2015 F-150 Offers Some Crazy Safety Features
The State Fair of Texas has always been a place where truckmakers show off some of their latest and greatest truck technology or introduce special editions. Ford chose the former, showcasing the all-aluminum 2015 F-150 available later this year when demonstrating its new self-park feature.
We'll get the chance to drive the truck next week for the first time and will have a full video and complete story about our driving impressions and observations. But at the fair in Dallas, right alongside Big Tex (Is it weird if that tall scarecrow creeps us out a little?), Ford showed us some pretty cool technology.
As a kind of appetizer for the full meal we'll serve after we spend more time playing with and driving the 2015 F-150s, here are some segment-first technologies and safety equipment Ford will offer on its new half-ton truck.
Cross traffic alert: This will be the most sensored (not censored, meaning both bumpers will be full of data-collection electronics) pickup ever and will be able to sense if a vehicle is headed behind you when you are trying to backup from a mall or baseball field parking lot.
Adaptive cruise control: The front radar beacon can match the speed of the vehicle in front of you and maintain a safe distance between you and them.
Collision warning system: The same radar sensor in the front of the truck used for the cruise control will also warn you with sound and lights of an impending collision and pre-charges the brakes.
Active park assist: After determining that the F-150 will fit into a parallel parking spot (Remember how that used to make you break into a cold sweat?), the same sensors that lets you know if you're getting too close to a wall will "see" the open spot between the parked cars and steer the vehicle into the space. All you have to do is control the accelerator and the brake. Oddly, everyone who tries it seems compelled to hold both hands out the window.
A 360-degree camera: With front-, rear- and mirror-mounted cameras, the driver now has the ability to see all around the truck, as if floating 10 feet above the truck. Imagine how this will help you spot that wayward curb or box of old camping gear that fell over in the garage while you were out. It could come in handy on a tough four-wheel-drive trail as well.
Curve control: By monitoring speed, steering input, yaw and predictive sensors, this system can slow your F-150 by as much as 10 mph in a single second (braking all four wheels) to help maintain control if you happen to be going too fast into a corner.
Front camera washer: Yes, this may sound like a silly thing but if that camera gets covered with bug guts or road grunge, that could leave some important things (people, for instance) in a blind spot. To keep that from happening, a small sprayer will activate to keep the lens clean. Crisis averted.
Trailer light monitor: The smart tow module is able to identify and continuously check the connection circuits of the lights on trailers and report that information to the driver. This eliminates the need to walk around the trailer to find blown lights or bad blinkers.
Cars.com photos by Evan Sears; manufacturer images
