Ford Introduces Robot-Tested F-650/F-750 Medium-Duty Commercial Work Trucks

Ford, America’s truck leader, today sets a new standard in medium-duty commercial work trucks with the all-new Ford F-650/F-750 – the toughest, great value and work-ready Ford medium-duty trucks ever.

The new F-650/F-750 joins America’s broadest commercial vehicle lineup, delivering an impressive combination of commercial-grade quality, capability and convenience that now includes segment-exclusive Ford gasoline and diesel engines, outstanding performance at an affordable price, and comfortable and modern interiors.

“Every day, we’re thinking of new ways to better serve our hard-working customers,” said John Ruppert, general manager, Ford Commercial Vehicle Sales & Marketing. “The same Ford engineers who developed the best-selling F-Series have designed this all-new medium-duty lineup that can meet the demands of our toughest customers with trucks that are cost-effective, ready for work, and, most importantly, can help keep them going on the job.”

The Ford F-650/F-750 anchors Ford’s Commercial Truck lineup – America’s best-selling line of commercial trucks for 29 years – giving vocational customers an unmatched one-stop shop to meet their needs, from a Class 1 Ford Transit Connect cargo van to a Class 7 Ford F-750 tractor rig. Every truck and van in the Ford Commercial Truck lineup will be all-new or significantly refreshed in the next 18 months.

The Ford F-650/F-750, which will be 2016 model year trucks, will be available spring 2015.

Offered in three cab styles – Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab – and three models – straight frame, dock height and an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing – the new F-650/F-750 features a bold look inside and out, a powerful and efficient second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® V8 diesel, medium-duty six-speed TorqShift^® automatic transmission and a host of unique features not found on any other medium-duty truck.

The 2016 F-650/F-750’s new exterior styling commands attention on the road with Built Ford Tough looks that also help deliver improved functionality. The all-new mesh grille framed by hallmark Ford nostrils helps improve airflow for optimal cooling performance. Also new are sharp fenders, aerodynamic headlamps and F-650/F-750 badges embossed in “Bold Leadership” font. Available PowerScope^® trailer tow mirrors feature large standard and spotter mirrors and segment-exclusive power telescoping and folding design.

The area behind the cab was redesigned to more easily accommodate custom work bodies, such as tow truck, dump truck and ambulance bodies.

Tough Testing

The 2016 Ford F-650/F-750 is Ford’s toughest medium-duty truck ever. Before it goes on sale, it will have been torture-tested by people and machines in labs, at Ford proving grounds and on America’s highways and city roads.

The grueling testing simulates the demands Ford’s customers will subject the truck to throughout its useful lifetime, from hauling heavy loads through the brutal summer heat of Death Valley to towing heavy trailers up steep grades – in temperatures from 40 degrees below zero to 120+ degrees Fahrenheit.

Part of the F-650/F-750 testing includes Ford’s robotic test driving program – now in use at the company’s Michigan Proving Grounds in Romeo, Mich. – to meet demands that Ford trucks undergo ever more strenuous Built Ford Tough testing.

“Some of the tests we do on our commercial trucks for North America are so strenuous that we limit the exposure time for human drivers,” said Dave Payne, manager, vehicle development operations.

The robotically driven vehicles are expected to repeatedly perform tests on torturous surfaces that can compress 10 years of daily driving abuse into courses just a few hundred yards long, with surfaces that include broken concrete, cobblestones, metal grates, rough gravel, mud pits and oversized speed bumps.

Tough Powertrains

Newly available for F-650/F-750 is the Ford-built and proven 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 diesel paired with a commercial-grade six-speed 6R140 automatic transmission with available power takeoff provision to run accessories in the field, a dump body, crane or other vocational equipment.

Building upon the success of the Power Stroke in the F-Series Super Duty lineup, the F-650/F-750 6.7-liter Power Stroke and TorqShift have been developed and tested for medium-duty applications, with three horsepower and torque levels and a five-year/250,000 mile limited warranty.

Ford is the only medium-duty truck manufacturer that designs and builds its own diesel engine and transmission combination, ensuring the powertrain will work seamlessly with all chassis components and vehicle calibrations – from concept to execution. This approach also enables Ford engineers to optimize the vehicle’s performance across the entire lineup.

Key innovations on the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel are its compacted graphite iron engine block and reverse-flow layout. The advanced design places the exhaust inside the engine’s V-shape while the air intake is positioned on the outside of the V. This segment-exclusive design naturally improves a variety of attributes:

• Shorter airflow from the exhaust system to the turbocharger sitting between the engine’s cylinder banks improves turbo responsiveness – key to providing torque quickly to truck customers when they need it most
• Positioning the turbo inside the engine’s valley helps isolate the engine’s hottest temperatures, helping improve performance and efficiency, while also reducing noise, vibration and harshness to improve driver comfort

Power Stroke drivability is enhanced with tow/haul mode that includes a switchable integrated engine brake. The driver can regenerate the diesel particulate filter on-demand to clear out trapped soot from the exhaust system to help maximize performance. Intelligent Oil Change Monitoring is standard so oil changes are based on driving patterns and load demands instead of fixed distance intervals.

During testing, the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 endured the equivalent of 500,000+ miles on an engine dynamometer, replicating the duty cycle of the harshest-use customer.

The fuel-efficient transmission features a low first gear ratio for optimized takeoffs under load and optimized gear ratio span across all gears for optimized fuel economy. It’s also strengthened with new materials and extra pinion gears for medium-duty service.

Ford remains the segment-exclusive automaker to offer a gasoline-powered engine for a medium duty truck. The 6.8-liter V10 is now available for both F-650 and F-750 models with the 6R140 six-speed automatic transmission. The 6.8-liter V10 can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or liquid propane gas as cost-effective alternatives to unleaded gasoline.

Great Value

By controlling every aspect of development in-house, from design to manufacturing to service, Ford will be able to offer F-650/F-750 customers exceptional value, convenience and cost of ownership.

For service needs, a network of more than 3,000 Ford Commercial Truck and retail service dealers are ready to tackle any service need with minimized travel time and extended service hours, to keep work trucks on the road and in the field longer.

Leveraging the best-selling F-Series Truck lineup, the F-650/F-750 interior is designed and engineered with a level of fit, finish and refinement that matches that of Ford F-Series Super Duty F-250 through F-550 trucks. New features include a 110-volt power outlet, available SYNC^® and Crew Chief™ factory-installed fleet management telematics, and an available rapid-heat, supplemental cab heater that quickly warms the cab in cold climates. Remote start is also available. A new steering wheel has advanced controls to focus driver attention on the road, and a click of the turn lever features automatic five-blink turn signals. A choice of hydraulic or air brakes is available.

“We have a lot of design and feature comforts that you might otherwise find in more mainstream products,” said John Davis, Ford Commercial Truck chief nameplate engineer. “Comfort and convenience additions include our quiet diesel, hands-free mobile device connectivity and improvements to ride and steering.”

An all-new Ford engineered frame and suspension include a newly available anti-roll bar for enhanced roll control and longer leaf springs for an improved ride over the previous model.

Work Ready

The 2016 F-650/F-750 is easier than ever to prep for medium-duty jobs. Auxiliary components such as the diesel exhaust fluid tank and standard fuel tank are now located under the cab instead of behind it on the frame. This clean cab-to-axle design satisfies more truck body applications and makes customizing easier, which helps reduce the customer’s final costs and time to delivery.

Aluminum fuel tanks with the Power Stroke diesel are lighter to help efficiency. The electrical system is more robust than the outgoing model to handle larger component loads.

“We leveraged our strengths from being the leader in classes 1-5 to create a better F-650/F-750,” Davis said. “We brought the new medium-duty program in-house to utilize our expertise from our other tough truck and commercial vehicle lines which ultimately results in a better product at a competitive price that’s built in the USA.”