If you haven't seen Ram's big bold Tesla Model S like 12" vertically oriented plasma monitor in Ram's newest pickups, that is an available option across the line, from the 1500 all the way up to the 5500HD... you owe it yourself to take a look. Not just online, but in person.

It is a transformative man to machine interface experience. Having more screen estate for navigation, in particular, is especially liberating, as you can more safely look at where you are going, both on the map and in real life through the windshield, simultaneously.

I especially like the vertical orientation, as I've never been in a vehicle that moves at 65 mph sideways. Having a more vertical map view of the road ahead, rather than a wide view of the distracting spider web of streets to either side (that I can't crab crawl sideways to anyway, so why distract me with them) is really neat. The forward looking supply of mapping information gives me more reaction time to make safe lane changes, plan for exits, or make decisions about getting gas right now, or waiting one more exit for my favorite gas station which is up ahead. The vertically oriented screen is especially enjoyable with a horizon line birdseye view, as if in Flight Simulator.

So what will Ford's answer be?

Sometimes, it is possible to predict what Ford may offer next, by looking around at what Ford already offers right now. An example: About a year and a half before Ford announced that the Super Duty would share the same cab with the F-150, I posted, right here on FTE, back in 2013 or 2014, a prediction that this was very likely to happen. Many thought that prediction was completely off base, and would never happen. And some of those folks are driving an F-150 cab with dual rear wheels today.

So what is Ford doing today, in terms of larger screen infotainment systems, that Ford might port over to the Super Duty in the very near future, in order to capture back some of the market share that Ram is gaining in personal use truck sales? (Ford's overall dominance is based on fleet sales, but when looking at individual truck purchases, Ram has made enough gains to capture a lot of attention).

Lincoln is where I would look to predict what Ford might do to the center stack of a redesigned dashboard in the F-Series. Lincoln's have larger screens, but they are wider, not taller. More cinematic, rather than Teslic.

Looking at what Ford already has out there right now is not only a reflection of the hardware that Ford is already purchasing... it is really more of a reflection of how the designers in Ford's infotainment unit think. So even though F-Series volume can justify a clean sheet design sourcing any size, dimension, or type of hardware, if the folks in Ford's design unit think a certain way, then that thinking will carry over into what they create for the F-Series... just as it carried over in what they came up with for the new 2020 Explorer higher trim versions.

And if those designers monitor enthusiasts message boards to take a pulse on what consumers might demand... here is one vote to make the center stack screen taller, not wider. But this is only one vote.

What's yours?

 

I'm sure it's coming....but I like my buttons and *****. Much less distracting, as you can feel what you need to press without taking your eyes off the road. Plus the reliability without a glitchy screen, touch controls, and the OS to run it...

 

The '20 refresh isn't even out and we're talking '21? The answer is absolutely nothing will change for the 2021 model year. If you want to know what the next Super Duty interior will look like, just wait for the new F-150 interior to come out...allegedly in 2021, right? A year or two later, the Super Duty will look just like it.

 

Ram's execution has mechanical buttons and ***** on either side of the vertical screen. Plus, a second set of mechanical buttons and ***** are on the redundant controls in the steering wheel, so not only would one not need to take their eyes off the road, one doesn't even need to remove their hands from the wheel. And then let's not forget voice control. How many different iterations of redundancies are needed?

Ford's arrangement of mechanical buttons and ***** in the previous 11-16 Super Duty, and for that matter in the 08-12 Escape, are so uniformly similar to each other and symmetrical in arrangement, it is difficult to distinguish one button from another without careful scrutiny. The mechanical buttons in later designed Ford vehicles REQUIRE me to take my eyes off the road to operate them, as there is no difference in shape or layout between the HVAC system and the radio system. The uniform designs are very attractive at a glance, but I quickly came to appreciate my 2000 Ford, where the Radio was a separate unit, clearly and wholly distinguished from the climate control, which was a separate unit.

With integrated units and uniform button design, and with the buttons being as tiny as they are, I rather appreciate a large screen, with huge icons, and a dynamic display that enlarges with the setting I'm trying to change.

Steering wheel controls are arguably the safest method of making adjustments, and Ford has plenty of buttons on the steering wheel. Ram managed to squeeze a 12" display into the center stack, while still keeping two simultaneous sets of mechanical buttons and ***** for controls. I'd like to see a screen be a screen, arranged on the dash as high as possible, and shrouded to guard against glare through the windshield, with on dash and steering wheel controls having different shapes and colors to distinguish the character of their function.

 

I have all the fancy gadgets and screens in my 2016 Mazda and I find that I never use any of those features. The only thing I might want a screen for is the backup camera.
Given the choice, I'll order my truck without all that nonsense.

 

You still can't do everything with the buttons...

 

This sums it up^^
I would guess 2022 or 23.

 

Personally, I prefer the horizontal orientation for my nav. Either I have a destination programmed (in which case it tells me which lanes to get in well in advance) or I'm hunting for a side street, in which case I want to be able to see the names of the streets around me, not a tight view of the road ahead of me.

However, I have heard (over on MacRumors) that Ram's vertical orientation is great for doing split-screen carplay. You can have the carplay in 1/2 their stack, with the other 1/2 their regular screens and use both without having to flip back and forth.

 

Being able to split the screen for Apple Car Play would be really nice for my preferences. I would like to have google maps on one side and my satelite radio information on the other.

 

Same here. Had my 18 for a little over a year and have yet to use any voice commands, haven’t paired my phone, haven’t touched the Sync 3 screen for anything other than changing the angle of the backup camera when hitching up a trailer. It’s fun to play with in the showroom and I’m sure it sells trucks but after I drive off the lot that stuff stays covered with dust for the life of the truck. Next time I buy a new one I’ll probably be having to deal with some sort of Optimus Prime tailgate. Ughhh!

 

The screen in the RAM is “plasma”?
Very interesting info.

With that being said, the new SD center stack will definitely be influenced by the F150 which by 2021 will have a new/updated interior and without a doubt, the top of the line infotainment system will include at least the ten inch screen from the Explorer or a 12 inch version of it and hopefully it’ll be more integrated than the Explorer.

 

I’m disappointed that my 2020 order will still have the same dull interior, but I guess there needs to be a reason to trade up. I’d love a Limited, but almost 10K extra for better seats and the same dash?
Although I can’t stomach the looks of the truck, the Ram puts this current interior to shame. But as others have said, I’m not sure just how useable a screen display is when compared to buttons. If there are redundancies built in, then absolutely, give me the tall screen.

 

The Ram 1500 is due for its first refresh the same year the 2500-5500 joins the new body - model year 2022, which will likely be shown at some auto show in winter (Chicago) or spring (NY) 2021. That is likely to include an updated (if not all-new) interior. I would expect the F-150 to be a year ahead of these Ram updates, and the Super Duty a year later. Chevy/GMC would likely update the 1500 for 2022 and their HDs for 2023. For those who can wait or if your normal buying cycle will take you there, I'd say 2023 will present the best interiors all three manufacturers have produced in the history of full-size pickups. GM executives were clearly embarrassed by the Ram 1500 against their Silverado/Sierra 1500 at the Detroit show in January 2018, so hopefully their interior design department got their marching orders.

 

I will upgrade and it is between the RAM 3500 laramie longhorn and the 2020 f350. If I go with f350 I will take it straight to installer to have one (vertical tesla screen) installed. I LOVE the interior on the ram. It is far superior to the ford. But if the powerstroke upgrades to the ford are what they are purported to be I cannot leave that on the table. Damn shame you cannot get a combination of both. I currently drive a 17 short bed KR. Completely agree with the OP. Good post.