Ford opened order books for the brand new 2023 F-Collection Tremendous Obligation vans final October, piling up 150,000 pre-orders in 5 weeks. After anticipating to get vans into buyer arms earlier this yr, the heavyweight pickup variations of the heavyweight gross sales champion have solely simply began transport to clients in all trims. The delay is forged as vital evil to create an everlasting good; Ford is dedicated to getting this launch proper in order that it would not hand again Tremendous Obligation earnings for guarantee prices and recollects. Ford CEO Jim Farley has talked quite a bit this yr concerning the automaker’s concentrate on high quality enchancment, the Tremendous Obligation is the primary demonstrator.
The corporate carried out Zero Defect processes on the Louisville Meeting Plant and Ohio Meeting Plant that construct the truck. In Kentucky, the place greater than 9,000 staff are concerned in Tremendous Obligation manufacturing, the whole lot of the Zero Defect enhancements are mentioned to take three hours per automobile, a gauntlet that features round 40 cameras to this point and will in the end rely 100 cameras, plus a variety of robots in addition to worker coaching to vet video and analyze information on builds. A contingent of 350 high quality inspectors test each truck off the road, together with driving each unit 25 miles to search for potential points that escaped scrutiny.
All of this comes after a revised prototype testing course of. Ford tripled the variety of vans used for tow testing and practically quadrupled the fleet used for endurance testing. Engineers centered on high-mileage runs, and as an alternative of conducting sure challenges to a mileage quantity, vans have been run till elements broke so Ford might discover the weak spots. Earlier this yr, Ford mentioned an worker on the road discovered a hood alignment situation that was inside spec however {that a} buyer may not have been pleased about. Engineers revised the alignment. The automaker would find yourself stopping manufacturing for 3 weeks to deal with each element. Farley mentioned, “We mounted dozens of high quality points. We haven’t at all times finished that as an organization.”
The brand new truck presents three engines. A brand new 6.8-liter naturally aspirated V8 fuel engine is the usual mill, a downsized model of the 7.3-liter naturally aspirated Godzilla V8, making 405 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque. These figures add 20 hp and 15 lb-ft to the output for the retired 6.2-liter. The up to date 7.3-liter now makes 430 hp and 485 lb-ft., representing the identical pony rely however ten extra pound-feet. The Energy Stroke possibility is a 6.7-liter V8 oil-burner in two outputs. The bottom output is 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft, similar as in 2022. The brand new high-output trim makes 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft. All engines are paired with a 10-speed computerized.