I personally think your post might have been valid back in 1970.

IMO, all of our truck manufacturers are building a fine quality product. All will last for years and give great, trouble free service.
It's more about styling and your preference of engine, be it a Cummins or a faster winding PSD or DuraMax.

I personally think the Ram is an ugly duck, others will disagree, but that doesn't mean it isn't a quality ride.

 

I've been spending a lot of time visiting forums for all of the "Big-3" truck makers and visiting dealers lots to look at product too - Dodge, GM, and Ford.

The following quote taken from one of the truck forums sums up the attitude out there;

"I don't think I would buy a Big-3 product right now. GM has basically been caught doing the same thing FCA is now being punished for. It's just a matter of time before someone starts looking hard at Ford and finds some kind of wrongdoing".

FCA (Fiat Chrysler America) has just been sited with an additional 840,000 airbag defect recalls on top of the unprecedented 500,000 vehicle buy-back program that's already underway for unrelated safety issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/bu...bags.html?_r=0

In another 18 months or so Ford may be all that's left!

 

Y2K, I agree with all of your observations. It seems fairly obvious that Ford is simply going to be using the same cabs that they use with the F-150s.

I wouldn't bet money on Ford offering something similar to the Mega Cab.

 

That's too bad. I like that the super duty looks different than the F150. The mega cab does nothing for me. I do like the back seat area in the F150 and how far the doors open.

 

I spoke with my local dealer yesterday about possibly buying 2016 F450. He said that the window to order a new 2016 ends at the end of this month. That is the shortest model year I have ever seen.

I'm really hoping that the 2017 SRW F350 has at least the same 11,500 lb GVWR and is much lighter. The current SRW is right at the limit for the 40' 15K fifth wheel campers I'm looking at. I'd sure like 700 - 1000 lbs more headroom for the pin! If I can get enough capacity in a SRW, I can buy that for a daily driver. Otherwise, it looks like a dually for a dedicated tow vehicle or a smaller camper.

 

That's actually good news!
I'm curious as all heck to get this 2017 Super Duty mystery out in the open.
Thanks for posting that bit of info.

 

Hmm - so is the '17 coming out that early or do they just have a ton of inventory to clear out? Seems really early to close orders already, even if you factor in a plant shutdown and retooling. Maybe they aren't going to attempt to retool as fast as they did for the F150?

 

Reminds me of 1997, when the Early 99's eliminated the 1998 model year. No 2016s actually built in 2016.

Ten years from now, the kids will by rapping on some truck forum

Picked up an E17,
built in '15,
looks real clean
gonna make it mean.

Introducing a 2017 in 2015 is like putting up the Christmas decorations all over the mall in August. Like right now. There's something not quite right about that.

 

Seeing as how Ford muffed the presumed 2016 release of the "new" Super Duty, I would believe they will indeed push ahead of the typical model year schedule for the new truck.

Let's hope you are right: a 2017 in 2015

 

Not much but still interesting.

Cold Weather Testing the 2017 Ford Super Duty in Florida [Preview] - Truck News, Views and Real World Reviews

 

Those trucks look like the old style test mules, like the one that burned to the ground, and not the new style sheet metal.

 

The 2015 hit our lot in February of '14. The '16s maybe in June this year. IDK for '17. That being said, I just looked at the Fleet Bulletin and I don't see a balance out date yet for the '16, so I think (hope) you're safe for the time being. We definitely do not have a ton of inventory, actually quite the reverse, as '15 was a short production year. If they end taking orders early, it will only be due to the backlog they have left from '15.

 

If you zoom in closely on the grille, looking through the open mesh of the bra net, as seen in the second photo of the two trucks being tested at the Eglin AFB McKinley climate testing facility, it will become clear that:

1. The front grille on those trucks does not NOT look like, nor is it shaped like, the chromed front end to the cell phone photo gold truck.

2. The front grille on those trucks does NOT look like, nor is it shaped like, the current Super Duty front grille. The top bar is not as wide as the bottom bar. The top bar is solid, the bottom bar appears meshed like the Platinum.

Take a look and see what you think:

 

The Florida freezer trucks look more like my 2015 Super Duty that the cell phone snap shot picture.

 

We better both do more research. My dealer just confirmed two days ago that they would have the order guides for the 17's while the 16 order bank was still open. We certainly won't have the 17 guide by the end of the month so someone is off. Not saying it's your dealer, but let's get to the bottom of this....