 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. Click image to enlarge |
| Related articles on Autos Preview: 2010 Ford F-250 Super Duty Inside Story: 2008 Ford F-450 Super Duty First Drive: 2008 Ford Super Duty pickup Buyer’s Guide: 2011 Ford Super Duty Buyer’s Guide: 2005 Ford Super Duty Ford adds special editions to Super Duty Manufacturer’s web site |
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2011 Ford F-series Super Duty
Prescott, Arizona – When it comes to work trucks, only two things really matter: what the truck can do, and how much it’s going to cost to do it. In this narrow but essential segment, Ford has now thrown down the gauntlet: a 2011 Super Duty with all-new engines, including a diesel that makes up to 735 lb-ft of torque while delivering an astonishing improvement of up to 18 per cent in fuel economy over the outgoing model. Let the power wars begin.
Autos first saw the new model late last year, but only as a static display. This time around, I had the chance to really warm it up, with a program that included towing on mountain roads, a fuel economy challenge, off-road course, and several work exercises in a quarry in the middle of the desert.
This new Ford comes as the F-250 and F-350 pickup, as the F-450 in pickup or chassis cab, and as the F-550 in chassis cab only. With gasoline engines, base prices for the F-250 4×2 start at $35,499 for Regular, $38,599 for SuperCab, and $40,099 for SuperCrew; in F-350, make that $36,999, $39,599, and $41,299 respectively. Adding the diesel engine is a premium of $9,950.
  2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty; top photo courtesy Ford. Click image to enlarge |
The F-450 cab chassis with single rear wheel starts at $39,999 in 4×2, and $44,799 in 4×4. It’s a major jump to the F-450 pickup, which starts at $59,599, but that’s for a 4×4 SuperCrew with dual rear wheels.
Both the gasoline and diesel engines are new, as is a new six-speed automatic transmission. In gasoline, it’s a 6.2-litre V8 that produces 385 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque, compared to the outgoing 5.4-litre V8 that made 300 horses and 365 lb-ft. E85 compatibility comes standard.
The torque wars really heat up with the new 6.7-litre Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel, which makes 390 horses and a jaw-dropping 735 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 r.p.m. Compare that to the previous 6.4-litre diesel, which made 350 horses and 650 lb-ft of twist. Should you be able to find the fuel, the diesel is also compatible with B20 biodiesel. The new engine marks the company’s first North American diesel designed and produced in-house, following a split from previous engine supplier International. Made in Mexico, and then shipped to the truck’s assembly location in Louisville, Kentucky, the engine features a compacted iron graphite block that’s stronger than cast iron, new intake and exhaust architecture, a small single-unit turbocharger that combines the features of a twin-turbo system, and most notably, a configuration that means you no longer have to remove the truck cab to service the turbocharger.
The engine meets new NOx emissions standards with the help of diesel exhaust fluid, a mixture of urea and water. (General Motors is expected to do the same with its upcoming all-new heavy-duty; Dodge uses filters, EGR and catalysts instead.) The fluid isn’t mixed into the fuel, but rather, is injected into the exhaust. It’s held in a tank that’s sized so that it will need refilling around the same time as scheduled maintenance. The truck gives plenty of warning, long before the level is low. Should you ignore it, the system will progressively cap the vehicle’s top speed as the tank empties. If the urea runs completely dry, the truck will only idle.
 6.7-litre Power Stroke V8 turbodiesel. Click image to enlarge |
The new diesel scores big on two additional fronts. First, it’s exceptionally quiet: you could be forgiven for checking the badge to be sure it isn’t gasoline. Even the integrated exhaust brake – which stays on all the time, unlike Dodge’s system that turns on and off via a dash button – is just a quiet rumble. (That said, I do prefer the Ram’s throaty thunder on downhill grades: sometimes, you just wanna feel like a big-truck-trucker.)
The other benefit is the Power Stroke’s fuel economy, and this is where fleet owners should be able to make back the hefty diesel premium in fairly short order. Ford claims an improvement of 18 per cent over the old diesel (and 15 per cent on gasoline over the outgoing 5.4-litre V8). There are no official government fuel ratings for trucks this big, but Ford put me in a single-wheel diesel F-350, loaded with four passengers and with 453 kg (1,000 lbs) in the bed, and set the trip computer. My co-driver and I started out with the best of light-footed intentions, but could only plod along behind the journalist doing 50 km/h for so long. Once past him, and otherwise driving normally, we registered the equivalent of 8.1 L/100 km (35 mpg Imp); when the economy challenge winner finally did arrive at the hotel, he averaged 6.9 L/100 km (41 mpg Imp). Those are pretty much car efficiency numbers. The winner among the gasoline trucks got 13.0 L/100 km (22 mpg Imp). Even with one-ton trucks that carried no load, the ride is pliable and extremely comfortable.
   2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty. Click image to enlarge |
Conventional towing with the diesel now goes to a maximum of 7,257 kg (16,000 lbs), while fifth-wheel towing can hit 11,067 kg (24,400 lbs). Several new or upgraded enhancements make the operation easier, starting with standard trailer sway control and a hill start assist feature that holds the truck on inclines for a couple of seconds while you make your way from brake to throttle. Cars have had it for years, and once I’d tried it here, I wondered why it took so long for such a handy feature to make its way to trucks. An integrated brake controller, now better dialled in to reduce trailer jerking at low speeds, is included on Lariat trim lines, and on the F-350 dual-wheel and F-450, and is an additional $300 on all others. On 4×4 models, an electronic rear locking differential adds extra oomph for such jobs as pulling boats out of the water. A new industry-exclusive fifth-wheel/gooseneck package adds an extra crossmember under the box, laser-cut hitch holes and a bed-mounted harness plug right at the factory, while an available driver information centre, called the “Productivity Screen,” provides a whack of information, including the ability to key in specific trailers and have the truck keep mileage records for each one. Those new to towing, or those who tend to be forgetful, can also pull up a checklist that runs through the various steps, including connecting the trailer, plugging in the lights and attaching the chains. (The screen also includes an off-road mode that shows ascent and descent grades, as well as fuel economy gauges and other settings.)
The six-speed transmission has a manual mode, with gear changes made via a button on the shift lever. If you prefer to let the truck make the decisions, a selectable display shows what gear the truck is in; you can also lock out the higher gears if desired.
A trailering trek up and down a winding mountain road, including the chance to drive heavy-duty competitors from Dodge and GM, resulted in Ford having the smoothest steering and, not surprising given the torque, the strongest pulling power. The all-new Dodge heavy-duty is a damn good truck, and it performed very well, but Ford held an edge. By comparison, the GMC Sierra had twitchier steering and I didn’t feel as confident in it. It was the current generation, which is showing its age: an all-new version should be coming along this summer. GM has already sent out preliminary specifications, indicating that its 6.6-litre Duramax will top this newest Ford at 397 horsepower and 765 lb-ft of torque.
 The trucks easily pulled loaders weighing 85,000 lbs. Click image to enlarge |
Some of the Ford trucks did exhibit an odd bump on gear changes, though, especially on upshifts. An engineer riding shotgun in an F-450 couldn’t pinpoint it – no one ever did – and suggested it might be the truck’s suspension reacting to a particularly heavy fifth-wheel trailer. Perhaps that’s true, but when I later drove an F-550 with fifth wheel and even more weight, it was silky smooth. Not all of the F-350 trucks did it, either, and it remains a mystery.
From there, it was out to the quarry, where Ford had set up several demonstrations. The off-road course showed off the new hill descent control, while a “drag race” had us pulling 38,555-kg (85,000-lb) Caterpillar front-end loaders a short distance. (Once the front wheels gained traction, it felt like there was hardly any weight behind the truck at all.) I also got to pilot a water truck and dump truck, showing off the company’s new Live Drive PTO (power take-off). Linked to the engine crankshaft through the torque converter, the PTO can be operated any time the engine is running, allowing me to raise and lower the dump bed both when moving and sitting still.
   Bottom photo: Joe Francis of Ford shows the Work Solutions computer and printer. Click image to enlarge |
Speaking of which, sitting still is quite pleasant, thanks to the redesigned interior, which now incorporates seats from the new F-150. Other new items are a flow-through console that sends hot or cold air to rear passengers, a console bin that holds two laptop computers or hanging files, and enough cupholders to run Tim Hortons dry. Crew cabs have a bin under the rear seats, lockable on both sides, that can be separated with a divider, or opened up into a single compartment that’s large enough to hold hunting rifles or fishing rods.
Ford Work Solutions, already available in the United States, comes to Canada this year as well. It consists of four separate packages: an on-board computer with wireless Internet, keyboard and available printer; a tool tag system that warns if you’ve left a tagged tool behind; a telematics and diagnostics system for fleet management (Ford reps were able to pinpoint the location and speed of our test vehicles using the system); and a bed-mounted cable lock to keep items secure in open vehicles.
Only the three domestics compete in this segment – Nissan and Toyota don’t go beyond the half-ton designation – but it’s an important one. Fleets buy trucks in multiples, and drivers often make their personal vehicle purchases based on what they drive on company time. The stuff that really matters in this segment matters a lot, and Ford has made good on it. All three automakers produce good heavy-duty trucks, but I think that, for now at least, Ford has a work hauler that comes out on top.
