Daily Slideshow: With mere months to go before a possible Detroit Auto Show debut, these spyshots give more than a hint at what the 2020-model F-250 and F-450 will look like.
Evolution of a Classic
The coming Super Duties will be more big rig and less luxo-truck if these spy shots are any indication. Even hidden behind the black mesh cloak of this pickup it’s easy to detect the absence of the bright oversize twin bars of current grilles. In their place is a more uniform fascia made of smaller horizontal elements. Though a square, bow-tie-esque patch of fabric is hiding the familiar Blue Oval, there’s no doubt about this tester's lineage. Ford stylists earned their keep on this one, the new design is not only integrating better with the rest of the body than today’s design, but also giving the big pickup more of a purposeful vibe.
Engine
Ford sent the long in the tooth 6.8-liter Triton V10 gasoline engine packing a couple of years ago and the replacement does not only sip less fuel but also yield more torque as well. A 7.0-liter DOHC V8 has replaced the V10, and accompanying the new engine is an adaptation of the Raptor’s 10-speed automatic transmission in place of the TorqShift six-speed.
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Cycles
Ford’s timing of the mid-cycle revamp, expected to debut in early 2019 as a 2020 model—possibly as early as the Detroit Auto Show—is just about perfect since both GM and FCA will be introducing updated large trucks in short order. This echoes the successful introduction of the 2018 F-150 refresh, just as new Silverados and Rams were surfacing.
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Other Changes
Aside from the grille bars and engine/trans, the test truck showed evidence of revised lower vents and completely different headlights. Unless the camo has papered over the sides of the light units they seem to wrap less further around the corners of the pickup than before, adding to an already narrower, more upright look.
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Solid
Otherwise, the Super Duty looks mostly unchanged, with window-dips and clean smooth flanks. No fancy F-150-style flush exhaust is present, just big, utilitarian side-exit tips. We have to admire whoever was in charge of wrapping the test unit, either they had a little extra vinyl left over, or they were just freaks for details because they did a nice job camouflaging the Super Duty’s running boards.
>>Join the conversation about the new F250 and F450 trucks right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Carry-overs
New body/brightwork and a new powerplant are plenty for a mid-cycle refresh, so most everything else from our 2018 Super Duties will pass on through to the 2020 model. That means Ford’s diesel option will remain their 6.7-liter Turbodiesel Power Stoke V8, an available 21,000-pound conventional towing capacity, and an available 7,360 lbs maximum payload. Fans of the recently-added 4x2 dually option for the F-450 Crew Cab need not fret since that’s expected to carry on, albeit with that tough-looking new grille, as well.
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