There's no reason why pickup trucks need to have the MASSIVE flat grills they do today, other than aesthetic preferences. They're a disaster aerodynamically as well as for pedestrian safety. Obviously there's a lot more to it (like the bed) but it's a start.
Are aerodynamics even that significant an energy bleed at the speeds we’re talking about? I’m guessing engine losses for those large low rev torque tuned engines are a bigger difference. And of course the massive weight of most pickups these days.
I think you're referring to the massive grill guards on the front of many pickups. Are you saying "no reason other than aesthetic preferences" because you feel like it?
Deer at night are a major hazard in much of the land. I hit a small one at night a few weeks ago in central Texas and the dead center impact managed to destroy the chintzy plastic grill in my car and buckle the radiator. I was lucky at that. I was on a four lane highway, doing 50 in a 60 zone, and being vigilant. Still, like most major impacts with deer, this happened completely without warning. As fleet of foot as deer are, they still seem to be slightly overly optimistic about crossing the road before the vehicle arrives, and with cars as fast as they are, there is little room for error. (Try communicating that to the deer)
My mom 'totaled' her car a few years back by hitting a bigger deer at a little faster speed. An impact without any warning.
PSA: the way to communicate with any roadside animal is to lay on the horn. They rarely experience horn-honking, and it often shocks them right out of whatever mental rut led them to run onto the road in the first place. While car lights have a dazzling effect, car horns are scary to animals.
Yeah, the horn usually gets to them, when you can see them up ahead, but one should always brake first. I used to hear 'Never swerve, use the brake instead!', and I couldn't imagine anyone with any driving experience thinking that swerving was a good idea in the first place. I never had a serious collision with a deer that was 'caught in the lights', standing on the road. Always able to slow down enough to avoid or slow bump. It's the interceptor deer on a full run that did the most damage, which happens more often than one might think.
I think the hybrid bit is the key. Sure they are going to make an electric, but I think they expect the core truck market to take the hybrids.
But a hybrid SUV isn't a 50MPG vehicle. If you look at something like the Toyota Highlander the city MPG goes up ~5-7MPG in the city but not at all on the highway. Its significant, but I would expect a little less from the ford which has already been heavily engineered for city driving (aka a 10 speed trans, etc).
Basically, its still going to be a mid 20's vehicle. The only question IMHO is whether they can keep it reliable. Ford has always had a bit of a reliability cloud above them, and truck buyers have tended towards the trucks partially because they have been seen as simpler, more robust/reliable than the rest of fords lineup. They have done well with the ecoboost for now, but truck owners tend to mistreat their vehicles a little more than your average car buyer and people expect a work truck to last...
