'Ford Asked Us To Work This Truck Hard, We're Working This Truck Hard' -- Super Duty Customer
SEE ALSO: 2011 Ford Super Duty Closeup
To test the trucks in extreme real world conditions, select customers
put the new 2011 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 to work
immediately in the humid swamps of Florida, in the sub-zero wintry
conditions of Wyoming and in the dusty, dry areas of Texas construction
sites and ranches. "As soon as we got this truck, we slapped a 22,000 pound trailer on it
and headed for the field," says one Wyoming-based Well Cementing Supervisor
in the one of the webisodes. "Ford asked us to work this truck hard, and
we're working this truck hard." The evaluation trucks are all equipped with the new 6.7-liter Power
Stroke® V-8 turbocharged diesel engine and the 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift®
six-speed automatic transmission. Ford engineers are using advanced telematics technology to retrieve
daily performance data from each truck for further analysis. These data are
being posted and continually updated online, allowing the public
unprecedented access to the performance of the next generation of the
best-selling truck in America for 33 years. Here's a sample of what the customers had to say: "The truck sat in negative weather for several hours then started right
up with no issues." "A group of us were standing around the truck, maybe 10 feet away. A
guy told me I left my lights on, and I said the truck is still running. He
couldn't believe how quiet it was." "I was towing a trailer 311 miles and had to keep checking in mirror to
see if the trailer was still there." Chris Brewer, chief engineer of 2011 Super Duty, said the early feedback
from these extreme customers confirms the importance of the testing regimen
his team has been conducting. "We've tested this truck in every situation imaginable throughout of
development process, but nothing can replace these real world scenarios,"
said Brewer. "The initial feedback we're getting is very encouraging --
especially on fuel economy." "We've never undertaken something this ambitious in the testing of one
of our trucks. Sharing pre-production units with customers that do the
toughest jobs and showing their unfiltered results underscore the
confidence we have in this truck," said Doug Scott, Ford Truck marketing
manager. "We want everyone to see what goes into the development of the
2011 Ford Super Duty." The 2011 Super Duty goes on sale this spring. Meanwhile, 2010 Super
Duty -- the segment leader in towing with over 24,000-pound capability --
continues to dominate the heavy-duty pickup market with 45 percent of the
segment in 2009, up over two percentage points over the previous year. About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company
, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich.,
manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about
200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive
brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides
financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information
regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
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