gens go under significant weight reduction due to heavy use of aluminum, it is pretty much guaranteed that the engines will like get down sized. With less weight to pull, the upcoming 3.2 litre I5 Powerstroke going into the upcoming Transit may even work.

If the next gen undergoes significant weight reduction, I would be concerned about how they would be able to keep the rear wheels from spinning out of control all the time.

User-One

With normal acceleration that will never be a problem. And ford stated that they won't build an aluminum frame, and the most they will do it build a couple of doors/body panels out of AL. I wouldn't expect any drastic weight reduction.

eye.surgeon

LOL. Go get in your truck and try to spin the rear wheels. There's this thing called traction control that won't let you.

User-One

Mine doesn't, or stability control, makes it fun to drive

Kenferg1

I would tend to agree with you based on my current experience towing. 6th gear is a downhill or flat/no headwind gear for me so far. 5th seems to be the truck's sweet spot with 4th do most of the up hill work. 5%+ grades can call for 3rd. Mind you, I have the 3.31 rear end. I only tow a few thousand miles a year and the transmission does an excellent job of making up for the higher final gear ratio. Oh, and I'm getting 11.2 mpg so far on this two over 2200 miles from Tennessee to Utah via I-70. Excellent mpg for the work it has to do.

Al Kohalic

That is true for my current company work truck (EB 2wd 3.15) and my last work truck (5.0 2wd 3.55). Although the EB 3.15 would still hold 6th on hills that would make my old 5.0 3.55 drop down to 5th especially at lower speeds. On hills that the EB would be in 5th on, the 5.0 would be in 4th. I can see an extra gear not being wanted if you were in these engine or gear ratios.

My personal truck is a different animal and will hold gears a lot longer especially after it was tuned. Unloaded, it never shifts on the highway at a 70 mph cruising speed even up hills. Loaded with over 5k lbs at highway speed, it will down shift to 5th only on grade 2-4 hills and 4th on grade 5 hills. An extra gear on this thing would help out when unloaded and with the option to lock it out with a push of a button when loaded like the current trans if you have the Selectshift feature. Maybe make it as a 7-speed option for EB/6.2L 3.55 and 3.73 ratios.

This is a video I made of my truck with a 5 Star tune holding 6th at a low 1,300 rpm up a hill. It didn't down shift until it was at a grade 5 as you see in the video. This is not possible in my current EB work truck or my old 5.0L work truck with the same gear ratio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=H33Z7wzkuBw

rancherlee

I don't see the 6.2L making it to the Atlas, the 5.0L will stay as its already designed to be a direct injection engine. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the 3.5L will be available in 2 different power levels, one to edge out the 5.0L DI, and another to compete with the new GM 6.2L OR they come out with a beefed up 5.0L block that's has thicker cylinder walls and around 4.6L displacement with twin turbos.

acadianbob

The 6.2L will be dead. You will see smaller displacement ecoboost V6's. They will squeeze more out of them though. Also, there HAS to be significant weight reduction coming. Aluminum and high strength steel. The weight of the frame has to come down.

gillysmi

lots of ideas. I hope a couple of them become reality.