2015 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Platinum Review

Text by Wooley and Yousef Alvi

America is a nation of builders. We build things. Big things, small things, influential things… things that have changed the course of human history. From the Empire State Building, to the Hoover Dam, to the Panama Canal. From the Wright Brothers & the Apollo Missions of yesteryear… to the current Information Age with Zuckerberg & Steve Jobs. You know what the key ingredient made all of that ingenuity possible? Strong imagination, strong will… and somewhere in the mix, you can bet was a Ford F-Series.

The point is – all of those great creations had to have infrastructure in order to come to fruition. And that infrastructure was literally carried in the back of the Ford F-Series. Walk around any construction since the turn of the last century – from a massive skyscraper, to a suspension bridge, to a residential neighborhood… and a Ford truck is humbly there.

One of the main reasons the F-150 is so proven – is that it’s forever rolling with the pace of our times & our needs. Ford never rests on its laurels with the F-Series, and this 2015 F-150 is no exception. It’s indicative of the times we live in now. The new chapter. And the new generation F-150 is an aluminum-alloy bodied, high strength steel chassis’d, twin turbo’d, testament to Ford’s global engineering & development.

Compare the specs of this truck to any of its competitors, and not only will it blow it out of water with sheer numbers & statistics, but also with next generation technology & possibilities. From the EcoBoost engines, to the luxury-levels of interior refinement, to the on-road dynamics, straight down to the ambient LED lighting. Any truck compared to the new F series is literally old world. I’m NOT saying that other trucks are not cool in their own right, or that or that other trucks don’t have their own strengths & attractions. But coming from a cutting edge ‘progressive’ standpoint… Ford engineers are taking ‘the truck’ to new levels.

The truck we reviewed is the 2015 Ford EcoBoost F150 Platinum. And one of the absolute best parts about this thing is the 3.5 liter twin turbo V6. It’s fast – even faster in the aftermarket, as the turbo platform will take to modifications better than an normally aspirated V8.

The EcoBoost F150 is powerful. It’s quick out of the hole. Even during 4WD off-road field launches, wheel-slip was practically nil.

The engine sounds great! And it yields pretty acceptable fuel economy for a full size truck. We were getting about 18mpg average. Anytime you add forced induction to a vehicle, you are adding a potential weak link in reliability. But honestly – the fact the Ford is putting a turbo-platform option in nearly every car in their lineup, puts my mind at ease as a buyer, and shows me that this is part of a new global direction, and not just a temporary MPG gimmick that won’t be backed later on.

The suspension on the F-150 Platinum has really impressive street capabilities for a full size truck. And that performance can be contributed to a great suspension design… combined with a full weight-reduction re-engineering strategy – which utilize aluminum-alloy body panels & takes 700lbs out of the truck compared to the old model (currently steel chassis; aluminum body).

Pushing the F-150 Platinum through on/off ramps & sweeping corners put a grin on our faces – with admiration of how ‘sports car’ minded it felt. Body-roll is surprisingly minimal, the full size truck is predictable in corners, and the Ecoboost gives off a energizing melody of turbo-swooshing combined with a brute, muscle rumble that was surprising and impressive for a V6.

Having sung its praises with regards to performance – Ford has found a way to tame the beast once you get inside the vehicle. Some cars (and certain 4-wheel-drives) are like a dog pulling on the leash. They practically beg you to put your foot in it… or do something stupid. The Platinum Edition F-150 is not that truck. The power & the performance are certainly on tap. But once you get inside the luxurious, quiet interior – you’re really not tempted to go after it.

The Platinum Edition is a sophisticated truck. It’s a country club truck. A foreman’s truck. An equestrian’s truck. It’s designed for work; it’s also designed for the family vacation & everything else in between.

Each AC vent is about the size of a brick, and they can pump some serious air. The leather seats have the perhaps-expected heating & cooling capabilities… but they also have the unexpected & totally welcomed ability to massage the driver & passenger. Yeah you read that right – after a hard days of work, the Platinum F150 can massage you all the way home. The panoramic sunroof stretches all the way from the windshield to the back glass. The SYNC infotainment system is one of the best & easiest to use out there.

The tailgate will release with a press of a button on the key fob. That may seem corny & ‘un-truck like’, but trust me, once you have it, it’s a convenience you’ll never want to give up. Just for example, I came back to the F-150 after a long mountain bike ride. As I rode up to the truck, I reached in my pocket and hit the tailgate release. The tailgate came down, I hoped off the bike, threw it in the bed, went to the door handle, the truck automatically sensed the fob and unlocked. I got in, pushed the start button, and was off – never had to take the key out of my pocket for any of it. …Then I got a massage all the way home.

We referenced ourselves as an import magazine in years past, but we said it before & we’ll say it again – the emerging, new global Ford has changed our entire mindset on how we approach & define our job descriptions. We are not an import magazine anymore, we are an enthusiast magazine. And as enthusiasts, we are going to promote & support the enthusiast-based manufactures who are working the hardest to drive progression forward. To quote Ford’s old slogan from decades past – “Have you driven a Ford lately?” If you haven’t, you probably should… before you just go and buy your next truck out of old habit.