Five Days from Our Ford Super Duty Diary

High cost of ownership is not a luxury we can afford anymore. Ford Motor Co. realized this when they released their 2011 Super Duty Truck Series out in the Arizona desert to journalists from all of the country in early March. The company was focused on how much work these new trucks could do and how efficiently they could do it, noting of course that plenty of luxury options were available as well.

First off, Ford has lowered the cost of ownership on its 2011 Super Duty trucks using both the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel and new 6.2-liter gasoline power trains, delivering class-leading fuel economy while also maintaining Super Duty’s best-in-class towing and payload. The architecture of both engines has been optimized for efficiency, as has the new TorqShift heavy-duty six-speed transmission.  

The transmission’s fluid change interval also has been extended to 150,000 miles, in part due to a dual filter that provides fine filtration and large capacity in a single package. The dual filter also eliminates the need for a spin-on external filter.

The new 6.7-liter diesel’s architecture reduces downtime during service work, which helps get vehicles back on the road faster. During service on the turbocharger, for example, the body/cab does not require removal, reducing labor time. Service time on the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) cooler and high-pressure fuel pump also is expected to be markedly reduced because of the new layout. The new spin-on oil filter makes that servicing easier as well.

The new Power Stroke, featuring Tow Haul Mode with the integrated engine exhaust brake, helps improve driver confidence with large loads and prolong brake pad life. Bottom line: Super Duty is the “and solution,” providing both capability and low cost of ownership that customers truly appreciate in a challenging economic environment.

But with that efficiency also comes plenty of luxury, with a variety of trim levels in the cab. The F-Series Super Duty offers the XL, XL Décor, XLT, Lariat and King Ranch — to suit each customer. Some owner/operators, for example, opt for the King Ranch trim level, which includes Chaparral Leather seats, to help complete their “mobile office.” In each level, customers will find more comfortable seats based off those in the current F-150.

Highlights of the new flow-through cab and console include:
• The main storage bin, which is lockable, encompasses many attributes to help make the 2011 Ford Super Duty the perfect office on wheels. The base includes a rubber mat with a lip that aids storage of items such as laptops, notebooks or binders.  
• The hanging tray can be removed to create file storage with the available file hangers.
• The underside of the console bin lid includes storage options for pens, pencils, highlighters, business cards, tire gauges, small flashlights and tissue, among other items.
• Map pockets are provided on both driver and passenger sides.
• A two-level front storage compartment accommodates four cup holders, which are in two identical, removable modules. Each module can be individually removed to create larger storage tray spaces, or both can be removed and easily stowed for even more open space.  A false-bottom tray, sitting just below the cupholder modules, creates an additional storage compartment that also can be removed to create one deep tub of storage space.
• Standard 110-volt inverter and socket at the rear of the console.
• 12-volt powerpoints at the rear of the console and inside the main bin; the powerpoint in the main bin is raised for easier access and a cord pass-through notch allows coiled cords or multiple cords to pass through the console with the armrest lid closed.

This concludes our Five Day Diary for the 2011 Ford Super Duty Series. We thank all our readers and Ford for the opportunity to test drive these trucks before the official launch. We suggest you test drive one yourself. Till then, roll on! — Keith Gribbins, Managing Editor, Compact Equipment.