Heavy-duty trucks are the workhorses of the truck world. Capable of towing nearly 20,000 pounds (as much as 24,600 if you include the F-450), these are the pickups that haul huge loads, are built to survive the rough stuff, and see more than their share of dirt, grime, and hard labor. So it's a little strange to look at them as being high-tech vehicles. In fact, "high-tech" may be the last phrase you think of to describe them. However, that is starting to change, especially with regard to the 2011 Ford Super Duty. Ford recently gave us a sneak peek at the next F-250/350/450, and while it may not look dramatically different from what you see at dealerships today, a lot has changed under the skin to make it more capable, more efficient, quieter, and more reliable than it was before.
The overall appearance of the Super Duty has not changed all that much. But there are differences. Take a look at the nose: The headlights and side-marker lights have been restyled, as has the bumper. The grille now has two large bars, much like the three-bar grille first seen in the Super Chief concept Ford unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2006, and there's a much larger Blue Oval up front. The hood is also new, featuring a more pronounced dome. Inside the cab, there's a new 4.2-inch LCD screen within the gauge cluster that displays trailer brake control gain, an inclinometer, fuel economy, trailer data, and more, and it can be customized to show what information you want to see. Also new to the interior is a flow-through console that includes two 12-volt powerpoints and a 110-volt inverter.
Under the hood, though, is the most significant change to the Super Duty: the engines. An all-new diesel engine will make its debut, and it was designed, engineered, tested, and built by Ford. It's a 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8, with a compacted graphite iron engine block instead of gray cast iron. CGI is a stronger material, one that Ford has successfully used in other markets and is implementing here for the first time. Use of CGI also helps reduce the overall weight of the new engine, said to be about 160 pounds lighter than the outgoing 6.4-liter.
Thanks to: Motor Trend
New Car: 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty
