Answers to Your Questions About the 2015 Ford F-150

We’ve been hearing a lot about the 2015 Ford F-150 over the past several months. The bulk of the chatter has been about its new aluminum body. A good portion of it has been about the second EcoBoost to join the engine lineup: the 2.7-liter, 325-horsepower V6.

You all had a few questions about my recent experience with the pickup that focused on other parts of it. I’ve put those and the answers to them below.

seventyseven250 – “Is there any chance Ford alters the current order protocol and allows the 2.7L Lariat 4×4 to be ordered with the luxury package (#502)?”

Mike Moran, director of regional communications for the Blue Oval, said via email, “Not at this time.”

Aquapools – “Is the new larger fuel tank 33 gallons or 36 gallons?”

The typo that led to that confusion is going to be corrected. The Extended Range Fuel Tank holds 36 gallons, according to Moran.

neojeff – “How are the new LED headlights? … Also I can’t seem to get a feel for how well that technology package works? Is it useful or something that would seldom be used? “

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to use them because all of my behind-the-wheel time was during the day. The good news is Ford expects them to last more than five times longer than conventional headlamp bulbs.

I used the direction arrows on the left side of the steering wheel to search through menus in front of me to access and set up some of the pickup’s tech. The system was intuitive, in my opinion. The eight-inch screen between the tach and the speedo featured tabs through which I could easily navigate to change things such as the intervention level of the Lane-Keeping System (which was effective yet subtle in providing corrective steering inputs in Aid & Alert mode). If you’ve used a modern web browser, you’d have an easy time doing the same.

Personally, I think I’m great at staying in my lane all by myself. However, let’s face it: Many of us don’t always look straight ahead while driving because we’re checking something on our phone or reaching down for a drive-through soda. Ford’s L-KS could prove useful in such cases.

When scaling or descending rough terrain, all I had to do was press a button above the nav screen to activate the handy 360-degree camera so I could avoid scraping paint off of my handsome new tester. I did get plenty of mud on it, though…

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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