Trucks just aren’t what they used to be. In the past, they were simple tools for the working class; now, they’re trying to be everything to everyone. Just look at the new Ford F-150. It has a bed for those of you who need to use it as a work vehicle. It has two available turbocharged engines and an aluminum body for you fuel conscious types. It can be dressed up for all of you luxe truck lovers. It can even be put into sport mode by those of you who want a more engaging driving experience from your rig.
It doesn’t matter which engine your aluminum F-150 has or if you’re in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive auto or high. Just push your tow/haul button twice. An amber S will light up in the lower-right portion of your tachometer to let you know sport mode is active. Once it is, your truck’s six-speed automatic will hold its gears longer and stay in the thick of the power band. It’ll also shift less when you’re driving on winding roads and ascending and descending rolling hills.
No matter you go, you won’t have to push the right pedal down as frequently to hit max torque. Your F-150’s gearbox will even rev match as it downshifts when you slow down to take a corner, thanks to transmission calibrations taken from the new Mustang. In fact, powertrain engineers drove the 2015 F-150 and 2015 Mustang on the same testing trip routes because they both use similar transmission tech.
“Sport mode keeps the engine operating in the desired power and torque ranges, or what we like to call the ‘sweet’ spot,” Karl Jungbluth, Ford transmission calibration engineer, said. “It makes Mustang come alive, and we feel it does the same thing in F-150.”
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.
