<P> As part of a major focus on fuel economy, the entire engine lineup for the F - 150 was updated for the 2011 model year . Along with two new V8 engines, the F - 150 gained a new 3.7 Liter base V6 engine, and a powerful twin - turbocharged 3.5 Liter V6, dubbed EcoBoost by Ford . An automatic transmission is the only option . Other modifications include the addition of a Nexteer Automotive Electric Power Steering (EPS) system on most models . </P> <P> A recent study conducted by iSeeCars.com and published on the Ford Motor Company website listed Ford F - 250 Super Duty as the top longest - lasting vehicle and Expedition, Explorer and F - 150 in the top 20 longest - lasting vehicle . </P> <P> The thirteenth - generation Ford F - Series was introduced for the 2015 model year . Largely previewed by the Ford Atlas concept vehicle at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, the new design marked several extensive changes to the F - Series design . In the interest of fuel economy, Ford designers reduced curb weight of the F - 150 by nearly 750 pounds, without physically altering its exterior footprint . To allow for such a massive weight reduction, nearly every body panel was switched from steel to aluminum (with the exception of the firewall); the frame itself remains high - strength steel . To prove the durability of the aluminum - intensive design, during the development of the thirteenth - generation F - Series, Ford entered camouflaged prototypes into the Baja 1000 endurance race (where the vehicles finished). The 2015 F - 150 was the first pickup truck with adaptive cruise control, which uses radar sensors on the front of the vehicle to maintain a set following distance between it and the vehicle ahead of it, decreasing speed if necessary . </P> <P> The 3.7 L V6 was dropped, replaced by a 3.5 L V6 as the standard engine, with a 2.7 L EcoBoost V6 added alongside the 3.5 L EcoBoost V6 . While the 6.2 L V8 was withdrawn, the 5.0 L V8 continued as an option, with a 6 - speed automatic as the sole transmission . </P>

When did the aluminum f 150 come out