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Chevy Attacks Ford F-150’s Aluminum Pickup Bed in New Ad

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2016 Chevy Silverado steel pickup bed vs 2016 Ford F-150 aluminum

The Truck Wars are back in full swing, and this time the battle is being waged over the Ford F-150’s lightweight aluminum pickup bed and the Chevy Silverado’s high-strength steel bed.

While Ford is proud of the weight loss it’s accomplished by switching to aluminum parts, Chevy says that its engineers have discovered a chink in the armor, as it were.

Take a look:


The new video, which continues Chevrolet’s (debunked) “Real People, Not Actors” marketing campaign, shows 55 landscaping blocks weighing roughly 825 pounds being dropped from five feet above into the beds of the 2016 F-150 and Silverado. According to Chevy, 12 comparisons were shot for the commercial, with the Silverado only exhibiting scratches, compared to the F-150, which averaged 4.3 punctures per drop.

The second test, which involved pushing an empty steel toolbox off the side rail of each truck, ended up denting the Silverado’s steel bed in 12 out of 14 demonstrations, and puncturing it twice. The F-150, meanwhile, sustained punctures in 13 out of 14 demonstrations, surviving with just a dent only once.

“We engineer and build our trucks with customers’ expectations in mind,” said Sandor Piszar, Chevrolet’s truck marketing director. “For example, Silverado features a roll-formed, high-strength steel bed because truck customers demand the ability to haul their toys, tools and other cargo. These videos demonstrate the real-world benefits of the Silverado’s bed, in both extreme and everyday scenarios.”

Another video, which features NFL analyst and Chevy spokesman Howie Long alongside Chevy Chief Engineer Eric Stanczak, shows the same pickup bed tests with similar results.

“Obviously, any material can be pushed to the breaking point if you subject it to enough impact energy,” added Piszar. “If a customer does manage to puncture the high-strength steel bed of the Silverado, they have the added peace of mind knowing steel tends to be easier to repair than aluminum — potentially saving money and minimizing time without their truck.”

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