Ford increases Super Duty ability across the line
Lots of light-duty pickups act as nothing more than replacement cars, but heavy-duty pickups usually do stuff that only trucks can do, like hauling and towing stuff.
Which is why the prime directive for the Ford engineers upgrading the company's F-Series Super Duty line for 2005 could be paraphrased as ''increase its abilities so that they surpass the competition.''
During an early look at the 2005 Supe Duty lineup in Detroit, Ford executives made it pretty clear that's exactly what they'd done.
Ford's vehicle programs director for pickups and commercial vehicles, Frank Davis, said the 2005 Super Duty models have ''more capability, unsurpassed gas and diesel power, more toughness, and useful new features that will make work easier and recreation time more enjoyable.''
Davis pointed out that, when it comes to towing and hauling, the 2005 Super Duty ''takes capability to the max, with towing and cargo ratings that will astound our customers.''
This would be an extremely important point with the 30,000 consumers whom Ford of Canada expects to buy Super Duty models this year, since about 90 percent of them tow trailers.
Because Ford's Super Duty models will actually be put to work, Davis felt it was important to outline the factors in the new models that contibute to their ability to do exactly that. Those points included:
- across-the-lineup increases in tow ratings across the lineup, highlighted by a best-in-class maximum tow rating of 7,710 kg
- the payload improves from 226 to 452 kg for F-250 and F-350 pickups, on average, and up to 2,630 kb of cargo in the F-350 with dual rear wheels
- a combination of standard and optional features (such as the industry-first factory-installed trailer brake controller) that make up the TowCommand System, which is designed to make towing easier
- improved power, including the segment's most powerful gasoline engine, the 6.8-liter Triton V10 with 355 hp and 455 lb.-ft. of torque, and the 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel that goes to 570 lb.-ft. of torque.
- for better ride, handling and maneuverability in 4X4 pickups and all F-450 and F-550 chassis cabs, there's a new front suspension and improved steering
- a best-in-class braking system, with larger rotors and larger, stiffer calipers, and even a larger and stronger parking brake
- a stronger, tougher frame
Design changes ''cap off the new capabilities,'' said Davis, ''with a bolder, tougher look up front, the segment's only 18- and 20-inch wheels and a more refined interior.''
By spending three times as much money on is interior designs than it used to, Ford has raised the bar on interiors and that is obvious in the Super Duty, which looks more refined and comfortable than any other heavy-duty model in history