History Of The F Series: Part 3

The Ford F-Series has been in production for over 70 years and has been America's best-selling truck for the past 40 years. Throughout all the generations of F-series trucks, Ford has been great about listening to its customers and providing quality vehicles.

This is the final post in the series as we finish with the recent generations of Ford's F series.

9th Generation (1992-1997)

 

A 9th-generation F-150. Image Credit: IFCAR

In 1992 Ford introduced their newest design with minor exterior changes, which worked to round the shape of the earlier 8th gen trucks. Ford also worked to improve aerodynamics on the front end with a redesigned grille and larger headlights. They also offered a redesigned dashboard and a more luxurious interior. In addition, Ford brought back the Flareside bed design for a more classic look.

For the 1993 model year, Ford introduced the Lightning, with more than 240 horsepower from a specially designed V8 engine. Soon after, Ford stopped offering the Lightning for the more comfort-focused Eddie Bauer edition. This would foretell the path of the F Series as they worked toward a more luxurious feel.

The Eddie Bauer F-150 edition was the most luxurious offering of the time.

The models in this generation included:

• F-150
• F-250
• F-250 HD
• F-350
• F Super Duty

This would be the final generation of the medium Class 6 trucks, as Ford pushed F-250s and larger models into the next class for the following generation.

After a full decade of competing with GM, Ford finally won the title for most pickup sales in 1996.

10th Generation (1997-2004)

 

A 1998 F-150 XLT. Image Credit: Bull-Doser

To start the 10th generation of the F-series, Ford redesigned and reworked the F-150 and put out tons of aggressive marketing before it's release.

Ford's risky move was moving more towards a dual-purpose vehicle that could be a hard worker or a daily driver, and soon, their risk paid off. A panel of 47 judges from MotorTrend would name the F-series the North American Truck of the Year, the first year of this generation's production.

Sales jumped from 750,000 to 900,000 units by 2001 but soon dwindled due to Dodge's redesigned trucks.

So were the features in this risky redesign? A much more efficient engine, body lines that continued to follow the rounded design introduced the prior generation, and the rear-hinged door in Supercab Models. Ford also redeveloped its trim levels with a few new additions:

• A new line of Superduty (any models larger than F-250).
• The SVT F-150 Lightning in 1999.
• The Harley Davidson editions from 2000-2003.
• The F-150 Supercrew and KingRanch edition in 2001.

11th Generation (2004-2008)

 

An 11th generation F-150. Image Credit: IFCAR

For the 11th go-around, Ford scrapped the streamlined design of the previous two generations and worked back into a sharper-edged style. The new style was more "beefed up" than the previous generation, with four doors offered on all trim levels. They added verticle space in the bed, longer cabs, storage areas behind the rear seats, and some variants included the Triton V8 engine.

In this generation, Ford moved the Super Duty to a unique platform. These trucks had much larger grilles and headlights with an all-new interior.

As Ford continued to offer more and more trim levels, they also offered more special editions and more powerful and luxurious models.

12th Generation (2009-2014)

 

A 2010 F-150 Platinum. Image Credit: IFCAR

As Ford continued to develop the F-Series, their trucks continued to get more and more aggressively styled. Inspired by the 2008 redesign of the Superduty, Ford gave all models much larger grilles, heavy-duty side rails, and plenty of power to match. They also offered two new upscale trims: the Platinum and the off-road-focused Raptor.

The Platinum introduced more luxury features to the F-150 with leather upholstery, heated/cooled seats and more stylish 20-inch wheels.

When the Raptor was released in 2010, it created an entirely new segment of wide-body, aggressive, off-road trucks. With more than 300 horsepower soon being bumped to 400, the Raptor brought the fun.

If you own this generation of F-series, check out this blog for helpful tips on some common issues with this generation.

13th Generation (2015-2021)

 

A 2017 LARIAT SuperCrew

Many think the 12th and 13th generations are very similar. But there were many big upgrades to this new series. The biggest was moving to an aluminum body to save weight. There were also redesigned headlights, and Ford offered new engine options to help with emissions standards. Another goal with this generation was to build a "smart truck" with backup cameras, a digital dash, and an upgraded sound system helped to make this a proper luxury truck.

14th Generation (2022+)

For the 14th generation, Ford did an extensive redesign with more than 90% of the parts being brand new. Aside from a similar resemblance to the earlier generation, this F-series added tons of new drivetrain options including both a hybrid and the brand new full electric Ford Lightning.

This generation will continue to update, but with these exciting drivetrains, we're looking forward to seeing what Ford comes up with next!

Want to learn more about the previous generations of this classic Ford? Check out these articles:

• History of the F Series: Part 1
• History of the F Series: Part 2