Power Packed

The ’17 Ford Super Duty Brings.

- Edward A. Sanchez

MANY YEARS ago, when Diesel Power magazine was still in the conceptual stage, one of the prototype cover proofs asked the rhetorical question of OEM torque output: “Who will be first to 700 lb-ft?” We don’t have to tell you that threshold has long since been surpassed. The better question now is “Who will be first to 1,000 lb-ft?” The diesel engine performance wars are alive and well, and with General Motors’ October 2016 announcement of the power and torque figures for the L5P Duramax of 445 hp and 910 lb-ft, the prospect of four figures of twist from a stock truck is not so much a question of if, but when. However, as much as diesel buffs love talking trash standing next to their engine bays, there’s a lot more to modern heavy-duty diesel trucks than brute power. If it’s your daily driver, you’ve got to live with it, and comfort and convenience mean just as much in day-today use as does 20 lb-ft of torque. Ford set out to offer buyers the best of both worlds with the ’17 Super Duty.

MIXED METALS, SOLID RESULTS