New tow ratings for 2015 Ford F-150 level the playing field for truck buyers

Ford is right to be proud of the towing and carrying capacity of its new, lighter, 2015 F-150 pickup. But there's more to the new numbers than meets the eye. It isn't just that Ford has new towing and hauling numbers to go along with an all-new truck. As the last holdout from new test standards released last year, Ford's announcement effectively led to new hauling and towing ratings across the auto industry that should finally provide consumers with truly comparable data.

After decades of Wild West braggadocio, in which automakers continually increased their pickups' tow ratings based proprietary tests that highlighted their trucks' strengths, the Society of Automotive Engineers stepped in last year to try to level the playing field—and provide ratings that consumers could use to realistically compare trucks among different manufacturers.

GM released its new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups in 2013 with relatively lower ratings based on the new tests. Chrysler was set to do the same for the Ram pickup, until Ford came out and said it wouldn't change the ratings of its existing trucks. Thus, Ford wouldn't follow the new standards until it introduced the redesigned F-150.

Read "Trailer Tips - How to Get Ready for the Summer Towing Season."

With its new turbocharged 325-hp, 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, the new F-150 can carry 2,250 pounds and tow up to 8,500 pounds. While the old F-150 with its 5.0-liter V8 engine can tow a maximum of 9,400 pounds in Super Crew form, the new 2.7-liter V6 gets impressively close for an engine with half of the V8's displacement. Ford has not released payload and towing specs for the new F-150 with a V8 or the 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6. Note that in the current F-150 Super Crew, that EcoBoost engine choice has the highest tow ratings, beating out either of the available V8s.   

In a press release, Ford says the improvements come thanks to a 700-pound weight savings from switching the F-150 to an all-aluminum body.

The new truck will also offer a downsized 3.5-liter (non-turbo) V6 engine in the 2015 F-150 that produces 283 hp and 255 lb.-ft. of torque. With that engine, Ford says, the F-150 has maximum payload and tow ratings of 1,910 and 7,600 pounds, respectively, though it did not specify what cab, bed, and drive configurations would be available with this engine.

GM has also released new payload and towing specs for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups based on the new standard. Most typical configurations went down a couple of hundred pounds.

Chrysler got a head-start on the new standards, announcing on July 16 that all its new trucks for 2015, including light and heavy-duty models, will meet the new SAE standards. A Ram spokesman, Nick Cappa, says all the trucks (in 99 percent of configurations) maintain the same or better ratings than they had for 2014, so customers who bought trucks previously will not see a loss of capacity on paper.

The new F-150 2.7-liter EcoBoost far exceeded the ratings of other gas-powered V6 pickups, and it beats some V8-powered competitors when not equipped with their lowest axle ratio. With no tow ratings released for the F-150 V8 or the larger 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that will be available in the F-150 when it reaches production, it's hard to declare a tow-rating winner just yet.

While we think the new tests could better reflect consumers' actual hauling and towing needs, we applaud the effort to adhere to a common standard that will make it easier to shop for a pickup. But as with fuel economy ratings, beware that your real-word experiences may differ from the tests' assumptions.  While a tow rating basically confirms that the engine and transmission cooling is capable enough to handle the added weight, it has little to do with passing power or acceleration on the open road. Also, there are a lot of variables in trailer towing beyond just the tow vehicle; trailer design and hitch setup play a big role in handling and stability when towing.

As truck capability continues to steadily increase, it is wise for consumers to focus less on bragging rights than on the overall package.

—Eric Evarts