On today’s show…Ford says the diesel F-150 will get 30 MPG…Toyota does a better job of hiding its autonomous technology…and how monitoring your brain can improve the driving experience. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
FORD F-150 DIESEL DETAILS
It’s been about a year since Ford announced it was going to put a diesel in the F-150 and we finally have more to report about the setup. The 3.0L Power Stroke engine produces 250-horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque. Paired with the standard 10-speed transmission, Ford is estimating highway fuel economy at 30 miles-to-the-gallon. Towing capacity comes in at 11,400-pounds and it has a payload capacity of just over 2,000-pounds. Final EPA numbers and pricing will be announced in spring when the trucks start hitting dealer showrooms.
TOYOTA REVEALS NEXT-GEN AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM
Toyota is showing off the next-gen version of its autonomous vehicle technology at CES. Called Platform 3.0, it’s being demonstrated in a Lexus LS hybrid. The LIDAR in the previous system could only look forward, now the LIDAR can scan 360 degrees up to 200 meters or over 650-feet. Engineers also worked with designers to blend the sensors with the design to make the vehicle look more appealing. And while there is still equipment sticking out, it’s definitely sleeker than the previous test car. Toyota also packaged the self-driving equipment to make it easier to build a fleet of vehicles, which it will begin, starting this spring.
Still to come…a look at more new technology from CES.
CONTINENTAL CREATES 3D TOUCHSCREEN
The German supplier Continental is showing off what it says is the world’s first touchscreen with a 3D surface. The screen uses haptic feedback to help distinguish between different virtual buttons without having to look at the screen, and this allows the driver to keep their eyes on the road. And to make sure any functions aren’t triggered accidently, the screen measures how hard the it’s being pressed before a command is executed. The touchscreen features a flexible design, which gives automakers the opportunity to customize the screen for a specific car or brand.
NISSAN’S BRAIN-TO-VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
We’ve heard of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication that will make driving safer, but what the heck is Brain-to-Vehicle or B2V technology? It’s a way to speed up reaction times and make driving more enjoyable and it’s what Nissan is showing off at CES. By using a device that monitors brain activity, the vehicle would “know” when the driver is about to make a maneuver and the driver assist systems can kick in faster. Or if the system detects the driver is uncomfortable, it could automatically change the driving mode or use augmented reality to make the interior a more relaxing environment. Nissan says with B2V the system can take action 0.2 – 0.5 seconds faster than the driver.
And for even more from CES, be sure to check out our coverage of the show starting tomorrow. John will be talking to suppliers and automakers about their new developments in technology. Look for those interviews on our website, Autoline.tv.
Coming up next, how Buick engineers cut weight from the new Enclave, while making it a little bit larger.
NEW BUICK ENCLAVE GOES ON A DIET
Despite being slightly larger, the new Buick Enclave is about 300 pounds lighter. On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by Rick Spina the executive chief engineer of crossovers at GM, and he shared how engineers were able to cut weight without sacrificing its size.
(The AAH preview is only available in the video version of today’s show.)
For more about the development of the new Enclave you can watch that entire discussion right now on Autoline.tv or you can find it on our YouTube channel.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (16)
January 8th, 2018 at 11:40 am
Wow, Ford finally decided to offer a diesel in the 1/2 ton truck! Bet Nissan and Ram are worried now.
January 8th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Toyota’s next-gen autonomous system: nice wheels on that Lexus (and that’s all I have to say about that).
And on Nissan’s Brain to Vehicle; I think they need some way to test their system ‘invisibly’ because when someone is all hooked up to that paraphernalia they are already more aware (cognizant) of what they are doing. In fact, if most drivers were more cognizant of what they are doing (when driving), we’d all be better off. More and more ‘nanny’ electronics just doesn’t help (sometimes). JMO
January 8th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Nissan maybe,but not Ram. And you forgot about GM,which doesn’t have a diesel offering in the 1/2 ton line.Back to Nissan,they screwed themselves with the ‘heavy half ton’,or light hd,whichever.
And the 5.0L Cummins in the xd,is a dog,and gets lousy mpgs,and doesn’t have an exhaust brake.Maybe Nissan will get it right when they come out with a new Frontier.
January 8th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
I recently saw the new Buick Enclave and it is very nice. The problem is with the new sub brand called Avenir. It’s really a top of the line interior and it is only available in one color combination, black with dark brown inserts in the seats and dash. I personal do NOT like it. But here is the bigger problem, if you look at their major ad campaign “That’s not a Buick!” and you look at the age of the people in the ad and on their web site, they are clearly trying to attract a young demographic. I just do not see younger people flocking to Buick to get this “highest expression of Buick luxury”.
I think they should make a “GS” model for every car/crossover in their lineup. A GS model should have Brembo brakes, very aggressive wheel/tire package, RM shocks with cockpit adjustment settings, paddle shifters, and be benchmarked against and handle just as well from competing models from BMW and Audi.
January 8th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
This time of year when my back up sensors work half the time because of extreme cold or being covered in snow I find it hard to believe an autonomous vehicle will be able to operate, I guess time will tell.
January 8th, 2018 at 2:20 pm
The Continental touch screen is another case of an answer to a question nobody asked. What’s wrong with buttons? They work in sub-zero temps and in most cases you can operate them with gloves. Look at a F1 steering wheel with all the settings. F1 is on the cutting edge of technology but do you think a touch screen could be a substitute?
The Evil Overlords that have given Ford the exoskeleton have now set their sights on Nissan. As your driving down the road and feel hungry, it can read your brainwaves, then drive your car straight to a McDonald’s or whatever restaurant they can sell your data to.
January 8th, 2018 at 2:41 pm
The 1/2-ton diesel pickup race could get interesting and I know I’ll be watching. Here’s where things stand now: Ram sold 132,967 diesel pickups in 2017, a increase of 2.0% compared to 2016 and Nissan sold 12,628 Titan diesels, an increase of 12.1% from 2016.
January 8th, 2018 at 3:19 pm
The Buick brand engineer gave great information on how and why the Buick products are so quiet and spacious.
Being able to enlarge the vehicle slightly and drop 300 lbs is impressive.
Nice product
Now they need an ev cuv to round out the lineup
January 8th, 2018 at 4:31 pm
I personally know of a LaCrosse sale Buick probably lost, (to Hyundai Genesis G80) because you can’t turn off the stop/start. I hope they realize that, and don’t do the same thing on future models, like the new Enclave. Also, they need to fix that issue with the LaCrosse. It can probably be done with software.
Except for rare cases, like heavy towing, I don’t see the point of diesels in “light duty” pickups. In CR’s tests, the Ram diesel does barely better than the F-150 with the 2.7 turbo gas and the new 10-speed. The Titan diesel only ties the Ram V8 gas, and does worse than the Silverado V8 gas. The tow rating for the Titan diesel is slightly higher than the others, but for most buyers, so what?
January 8th, 2018 at 4:39 pm
#9 I’m referring to mpg for the trucks. In acceleration, they are about as would be expected. The gas V8s and Ford turbo gas are close together, and the diesels ~3 seconds slower to 60 mph.
January 9th, 2018 at 8:59 am
#9 Kit I could see many people wanting the 1/2 ton diesel simply because they produce a lot more torque 440 compared to the 375 of the 2.7L ecoboost. Plus Diesels have a reputation of running 300k miles easily.
January 9th, 2018 at 9:40 am
Also On the ford diesel. The resale value of the diesel will probably be twice of a 2.7L eco boost once they both have 100k miles on them.
January 9th, 2018 at 9:40 am
A lot of, or maybe most people don’t realize that torque numbers mean nothing, as far as what an engine is capable of doing. Power is what counts, and proper gearing is what it takes to use an engine’s power most effectively. You are right, though, that people like big torque numbers.
John, Sean, or anyone else out there, is there any real data on service life of the various diesels used in pickup trucks? The diesels used in big trucks, and the ones used in locomotives can last a very long time, but do the “lighter duty” diesels in pickups and SUVs really last any longer than today’s gas engines? It is quite common for a Chevy V8 to go 300K miles, with no maintenance, except for oil changes, and a couple spark plug changes. Do “Duramax,” “Powerstroke,” or the Cummins used in Ram pickups do any better? One sure thing, is that the diesels have a lot more maintenance expense along the way, with multiple, expensive oil and fuel filters, generally more frequent oil changes, with lots of oil, and now, the urea fluid.
January 9th, 2018 at 9:44 am
12 Yeah, I’m sure the diesel will have good resale value, unless it turns out to be like the 1980′s Olds car diesels. I’m curious about the resale of the F-150′s resale value with the 2.7 turbo, versus the V8. I’ll check KBB and NADA sometime, and see what it looks like.
January 9th, 2018 at 11:58 am
I just looked it up, and with 75K miles, KBB values a mid-trim 2015 F150 “supercab” about $600 higher with the 2.7 turbo, than with the V8. We’ll see if that changes as they get older.
January 9th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
Watch out for the new Silverado at Saturday. They will show a stunning diesel. Also watch out form the new Achates engine at NAIAS making 37 mpg in a truck.