it’s not for everyone. New body styles never are.

I for one have grown to like the new look. I will agree some of the grilles aren’t my favorite which is why I swapped mine and think it looks a lot better than before. I think the chrome grilled blend/merge into the headlamps the best so it’s the direction I went and I’m satisfied now.

The side badges I have no complaints ….I think they look nice and fit the large side panels better than the 17-22 versions.

the bedsteps, after using them I wouldn’t trade for a truck without them ever again. They are flat out useful for those of us that use our truck beds. Maybe on some colors they’re not my favorite but again they blend in very well on mine…so I have nothing but good things to say about how useful they are and wouldn’t remove them anymore. My initial reactions to the 23 reveal was that they were horrible. Not so much anymore.

I think as time passes the 17-23+ will age well just as almost every f250/350 has in the past. Much better than the crazy styling some competitors comes out with at times.

the beauty of it is we don’t all like the same things so we’re free to choose as we please!

 

Rwhjr, yours looks good because all of the things I don’t like blend in with the black paint.
Except those headlight side markers, they remind me of the bulky side shields on safety glasses.

If I had a 2023+ I would put some black tint on those front headlight side markers so they don’t standout so much.

 

The bed steps after having them are real hard to complain about now.

the side markers you can get clear or smoked versions for real cheap. It probably would look good now that you mention it. Harder part is you gotta pop the housing open and reseal them to accomplish that. Not sure what all is involved there.

There’s also that retrofit company you can send you housings off to and they’ll paint the chrome portion in OEM colors etc. from what I’ve seen they do great work but I’m sure it’s a lot more pricey.

 

A tint shop might be able to put tinted film over them. Maybe just have them vinyl wrapped in black.

 

The '23 is a much better looking truck than my '09 is... at least based on the front end. The '09 was obviously a offspring of one of the Lee sisters... Ugg Lee, Home Lee, Lone Lee... but once you get past the front grille, the sheet metal is not unlike any other recent SD.



Again, compare my '99 to the '09... I think the '99 was a much better looking truck than the '09, but it would look dated against the '23.



I'm still in love with my '99... that was one good looking truck. The day I brought that darling home...

 

Good points. Also with infinite financing and more better culture, we have increased our expectations. But you mentioned farm use, where there is less big government and fewer people financing everything, and in that capacity one _does_ still see old trucks put to good use. You might not see a 50 year old truck every day. But you're going to see them. I know someone with a 34 yr old truck that is very capable. In some ways it is superior to the new trucks. Also I would actually be careful about making fun of those old trucks being maintenance free, sure things were built differently and things break, but you might be surprised. I just don't know that I expect the same longevity from a 2022.

 

You're not gonna see a 2017+ truck on the roads in 50 years. The electronics and modules are going to crap out and you either won't be able to get them, or they will be too cost prohibitive to make.

 

Right but we don’t see a bunch of well running 1970 pickups on a daily basis today either. And they have far less electronics. So the modules don’t have anything to do with it necessarily.

Certainly the increased electronics doesn’t help the case of being around in 50 years, but it’s not the root cause either otherwise, like I said, we would see a bunch of we’ll running 70s vehicles on the streets today.

Capabilities, crash safety, emissions, comfortability, etc have a much bigger hand in play when it comes to the actual timeframe that someone deems a vehicle unworthy of any further maintenance ($$$$).

I mean there will always be a market for people who have the money to restore a classic vehicle and I’m sure people will do just that with the 17+ trucks. It just won’t be the majority of us with the means to do so lol.

 

I do see quite a bit of ‘70s Fords on the roads here. Just my group of friends could host a small truck show in a parking lot.

 

What are you spraying your truck with that it stays black? I used Fluid Film but after driving on gravel roads the underside is brown.

 

Can't stand the 23+, complete reversal of a decent looking truck compared to the 17-22. Reminds me of how awful the 08-10's looked after coming off of arguably the nicest super duty front end ever, the 05-07's.

Who cares what these trucks are like in 50 years, fossil fuels will have long since been banned and most electronic components will have long since failed.

 

'08-'10 were hideous
'02-'98 Were the best looking Ford trucks bar none.

 

Some great points about these vehicles in 50 years, specifically speaking about the electric generation moving in. In my state the mandate to sell new electric vehicles begins 2035.

This may require some of us to drive the gassers we have now longer, keeping them in maintained and appreciating the styling of what was once upon a time. If I still have the 2023 during that time that’ll put me be around 12 years. Hope I’m still in love with it by then.

 

If they can do it in Havanan, we can do it here.

Viva la revolution

 

That and many of us will be deader than a can of corned beef.