Ford’s new 2011 Super Duty trucks have taken heavy duty hauling fuel efficiency to another level. In the past, fuel efficiency was at the bottom of the list for truck owners, the fact was they needed power, towing, and hauling capacity, and what their gas mileage was didn’t really matter. But fuel economy on the all-new 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty equipped with the Ford-engineered and Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel engine averages an 18-percent improvement for pickup models and up to 25-percent improvement for chassis cabs versus 2010 models. To help track fuel economy numbers 2011 Super Duty diesels are available with CrewChief™, a component of available Ford Work Solutions™, a technology package that can help owners manage their business from the work site. CrewChief is a fleet telematics and diagnostics system that allows fleet owners to efficiently manage their vehicles, quickly dispatch workers to job sites and keep detailed vehicle maintenance records.

Ford recently held a competition in Arizona for journalists to see who could get the best mileage out of a Super Duty. During the program, Ford challenged these reporters to a contest to see who could achieve the best fuel economy while driving a the Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 on an 80-mile stretch of surface roads and highways. The winning media team on the first round achieved 29.2 mpg and the second an astonishing 34 mpg. Three-person media teams drove from Buckeye to Glendale, Arizona, in an F-250 or F-350 with 1,000 pounds of payload. Depending on vehicle configuration, media teams were expected to meet targets of 26.5 mpg (pickups with 17-inch wheels and a 3.31:1 axle ratio) or 24 mpg (pickups with 20-inch wheels and a 3.55:1 axle ratio) while driving the 80 miles in a time frame consistent with what Ford engineers achieved. Drivers were given fuel economy tips from the Ford vehicle energy engineering team and a few ground rules: stay on the specified route, follow the provided turn-by-turn directions and drive at the posted speeds (no speeding and no crawling).

Overall, it was a fun event that further proved Ford’s point, that they have created one of the most fuel efficient heavy duty trucks available. When the 2011 model arrives at dealerships, potential truck buyers may have a new requirement at the top of their lists: optimal fuel economy.