TL; DR: After driving one, I now totally get why folks are willing to pay for the 6.7 and probably will go that route myself, even though I don't need it.

I never understood why folks would be willing to part with $9K+ of their hard earned cash for the 6.7 unless they towed heavy all the time. The negatives included (they all boil down to extra time and money):

• DEF cost
• Oil change cost
• DPF and other emissions issues
• Purchase cost

On paper, if one doesn't tow heavily with regularity, the financial analysis seemed to indicate that going for the 6.7 was heavily negative NPV. (NPV, by design, ignores emotional benefit, e.g., "I don't care - I want a 6.7.")

However, it took a lot of effort to even find a 6.2 to test drive here in truck country (DFW area). Mild deductive logic would indicate:

• Dealers stock (and order) 6.7s by >5x compared to 6.2s
• Buyers must therefore buy 6.7s by >5x compared to 6.2s

So this begs the question: why would buyers be willing to enter a negative NPV scenario (the 6.7) by a rate of >5:1 compared to the 6.2?

Maybe the vast majority of 6.7 buyers really do need the 6.7 - they tow/haul heavy frequently and they get a positive NPV for their use case. Or perhaps 6.7 buyers are a self-selecting group of people who intentionally ignore NPV for emotional reasons.

Whatever the root cause might be I drove one today and I have to say, I get it now.

I rarely tow, almost never haul, and work in an office all day. I don't even really need my LD pickup, much less a Super Duty. But the difference between the 6.2 & 6.7 was night and day. Observations:

• There's always power (and torque) - regardless of gear
  • The 6.7 is a perfect fit for the 6-speed
  • The 6.2 6-speed felt anachronistic, like you were driving an older truck; it felt sluggish compared to riding the near-infinite wave of torque on the 6.7
  • IMO the 6.2 really needs a transmission with more gears (like a version of the F150 10-speed hardened for SD work)
• The 6.7 seemed very relaxed all the time
  • 60 mph was barely turning the engine over at about 1300 RPM
  • Shifts were barely perceptible
• The 6.7 was way quieter at highway speeds
  • Passing was child's play

In some ways, I'd liken the 6.7 to a Old English Mastiff: tremendously powerful and has bark when necessary, but otherwise calm and undisturbed by the world. Happy to let the miles roll by, enjoying the scenery. Truly unbothered by heavy loads.

The 6.2 is no slouch, of course. I'd liken it to a Rottweiler: it's a work horse but less refined, louder, and barks at anything. No offense intended to those who prefer Rotties, of course.

So even though I don't need it, I think I'm sold on the 6.7 - I'm one of the guys who will now intentionally enter that negative NPV transaction.

 

some food for thought.


Yes you buy def but at such a slow rate it is almost of no concern.


oil changes are not that close together. Yes more quarts but if you do it yourself it is not that much per mile.


Emissions work well if you get it up to temps or tow a lot. Stop and go is harder on the efficiency of the system.

 

You get much of your investment back at the time of sale or trade. Factor that into your diagnosis....

 

Great analysis, and keep in mind that the typical buyer may not be buying for what they need now, but to "future-proof" for what they may want down the road.

 

Well said.... Also my '12 6.7PSD has 113k miles and has been to the shop once for a emissions recall that took about an hour for a flash. Otherwise it's been the best truck I've owned to date with not a single glitch or repair.


Also back in December we purchased a '17 Super Duty for the MIL. I drove it just to check it out and was immediately reminded on my enemic
'98 5.4 Triton.

 

Both engines seem to have faithful fans, all liking them for their own applied purposes.

9K additional for an engine is hard to swallow, even if they could benefit from the Diesel, some are set in their minds they don't need it because of this huge inititial cost. Others who clearly don't need the Diesel are smart in choosing a gasoline power plant, not becuase of any pricing, but becuase the gas just makes more sense for them and their purposes.

I tow heavy, therefore i pay the big bucks, but in the end, it pays for itself in benefits and comfort to me (the poor ole driver)

Drive happy the way that makes sense for you.

 

This is very true
My 2011 350drw had a msrp of $79,000 after rebates I paid $62,000
Almost 6 yrs later to the day (I got the truck dec 19th 2010 and sold dec 1st 2016) I traded it in and got $40,000 for it I think I did great on that truck

 

Agreed - the trade in value retention, if as good as people say it is, easily swings the NPV into positive territory even if one doesn't tow much.

 

All very good points.

 

Before I bought my '16 KR dually I had to sell my beloved trustworthy '02 F250 7.3 4x4. What a great ruck it was, I paid $33k for it new, kept it very nice and sold it for $15k to a guy that had been looking for a nice clean 7.3 xtra cab 4x4. He didn't even flinch at the price.......... LOVE the diesel!!

 

Exactly. Buy what ya wanna drive and leave with a smile on your face.

 

If you take a loan out to pay for the truck you are also paying extra interest on that $9k.

 

Financed mine through Ford at 0% (In Canada)

 

I just bought mine outright but I suppose you could potentially pay some small interest on the 9k.

 

It's a no brainer for me. I tow a 12,000 pound trailer 80% of the time. The 6.7 does it without effort. If you do a reasonable amount of heavy towing and can afford it it's the way to go.