For the 2016 Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Blue Oval rolled out the Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature. As the name implies, backing a trailer is hard to but the Pro Trailer Backup Assist makes it seem fairly easy.
Backing a trailer completely by feeling has its perks and consequences at the same time. The steering wheel has to be turned the opposite direction the trail has to go in. If you turn too hard the trailer jackknifes, forcing you to try again. This is the main reason why Ford created the Pro Trailer Backup Assist system.
Don’t think of it as the pickup truck equivalent of a bicycle with training wheels, but a helping hand. In essence, the 2016 Ford F-150’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist makes it easy for beginner and experienced drivers alike to back a trailer into a parking spot.
The driver of the F-150 workhorse only needs to operate the throttle and brakes, while steering is dealt by the Pro Trailer Backup Assist. Sounds pretty similar to how an automated parking system works, huh?
To operate the Pro Trailer Backup Assist, the driver has to rotate a knob to indicate how much the system should turn the trailer. The Pro Trailer Backup Assist then automatically steers the truck to turn the trailer the desired amount. The system may limit vehicle speed depending on the road surface and towing weight.
Doug Scott, the marketing manager of the Ford Truck Group, declared about the newly-enhanced F-150: “Pro Trailer Backup Assist is a smart solution to save time and increase productivity for our customers. Instead of struggling to back up their trailer, they can spend more time on the job or enjoying the lake.”
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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