The new hill assist feature on our trucks has taken some getting used too. For a while I was thinking that something was wrong with my tranny because when backing out of my driveway (my driveway is a sloped hill) and put the truck in drive it would go into gear but not "feel ready" to roll forward for about 2 seconds because it seemed like something was holding it back. I was feeling the normal "shift" the tranny makes from park or neutral to drive, but then about 2-3 seconds later I would feel another "release" and could also hear it. You see I had completely forgot about the hill assist and I really thought that something might be wrong. I was thinking at first that my tranny was not fully engaging, but then when I read about the hill assist feature, what it does, and how it works, I had my answer. I for one can say it works. It holds the truck stationary for about 2 seconds then releases the brakes, then my truck begins to roll forward. Another sweet function on the new truck.

 

I have to admit, I am usually tentative about letting my vehicle make decisions for me. I drove my F250 6.2 with about a ton of field stone and a 4wheeler in the bed along Skyline Drive this past weekend. I set the Cruise Control to 35 and let her go to see what would happen, first off the engine is outstanding! Even on the steepest sections it never broke speed or 2k RPM for that matter. On the down hills, no matter how steep, she would downshift and only broke 40MPH once or twice while set at 35MPH. I think this was a true testament to the quality of Fords new drivetrain line-up.