2008MY Ford Super Duty Drive Evaluation
The Weather!
Ford planned a first class event. Lots of '08 Super Duties, on road evaluations, off road evaluations, trailer towing experiences etc etc. Many journalists. Lots of Ford factory people to talk to. And then the weather hit. Who would have thought that Texas could have that much freezing rain? Planes delayed hours and hours. The required re-routes forced us hundreds of miles off-course. Then the drive evaluations had to be cut to maybe 20% of the planned experience. Interstate highways blockaded off by law enforcement officials. Then hundreds of miles across Texas in a bus to get back to Dallas' DFW from which planes could actually take-off. I was glad my departing flight was delayed for hours - otherwise, I wouldn't have been on it at all.
Kudos to the Ford PR staff coping with such a series of challenges. They get an A+ for calmness and competence under fire. But I've gotta ask, "Why as the VehicleVoice and AutoPacific rep on many press previews do I end up with the 'challenging' weather?".
The Truck - Major Change for 2008 Model Year
Ford's revised Super Duty is already in production at at Kentucky Truck Plant, and called a 2008 model. Finished vehicles are still in containment (or were a few days ago) but will be shipped by the end of January.
I'd call the '08 Super Duty a Major Change Program (as contrasted with the all-new 2007 GMT 900 and 2007 Toyota Tundra, and the minor change 2007 Dodge Ram). The exterior of the cab is significantly freshened , the interior of the cab looks all new, the bed is largely carryover, the gas engines are carryover and the diesel engine is a major change (new fuel, new exhaust emissions standards, new 6.4L displacement, new fuel handling system) but based on the prior International supplied 6.0L V8 turbo Diesel.
The Strengths
The freshened exterior appearance looks good. Very masculine. In my opinion somewhat more so than the new Chevrolet Silverado, for example.
The interior is masculine, but contemporary with best in class feature availability. I'd never actually used electrically heated exterior rear view mirrors before this trip: they work just fine! The electronic navigation system was also a real aid when there was poor visibility and a route book challenged by blocked roads.
The bed includes an optional step to aid entry/egress. Not for everyone, but a useful feature nevertheless.
The new 6.4L 350 HP/650 lb.-ft of torque diesel is quiet, and has all the power/torque you could reasonably want in a pickup truck.
Ford now offers an F-450 Super Duty pickup straight from the factory. An F-450 pickup used to be available only as a conversion vehicle. This new entry gives Ford undisputed towing capacity bragging rights and a higher quality vehicle than conversions at a lower price. Well done Ford.
I also give Ford credit for continuing to offer manual transmissions and their 6.8L V10 gas engine. Not for everyone, but suits those for whom a diesel is just too costly.
Ride, handling, NVH and turning circle were all very, very good. Better than expected on all counts.
Ford's Tow Command is first rate, second to none.
The Weaknesses - No the Super Duty is Not Perfect
While the Regular Cab and the Crew Cab are fully competitive, the Super Cab (extended cab) falls short. It still has rear-hinged doors, that open only half way. And the side glass in the rear doors is the flip-open type, while the competition offers power, fully roll-down side glass.
Ford gets extra credit for offering a 6-speed manual transmission, but their automatic is only a 5-speed. Both GM and Dodge now offer 6-speed automatics.
Because of the dreadful weather, I was only able to drive one '08 Super Duty, an F-450 Crew Cab 4x4. This particular vehicle had a 4.88:1 rear end and could tow something over 24,000 pounds! Even so, I was surprised that we only got 10 mpg. Somehow, I had expected more. A 4.30:1 rear axle will soon be in production, and that will help with both fuel consumption and revs per mile, which were pretty high. Maybe the new diesel engine exhaust standard hurt fuel consumption more than I realized? Again, a 6-speed automatic might help here too.
The Diesel Dilemma
When Ford introduced their 6.0L Turbo Diesel a few years ago, there were several glitches that took ages to be fully resolved. And that was with carryover diesel fuel and carryover diesel exhaust emissions. Low sulfur diesel fuel became mandatory last October. And diesel vehicles produced after January 1, 2007 must meet more stringent exhaust emissions standards. Ford says the '08 diesel launch will go smoothly, and has taken steps to ensure that that is the case. Time will tell. Meantime the diesel option price has gone up from $5,300 to $6,800. That's a pretty big hit. And diesel fuel is no longer priced below regular gasoline. So how strong will the diesel pickup market be in 2007? Hard to tell. The new engines have power and torque, but are they a good value? And do they have the required reliability, durability with the new fuel and emissions standards? Probably. But Ford was smart to keep the 6.8L V10 available, and GM may regret dropping their well-respected (but slow selling) 8.1L V8 Big Block.
The HD Pickup Outlook
Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant has a capacity of some 380,000 vehicles per year - a big plant by any standard. And per unit profit must be huge. So it is Ford's plan to run that plant as close to capacity as possible.
Full-Size pickup sales were down in 2006 however, even heavy duty (over 8,500 # GVW) sales. It isn't yet clear if 2007 will see a recovery or not. In that most (say 80%) of Super Duty pickups are sold with a Diesel engine, the key is how well the new low sulfur fuel, the new exhaust emissions systems, the new diesel over gas price premium and the diesel fuel vs gasoline price premium are received in the market. My prediction is that sales will be slow for the first half of 2007, and pick up significantly in the second half.
GM will be a strong player in the 2007 CY HD pickup market with their new GMT 900 Silverado and Sierra. The Ford Super Duty program is strong also, so both should be able to hold or even increase segment share in 2007. Might be a tough year for the Dodge Boys.
