The 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty Pickup will feature updated driver assist technologies, including adaptive cruise control, which allows the vehicle to automatically accelerate and slow to keep pace with traffic.
“Towing is core to the Super Duty mission, and drivers will appreciate the engineering sophistication that enables adaptive cruise control to determine speed uphill and downhill with a trailer,” says Craig Schmatz, chief engineer of the Ford Super Duty. “We have torture-tested the technology in high elevations and on significant grades.”
The Super Duty Pickup will also feature adaptive steering, which reduces the amount of steering input needed by the driver to change direction at low speeds. It also reduces sensitivity to necessary steering input at higher speeds to assist with heavy loads.
To prevent wear and tear on wheel brakes on downhill grades, Schmatz says the vehicle will also feature extra engine braking power.
Meanwhile, a new blind spot information system features cross-traffic alert and trailer tow technology to keep drivers aware of close or incoming traffic at various angles. It uses radar in the taillights to detect a vehicle entering a driver’s blind spot and alerts the driver with a yellow light in the side view mirror. The system can extend to the back of a trailer as well to alert drivers of blind spots to trailers as well as their vehicle.
For additional safety, the steering wheel will vibrate if a driver begins to drift over a lane marker to imitate rumble strips.
The Super Duty’s last update was in 2011 with the debut of its 6.7-liter turbocharged diesel engine and improvements to torque, horsepower, and fuel economy.
The vehicle is scheduled to go on sale later this year.
