New Truck PreviewSpied! '04 F-150An eagle-eyed reader with a camera handy sent us some photos of a camouflaged pickup, most likely a prototype of the revamped '04 F-150. Though it's hard to make out much detail given all the body masks, some design cues are visible. It looks like there's a steep, Ram-like rake to the windshield posts. Underneath that front-end mask the headlights have been reworked to move what looks like sidemarker lights inboard. And there seems to be an outline of two windows, with a pillar between them, in the Super Crew's rear door.
Tantalizing, huh? Ford has not indicated when the new truck will debut, but we'd guess sometime in the fall. Hopefully in time for 4x4 of the Year.
Unveiled! '04 5.4L EngineFord has released information and a photo of the new Triton V-8 that will power the revised '04 F-150. The 5.4L engine features a revised version of the existing 5.4's cast-iron block that's topped by all-new aluminum cylinder heads with three valves per cylinder and a new variable cam timing system for the intake and exhaust valves. Those components, and a "host of other features," says Ford, result in a motor that produces 300 hp at 5,000 rpm and 365 lb-ft of torque at 3,750 rpm.
The new 5.4 will be built by Ford of Canada. The new heads will be produced at the Windsor Engine plant and shipped to a new engine line at the Essex Engine Plant across town. This will be the first V-8 produced at the Essex plant; currently it makes the F-150's 4.2L V-6 and the 3.8L V-6 for Mustangs and Windstars. Both plants have been expanded to accommodate the new production.
It was also announced that F-150s will be built at a new Dearborn, Michigan, truck plant that's now under construction at the Rouge Center. Plans call for assembly of the '05 F-150 to begin there in 2004, and that plant will operate in addition to the F-150's Norfolk Assembly and Kansas City Assembly plants.
Revealed! Nissan's New Fullsize PickupNo photos yet but the truck will be a true fullsize, along the lines of the F-150, and not a 71/48ths-scale truck like Toyota's Tundra. (It's rumored that Toyota will build a bigger, 31/44-ton Tundra. Stay tuned.) Power will come from a 32-valve, DOHC V-8 that's smaller than 6.0L and produces around 300 hp. Backing the motor will be a five-speed automatic transmission (no manual is in the plan yet) and a Nissan-built transfer case with a 2.72 low range. It will also be fitted with ABS-based traction control.
The rear axle will be a Dana 44 with a reinforced housing and leaf springs. Up front will be an IFS Dana 35, though the Nissan folks wouldn't say what kind of springs it will use.
The truck will come in King Cab and Crew Cab body styles and will include "lots of chrome and steel" on the front of the truck. An off-road option package will be available that includes BFG Rugged Trail tires and an electric locker.
Like the compact Frontier, the new Nissan fullsize will have a name that's an "actual word we're all familiar with," not a made-up name like Altima or an alphanumeric string like 350Z. The engine, too, will be named, like Ford's Triton family and GM's Vortecs.
Nissan's fullsize pickup should be released in 2003 as an '04 model. A fullsize SUV will also be built on the same ZW platform as the truck. Watch this space for more details as they emerge.
BFGoodrich's Krawler Hits MarketThe BFGoodrich Krawler T/A is no longer just a prototype. The rubber that made its debut in rockcrawling competitions will be available for sale "early in 2003," says BFGoodrich. Two sizes will be offered at first: 35x13.50R15 and 37x12.50R17. The 17-incher will be sold in two versions, including one with only a partial tread molded into the carcass. This would allow users to custom-cut their own tread designs.