One of the less talked about advantage of Ford’s switch from steel to (mostly) aluminum construction (of the passenger cell and body) apparently is safety. In recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests it scored extremely well and noticeably better than its more conventional rivals (from GM).
GM’s offerings were still awarded the same five stars as the F-150, but the group’s smaller offerings, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, along with the Ram 1500 and Toyota’s (larger) Tundra and Tacoma all got four stars.
So far, only the crew cab was tested, but if the other body styles achieve similarly good results, then the NHTSA may have to make the criteria for achieving five stars more stringent; last time this changed was 2011.
For additional information check out the Detroit Free Press video posted after the virtual jump. It highlights some of the areas of the F-150’s body and frame that helped it achieve its good ratings.