2015 Ford F-series Super Duty gets updated Power Stroke diesel

Ford spotlighted an improved 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel as it introduced its 2015 F-Series Super Duty lineup at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.

Among the vehicles Ford showed:

-- An updated version of the Super Duty King Ranch edition with a Texas theme.

-- A freshened version of the F-450 Super Duty with a beefed up frame, suspension and commercial-grade 19.5-inch wheels and tires.

When it debuts next spring, the upgraded 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 will improve on the 400 hp and 800 pounds-feet of torque in the current version. Performance figures for the 2015 engine were not released.

The engine gets a new GT37 turbocharger with a larger 88-millimeter compressor wheel that will replace the previous GT32. The compressor will force more air into the cylinders to improve performance, particularly at high altitudes, Ford said in a statement.

With the new turbo, new high-pressure fuel pump and fuel injectors, the Super Duty's fuel delivery system has been improved, Ford says. The new injectors, for example, will burn cleaner and result in quieter performance.

Roughly two-thirds of Ford's Super Duty customers buy their trucks with the Power Stroke diesel.

Ford will offer the improved diesel only in Super Duty pickups. Chassis cab models will continue with the current Power Stroke.

Ford said Tuesday that it installed its 500,000th 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel in a truck at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. The engine was introduced in 2010 for the 2011 model year.

Improvements to the F-450 include: upgraded rear driveline U-joints, upgraded suspension including new rear leaf springs, front and rear stabilizer bars and shocks, stronger steering gears and linkages and increased fifth-wheel and gooseneck trailer capacity, Ford said.

In working on the new King Ranch Super Duty, Ford engineers traveled to the King Ranch for inspiration. The 825,000-acre working ranch in south Texas, founded in 1853, is larger than Rhode Island. It is home to 600,000 head of cattle and 300 quarter horses.

The design freshening incorporates the Running W brand, used on the cattle raised on the ranch, which is stitched into the seat backs and imprinted on the center console.

The current F-series Super Duty King Ranch starts at $50,555, including shipping. High-end models including the King Ranch, Platinum and Lariat account for about half of Super Duty sales to individual buyers.

The Ford F-250 and F-350

will go on sale next spring and the F-450 next summer. Ford has not announced prices.

The story Ford adds improved 6.7-liter V-8 diesel engine to '15 Super Duty pickup first appeared at Automotive News.

By Bradford Wernle- Automotive News