By Sue Mead
Trucks get smarter every year. Some, like the 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup, rise to the top of the class for their innovations and ingenuity, with a host of all-new technologies, such as a head-up display, available Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, and an industry-first Tailgate Down Camera. Also new and available is Pro Power Onboard, with five times more exportable power than any other heavy-duty pickup, and the Ford Pro Upfit Integration System that revolutionizes body equipment installation.
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Overview
Plus, the ‘workhorse’ lineup of models that range from F-250s to F-550s, and are available in base trims as well as lux-level models, like the high-end, leather-laden King Ranch. In addition, the newest Super Dutys are now the most connected Ford pickups ever, with an embedded 5G modem that connects up to 10 devices, and will offer over-the-air software updates, adding new features and capabilities over time.
Also of note, Ford has stepped up its game as compared to its competitors with up to 8,000 pounds of maximum payload, and up to 40,000 pounds of towing capability. Engines include a gas 6.8-liter V8 with 405 horsepower and 445 pound feet of torque, a gas 7.3-liter V8 with 430 horsepower and 485 pound feet of torque, a 6.7-liter “Power Stroke” turbocharged diesel V8 with 475 horsepower and 1050 pound feet of torque, and a High Output 7.3- liter Power Stroke diesel V8 with 500 horsepower and 1200 pound feet of torque. The 2023 Super Duty is on sale now; prices start at $45,765.
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Testing the Super Duty
I love trucks and, after 35 years as an evaluator of every class of new vehicle, I am most impressed by how much the pickup market has changed during that time. Not so long ago, big trucks were purchased primarily for work and used for some weekend pursuits, and were designed to accommodate buyers who shopped at the men’s big-and-tall store. Comfort was poor-to-average, and convenience features limited.
Engaging 4WD required a driver or passenger get out of the truck to lock the hubs in order to engage the system. The times have changed–and trucks keep evolving into vehicles that are driven by a much wider swath of buyers. Pickup trucks show up not only at construction sites but also at country clubs and in school drop-off lanes. They are multi-purpose, come in many sizes, and accommodate consumers of many shapes, and now attract more female buyers.
My day of evaluating different versions of Ford’s newest Super Dutys at the Blue Oval’s Romeo Township Proving Grounds was both fun and useful. I discovered that the latest upgrades to Ford’s heavy-duty trucks will please a wide swath of buyers, ranging from companies that purchase thousands at a time, to a weekend warrior wanting a single pickup to tow a horse trailer, a boat, or haul motorsports toys with added safety, security, and capability, and ease of operation.
According to Elizabeth Kraft, North American Communications Manager at Ford Pro, the 2023 Super Duty is the most technically-advanced truck ever built by Ford and has been vetted by Built Ford Tough’s durability testing at the Michigan Proving Grounds, one of the largest test facilities in the US. This testing site sits on 39,000 acres and has 100 miles of roads with off-road courses, rough road, durability tracks, steep grades and a wind tunnel, among other features. While at the proving grounds, I tried out a number of the new technologies, towed a trailer with a load of 40,000 pounds, hauled a payload of 8,000 pounds. I came away impressed by all.
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What else is New and Nifty?
Tim Baughman, General Manager at Ford Pro says the all-new Super Duty was “designed to make life on or away from the jobsite more convenient and time efficient than ever. It’s easier to monitor gauges while driving, hitch a trailer, back up to a loading dock, make tight turns on off-road trails, or install and operate upfit equipment. Ninety percent of our customers tow, so we gave the newest trucks more power and towing capability because we know our customers. We know who uses them full time, part time, or as daily commuters, and those who use them to tow or haul weekend play toys because we get insights from them and the competition.”
“The F-Series has been the best-selling truck line in America for 46 years and we lead in sales across the toughest industries. We call our pickups ‘the ultimate workhorse’–they are used as commercial, fleet, and retail vehicles—there are customers who use utility buckets, such as Comcast and AT&T, for example, as well as in ambulance, fire, mining and forestry and fleets. We like to call our truck a smart phone on wheels, and look at its core productivity–it’s now safer and more productive, which reduces downtime and increases up-time. One example is Smart Back Up Trailer Assist that allows hitching to be quicker and safer. We have 120 service facilities dedicated to commercial customers and mobile service, which is also reducing downtime, and meeting the needs of many truckers.”
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Some of the Top Technologies:
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Cabin of the 2023 Ford F-Series Duty in available King Ranch trim. Pro Trailer Hitch Assist uses machine learning and computer vision to automatically identify trailer hitches and aligns the truck’s hitch ball to a conventional trailer coupler with the touch of a button. It controls the truck’s speed, steering and braking.
- Pro Power Onboard provides 2.0-kilowatts of output–five times more exportable power than any heavy-duty pickup—with power outlets inside the truck and cargo box. Outlets can be mounted on chassis cabs with a special installation kit.
- Tailgate Down Camera and Rear Park Aid Sensors: Industry-first camera and sensors on the top of the tailgate provide visual and audible alerts when the tailgate is lowered to make backing up to a loading dock or hitching a gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailer easy and safe.
- Onboard Scales with Smart Hitch: Estimates payload in real time and provides guidance on trailer tongue weight distribution directly on the center touchscreen or within the taillamps.
- Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) for Gooseneck/Fifth-Wheel: Can be attached to a trailer to help identify when vehicles are next to a trailer and indicate this in the side view mirrors.
- Pro Trailer Navigation: Plots routes that can be navigated with given trailer dimensions and weight to avoid potential issues with low bridges and tight turns.
- Trail Turn Assist: Feature that allows drivers to virtually lock either rear wheel to shrink their turn radius to 180 degrees while navigating tight corners on the trail.
- Mobile Office: An available Interior Work Surface and an embedded first-in-class 5G modem brings faster WiFi, mapping, and navigation while on the job.
- Ford Pro Upfit Integration System (UIS): Helps business owners work with upfitters to install, operate, and control body equipment and upfits–such as utility cranes and snowplows. The UIS provides aftermarket equipment providers with improved access to the truck’s electrical system to seamlessly integrate after-market equipment. Allows a high level of customization.
*Ford says its Super Duty trucks claim 41 percent market share in the US for classes 1 through 7. There are more than 12 million Ford Pro vehicles on the road. Ford also operates 650 commercial vehicle centers, and 1,000 mobile service vehicles.
*It’s the 120th year of Ford Motor Company and the 75th anniversary of Ford’s F Series. Super Duty trucks moved to a dedicated platform in 1999.
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2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty Gallery
(Click below for enlarged images)
