Ford’s Super Duty trucks are entering the aluminum age.
Just like the latest F-150, the new 2017 F-250, F-350 and F-450 will feature aluminum bodies riding on steel frames when they go on sale next fall. Their style features a fresh take on the Super Duty’s bold grille, with two thick bars bookended by stacked headlamp clusters.
While they share the same cabs and cabins as the F-150, the Super Duty models get a thicker gauge of aluminum, and their frames are made from 95 percent high strength steel. Ford says the trucks are up to 350 pounds lighter than the ones they replace, but that hundreds more pounds of cut weight were put back into the trucks in the form of heavier duty axles, drive shafts and other equipment.
The supers will be offered with a choice of a 6.7-liter turbo diesel, 6.8-liter gasoline V10, or 6.2-liter gasoline V8. Ford has not yet revealed any power outputs, payload and towing capacities, but says they will all be “more” than the trucks they replace.
New tech features include a 360-degree camera system that includes one for the bed, and another that can be mounted on trailers that sends a feed via the wiring harness to the center console monitor to provide an extra view while you’re hitching it up. The cameras also work with a guidance system that automatically switches feeds and coaches the driver when backing up a trailer. A blind spot warning system and adaptive cruise control should come in handy going in the other direction.
The trucks will also offer Ford’s new adaptive steering system. It adjusts how far you have to turn the wheel at different speeds so you don’t have to crank it too much when you’re making slow, tight turns, while keeping it from being to sensitive on the highway.
Ford sold over a quarter-million Super Duty F Series trucks last year. They play a major role in Ford’s longstanding “best selling trucks” title and bring big profits to the brand. Prices for the new models will be announced closer to their on-sale date next fall, but the current lineup run from about $32,000 to $72,000 before options.