DEARBORN, Michigan — In the ongoing pissing match that is the heavy-duty pickup truck market, Ford has laid down an impressive performance. The 2011 Super Duty's new 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel V8 makes a stunning 735 pound-feet of torque to go along with what Ford calls "best-in-class" 390 horsepower.
That's a lot of power, and in the right configuration, the super-est Super Duty (the F-450) can tow a 24,400-pound trailer. And, while that's a couple of hundred pounds less than the F-450 Super Duty from 2010, Ford still refers to it as "best-in-class." An F-350, the model that most closely competes with the biggest Chevy, can tow 21,600 max, more than the GM trucks currently can.
The only potential fly in Ford's ointment is that General Motors is being cagey about how much hp and torque its upgraded 2011 Heavy Duty Silverado and Sierra will make. They say only that they'll make more than they used to in both gas-engine and diesel-powered versions. Such is the importance of these power and capability numbers to heavy-duty truck folk that Ford waited until now to release its numbers. With the Super Duty set to arrive in showrooms in April, Ford has ended the standoff.
So here are the numbers. As noted, the new Ford-designed 6.7-liter iron-block, aluminum-head single-turbodiesel makes 390 hp at 2,800 rpm and 735 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. The new 6.2-liter gasoline V8, which is shared with the optional engine from the SVT Raptor off-roader, makes 385 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Ford's diesel outputs comprehensively stomp the 6.7-liter inline-6 Cummins diesel available in the heavy-duty Ram (350 hp, 650 lb-ft). And the blue oval's gasoline engine power nips that of the 5.7-liter Hemi offered in the big Ram (383 hp, 400 lb-ft).
The current 2010-model-year GM offers are significantly down on power compared to the new Ford motors, although the company is promising an unspecified amount of more grunt for 2011.
Both Ford engines will be bolted to a new six-speed automatic transmission. Ford believes that the new transmission's manual shift mode negates the need for a conventional manual.
Beyond the grandstanding about maximum shove and pull, Ford would like to point out that its new Super Duty trucks return improved fuel economy compared to the outgoing models — 18 percent better for the diesel and 15 percent better for the gas motor. And the company is promising a major improvement in diesel-engine NVH control.
Oh, and the company is holding the line on pricing. Ford estimates that 65 percent of Super Duty trucks will carry the diesel motor, an option that'll cost $7,835.
Inside Line says: Your move, GM. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
Add A Comment »
ktjohnston50 says:
01:36 AM, 09/01/2010
I've been using my 2011 Ford f-350 from the dealer here in Austin, TX (http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2010/ford/f_350/super_duty_short_bed_crew_cab_pickup/1531/index.html) for about two months now and I'm very surprised. I'm most satisfied with it's comfort on long hauls, although the power I already expected and could feel from the test drives. What do you guys think of yours?
compressor says:
02:12 PM, 02/25/2010
SAE is developing testing testing standards to address truck capacities. I think the first truck to rate via this system is the Toyota 4Runner.
The standard address operation under a stated load in various condition (uphill repeat start, minimum 0-30 times, braking distance, to name a few). The vehicle must meet the minimums at the rated load capacity.
colorado1974 says:
12:40 PM, 02/25/2010
Dodge is going to rule the roost. No Urea Injection. Do most people need a F550 for that 24,000 capacity anyway?
There is no standardized testing method to the capability of the truck. The manufacturer can simply put any rating the want. Hence the F150's class leading capacity. Dodge Ram 1500 out pulls it every day, on every grade in every capacity with a lower rating.
The Cummins will do the same thing to the super duty. Besides this important stuff, why has ford made it so fugly?
double_duece says:
11:01 AM, 02/25/2010
my dad's got a 97 F-350 PSD dually with the 7.3 liter, so naturally he's a fan of it and so am i. the thing just doesn't break, and if you've got the dollars, you can get ridiculous power out of it.
enter the scorpion 6.7. the power figures are impressive, but that's not all that matters. the biggest thing for me is reliability. if Ford can nail that, they'll really have something special here.
truckjunkie says:
07:08 AM, 02/25/2010
I owned a 97 F250 7.3 PSD - pretty decent truck until you had to replace all of the glow plugs... The only other things were ball joints and a water pump in 120K miles. But I'll never buy one of these newer ones - if you're a Ford tech working on these things one of the first training modules is how to remove the entire cab of the truck in order to work on the engine... Have you ever seen how ridiculously crowded the Ford SD's engine compartments are?
I hope Ford does well with their first 'in house' designed diesel, but I sure wouldn't want to be one of the guinea pigs to finish up their 'real world' testing for them.... Nor would I want to try to work on one of them after the warranty runs out.
jepontiac says:
05:30 AM, 02/25/2010
Ford says they are holding th line on pricing.....for now
phoenixj says:
05:07 AM, 02/25/2010
One thing that's always bothered me about the SuperDuty line of the F-series, the beds are too shallow for the front-end bulk. It looks like the beds were an afterthought. Even the integration/scale of the flares on the F450-650 look more in-proportion than the SuperDuty.
icecubefosho says:
04:55 AM, 02/25/2010
http://www.edmunds.com/ford/f450superduty/2008/consumerreview.html
angry_mushroom says:
11:26 PM, 02/24/2010
This engine just might be able to match the reliability of the old 7.3 liters.
corevett5404 says:
11:09 PM, 02/24/2010
how can you say the new scorpion engine is horrible its the first gen that ford has made. the last power stroke engines are made by international , which where horrible. i think ford has made a new face for their company and put alot to this to make it good.