Ford News: Revealed! 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty, Now With More Aluminum

[William Maley]

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There's a new Ford F-Series Super Duty coming and it's taking some ideas from the smaller F-150.

 

The big news for the Super Duty is that the body is made out of aluminum, helping drop 350 pounds. The frame is a fully-boxed and consists of more than 95-percent high-strength steel which Ford claims 24 times stiffer than the previous frame. This allows for more towing and hauling capacity.

 

In terms of design, think F-150 that went to the gym every single day. The front end boasts large headlights and grille slats. The cab is similar to the smaller F-150.

 

For the interior, Ford uses the same layout from the current model, but there is a new reconfigurable gauge cluster and revised center stack. The list of options will be long as there will be a camera-based towing system with coaching, 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning system, blind spot monitoring system, and rear inflatable seat belts.

 

Power will come from a 6.2L V8, 6.8L V10, or a 6.7L PowerStroke Diesel V8. Ford is keeping quiet on power figures at this time.

 

“While Super Duty is North America’s best-selling heavy-duty truck, we never take our leadership for granted. Our team is using relentless innovation in materials, Built Ford Tough engineering to deliver customers our best Super Duty yet,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer.

 

The F-Series Super Duty will go on sale late next year.

 

Source: Ford

 

 

Press Release is on Page 2

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AMERICA'S WORK TRUCK REINVENTED: ALL-NEW FORD SUPER DUTY IS TOUGHEST, SMARTEST, MOST CAPABLE SUPER DUTY EVER

• Toughest: All-new, high-strength steel frame; segment-first, high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body; stronger axles, springs and suspension create the only Built Ford Tough heavy-duty truck lineup that works as hard as Super Duty customers
• Smartest: 16 class-exclusive new features and up to seven cameras make Super Duty the ultimate tow vehicle; adaptive steering technology makes maneuvering easier
• Most capable: Ford-engineered, Ford-built gasoline and diesel engines and transmissions power all-new Super Duty lineup that tows and hauls more than ever
  

DALLAS, Sept. 24, 2015 – Ford, America’s truck leader, today introduces the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty – the toughest, smartest, most capable Super Duty truck lineup ever.

 

“Ford Super Duty is the truck America’s hardest-working men and women trust and depend on,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. “We are helping these customers build a better world by delivering a new generation of pickups that set new benchmarks in capability, performance and efficiency.”

 

Using advanced materials to reduce weight, 2017 F-Series Super Duty pickup truck and chassis cab feature all-new, segment-exclusive smart technology to help increase customer productivity, comfort and convenience.

 

“While Super Duty is America’s best-selling heavy-duty truck, we never take our leadership for granted,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer. “Our team is using relentless innovation in materials, technology and Built Ford Tough engineering to deliver customers our best Super Duty yet.”

 

Toughest
The backbone is an all-new, fully boxed frame comprised of more than 95 percent high-strength steel that offers up to 24 times stiffer than the previous frame – enabling the most towing and hauling capability ever delivered by Super Duty. The new truck line features heavier-duty four-wheel-drive components, driveline, axles and towing hardware.

 

For the first time, the Super Duty body uses high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy, which is more dent- and ding-resistant than the outgoing steel body and not subject to red rust corrosion.

 

Together, high-strength steel and high-strength aluminum alloy help reduce weight by up to 350 pounds while Ford is reinvesting additional weight savings everywhere it counts, to give customers more towing and hauling capability than ever before.

 

Super Duty chassis cab features an all-new, high-strength steel frame with an open-C-channel design behind the cab to enable easy aftermarket body upfit and modification.

 

Smartest
Towing is core to the Super Duty mission. All-new advanced coaching and camera technology makes conventional and gooseneck/fifth-wheel towing easier and more efficient than ever.

 

There are 16 segment-first new features – from LED lighting to adaptive cruise control – that assist Super Duty drivers to make driving and work situations easier and more comfortable.

 

As many as seven cameras help customers see more angles and monitor conditions surrounding the truck, and provide better trailering than ever before.

 

A center high-mounted stop lamp camera provides visibility into the cargo box, especially for easier hook-up of gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailers. A 360-degree camera system uses four digital, high-definition cameras to give the driver a bird’s-eye view surrounding Super Duty. Trailer reverse guidance provides visual cues and tips to help ease backing up a trailer. A first-ever, factory-available trailer camera can be attached to a trailer to improve visibility backing up.

 

Customers will benefit from a segment-first, in-cab trailer tire pressure monitoring system from the comfort of the cab while stopped or on the highway.

 

Adaptive steering provides for increased confidence to help make towing the heaviest of loads easier and brings greater ease to navigating job sites and parking lots – with or without a trailer. The technology reduces the amount of steering input needed to change direction at low speed, while reducing sensitivity to steering input at higher speeds.

 

The all-new F-Series Super Duty is available with numerous driver-assist technologies:

• SYNC® 3 – Ford’s all-new communications and entertainment system features faster performance, conversational voice recognition and an easier-to-understand graphical interface, along with an intuitive smartphone-like 8-inch touch screen
• Blind Spot Information System with trailer tow is optimized for Super Duty to include the length of the trailer; BLIS® uses radar sensors in the taillamps to monitor areas that may not be visible to the driver
• Lane departure warning provides a warning when a driver strays from a lane through a series of steering wheel vibrations that mimic rumble strips
• Adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support use sensors to detect slower vehicles moving in the same direction. If another vehicle is too close, red lights flash on the windshield and a warning sound chimes. If the driver does not hit the brakes, the brake system is pre-charged to stop faster when the brake pedal is pressed
  

Advanced light-emitting diode technology sheds light all around the new Super Duty, including:

• New LED sideview mirror spotlights enable illumination surrounding the truck to light up a work site or camp site
• Class-exclusive quad-beam LED headlamps and taillamps
• New LED cargo box lighting
  

Most capable
Light-weighting and improved capability work hand-in-hand in the all-new Ford F-Series Super Duty.

 

“As we remove weight, we’re making Super Duty more productive by giving our customers better towing and payload capability,” said Craig Schmatz, Super Duty chief engineer. “We’re backing up improved capability with a stronger gasoline and diesel Super Duty engine lineup.”

 

The second-generation Ford-designed, Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 diesel engine is available for pickup trucks and chassis cabs providing the highest combination of horsepower and torque ever.

 

The 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine comes equipped with the new TorqShift-G transmission for the F-250 pickup – allowing for improved capability.

 

The Super Duty chassis cab lineup offers a choice of 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel, 6.8-liter V10 gasoline or 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engines.

 

“The bottom line is Super Duty customers will be able to tow and haul more than ever before,” said Schmatz.

 

Interior and cargo box
All three cabs – Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab – are longer and feature a new interior design, including dual compartment glove box, overhead console-mounted auxiliary switches to operate aftermarket equipment, and completely flat SuperCab and Crew Cab second-row floors that make loading large items in the cab easy. Vital controls are close at hand, with the integrated trailer brake controller switch located even closer to the driver.

 

Customer accessibility and ease of use extend outside the truck as well, with the cargo box offering customers these class-exclusive features:

• BoxLink™: Ford-patented combination of metal brackets and custom cleats that can be used to secure a variety of accessories in the cargo box
• Remote tailgate lock and release: Tailgate can be locked/unlocked and opened with the key fob, eliminating manual locking and increasing convenience and security. The tailgate is damped – dropping gently down, hands-free, to a flat position when opened
  

There are five models in the Super Duty lineup – XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum.

 

The all-new Super Duty will be built at Kentucky Truck Plant, and goes on sale late next year.

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