Ford beats weight loss projection in F-150 pickup

For months, Ford has touted that its new aluminum-bodied F-150 would be up to 700 pounds lighter than the one steel-bodied one that it replaces. Now we know the official numbers.

And they're impressive. Ford put the full-size pickups on the scale Tuesday before a gaggle of reporters and at the high end, it beat expectations. Detroit Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan, who attended the event in Dearborn, Mich., reports that a 2015 four-wheel-drive, well-equipped version, came in at 4,942 pounds, down 732 pounds over a comparable 2014 model.

That's gigantic, a savings equal the the weight of about five passengers. To dramatize it, Ford put a gigantic crate of watermelons on the floor next to the new F-150 that it says represents the weight savings.

Ford says the weight reductions will range from about 625 pounds to, well, 732 pounds. Now, if we could only find how that weight savings will translate into fuel savings, which is yet to be disclosed.

Ford's lighter-weight 2015 trucks won't need as much power to tow and haul he same amounts as now, or more. Perversely, that could complicate marketing for Ford because pickup wars often lean on power ratings to brag about supremacy.

Still, Ford's EcoBoost 3.5-liter caught on quickly with normally conservative truck buyers after its introduction in the 2011 model. Ford argues that truck buyers -- especially business users -- value mileage highly, and look at data closely.

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 has V-8 power levels and gets slightly better mileage than the 5-liter V-8, and Ford says that's what buyers of the current truck have found persuasive.

The F-Series pickup remains the nation's best-selling vehicle of any kind, suggesting truck buyers haven't balked at the Ford turbocharging technology at the heart of the EcoBoost package.