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Why Edmunds took a sledgehammer to its 2015 Ford F-150

The discussion around repair bills for the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 pickup continued from the beginning of last year to the end, and haven't abated; as an aside, some Tesla Model S owners have been shocked at disquieting repair estimates for minor damage to their aluminum wunder-sedans. Edmunds decided to inject some fact into the fray: it bought a $52,000 long-term 2015 F-150 and clouted it with an eight-pound sledgehammer. Twice. The rear of the bedside took the impacts since it couldn't be replaced, it would have to be repaired. To the pickup's credit, the only reason associate editor Travis Langness hit it twice was that the first sledgehammer blow didn't do as much damage as Edmunds wanted. After the second, the visible damage included the two direct impacts, a few creases, and a cracked taillight, so they drove the pickup to Santa Monica Ford to get an estimate, complete with a fictitious story about how the damage occurred and the mercy plea that Langness was paying for the repair out-of-pocket. In Part 2 Langness hits on some of the details with getting the truck fixed, such as the massively expensive taillight and the list of tools Ford recommends dealers have to work on aluminum. But he was promised he'd have his truck back in seven days, and Santa Monica Ford got it back to him in seven days. In Part 3 we get the bill. It's not small, but it's quite a bit less than it could have been if the service manager had charged Edmunds the official labor rate for aluminum. We're not going to spoil it here, so check out the videos above and below for the beginning and the end, and head over to Edmunds for the complete story about how it all happened and some riffing on the repair numbers. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video:

Ford picks up new Ranger overseas [w/video+poll]

The new Ford F-150 is lighter and more efficient than the model it replaced, but if it's a smaller Ford pickup that you really wanted, you're going to have to pack your bags. Because while Dearborn stopped selling the Ranger in North America years ago, it still offers one in markets overseas. And it's just rolled out a refreshed model at the 2015 Bangkok Motor Show in Thailand. Following the reveal of the new Everest sport-ute with which it shares its chassis, the refreshed Ranger pickup benefits from revised sheetmetal, powertrain and equipment throughout. The changes are punctuated by a front end with a more rugged-looking grille, a more sculpted hood and projector headlamps. The interior has been updated as well, not only in terms of style but equipment as well, with an eight-inch touchscreen display in the dashboard running Sync 2 and dual TFT displays flanking the speedo in the instrument cluster. Under the hood, buyers will be able to choose between a carryover 2.5-liter inline four with 163 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque that's the sole gasoline option or one of two diesel options: a 2.2-liter four now producing 158 hp and 284 lb-ft, or a 3.2-liter inline-five with 197 hp and 347 lb-ft. The diesel engines are more efficient than before with available stop/start engine management, and offer what Ford says is class-leading towing capability. Six-speed automatic or manual gearboxes transmit the power to the road through either the rear wheels or all four. Production will continue in Thailand for the Asia Pacific Market, South Africa for Africa and Europe, and in Argentina for Latin America. All told the new Ranger will be offered in 180 markets, around the world but for better or worse, ours won't be one of them. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Shelby GT500 and Roush Stage 3 go head to head at the drag strip

The Ford Mustang is a brilliantly affordable source of horsepower, with a base 300-plus-horsepower version available for well under $30,000. Jumping up to about $35,000 will get you a solid 420 horsepower from a high-revving V8, while those with some extra disposable income can get a pair of 600-plus-horsepower monsters. Both the Roush Stage 3 with its Phase 3 package and Ford's factory Shelby GT500 even crest the 650-horsepower mark, with 675 and 662 ponies, respectively.
Naturally, someone needed to find out which of these hi-po Mustangs was the quickest. And while this video is quite obviously a dealership commercial, at least there's some solid drag racing between two of the most powerful performance machines available for under $100,000.
With two NHRA drag racers at the wheel, the Stage 3 and GT500 go head to head for three races. Scroll down below to see the results in the full video.