Hard work just got a little easier thanks to Ford’s new powertrain line-up for model year 2020.
Ford’s new 7.3-liter V8 gas engine and its new third generation 6.7-liter Powerstroke are not only exciting to drive, they’re delivering best-in-class capabilities across several vehicle classes.
But what’s power without grace? Enter Ford’s all-new heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift transmission available in 2020 F-250 Super Duty all the way through the new F-600 chassis cab. At the same size as the TorqShift 6-speed and only four pounds more, the new electronically controlled 10-speed offers selectable drive modes and a live drive power takeoff provision with a best-in-class 300 lb.-ft. torque with diesel.
Whether bolted to the new 430-hp 7.3-liter gasoline engine or 475-hp 6.7-liter Powerstroke, the 10-speed TorqShift turned uphill towing on a roughly 6% grade into smooth, powerful and efficient work at Ford’s recent media event near Phoenix, Ariz.
But it’s the new 7.3-liter V8 – nicknamed Godzilla – that’s getting a lot of attention. Ford’s first pushrod V8 since the mid-nineties is lighter, faster, more compact and more versatile than the Triton V10 it’s replacing.
The numbers don’t lie. The retired V10, which ended for model year 2019, weighs in at 617 pounds. The fit and trim 7.3-liter muscles in at 587.4 pounds while delivering a dyno certified best-in-class 350 horsepower and best-in-class 468 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s 45 more horses and 112 more lb.-ft. than its predecessor. Chassis certified numbers for Super Duty pickups below 14,000 pounds GVWR have the 7.3 maxing out at 430 horses and 475 lb.-ft. torque.
“We’re really proud of the 7.3-liter,” Ford Super Duty chief engineer Mike Pruitt said while standing in front of an F-450 dump truck equipped with the iron block stump puller (see first video below).
