Godzilla Goes to Work, Triton Kicked to Curb in Ford's Revamped Commercial Range
While you’re mourning the loss of the Chevrolet Cruze, pour one out for Ford’s 6.8-liter Triton V10 engine. The mill, which once transported full-size families to vacay destinations under the hood of the Excursion, is a goner once Ford completes the revamp of its medium-duty trucks and E-Series. In its place is a monster pushrod V8 dubbed Godzilla, also bound for the 2020 Super Duty line.
The automaker provided a peak at the next generation of its largest vehicles Tuesday, announcing a new entry at the same time — the superest of the Super Duty clan.
Ford’s new 7.3-liter gasoline V8 offers a familiar displacement for Ford’s big trucks, but that old engine was a diesel. For now, the Blue Oval’s keeping its power specs under wraps, but it outpowers the Triton V10 engine it replaces. Same goes for the updated 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 available as an option across its commercial vehicle lineup, which is said to offer more power than the previous unit’s 450 hp and 935 lb-ft.
Besides updated powertrains and new tech content, Ford’s medium-duty line (F-650, F-750) gains a new entry for 2020 that’s something of a tweener: a chassis-cab truck that offers a Class 6 gross vehicle weight rating (22,000 lbs) in a Class 5 package. Ford upgraded an F-550 Super Duty to handle the extra load, calling it the F-600.
Built to appeal to buyers who want more capability with less size, the F-600 carries a standard 6.2-liter V8 (2019 specs are 385 hp and 430 lb-ft), with the 7.3-liter and 6.7-liter diesel available. The only transmission is a 10-speed automatic.
For 2021, F-650 and F-750 (plus stripped-chassis offerings) carry either of the two engines, mated to a six-speed automatic. A revamped instrument panel, a stereo with Bluetooth functionality, and USB ports round out the changes inside the cabin, and the same goes for the E-Series cutaways and stipped-chassis models.
While all of Ford’s big guys carry modems with 4G LTE Wi-Fi as standard kit, fleet managers can keep closer tabs on their crews with optional Ford Telematics and Ford Data Services. Ford Co-Pilot360 safety features like automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning are optional across the lineup, though traction control, hill start assist, and auto headlamps are standard.
Deliveries of the F-600 are expected in mid 2020, with medium-duty trucks and E-Series platforms arriving around that time.
[Images: Ford]
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I’m ready to see the numbers on this engine, the 8.1L had 450-455ft-lbs 15 years ago. Anything over 500ft-lbs I think will be a winner. I don’t think that’s a very far stretch to get over that 500 mark. 550 ft-lbs would put a lot of pressure on the competition and really cause a LOT of buzz for enthusiasts and a lot of good press. I don’t expect to see 600, not just because that’s a pretty far stretch for the displacement but also because 600ft-lbs would cannibalize the Diesel sales heavily. The Hemi 6.4L is at 429 ft-lbs The Chevy 6.6L gasser is 464 ft-lbs Let’s see this thing Ford!
Tweeners are allowed now? F-100, please.