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2006 NAIAS :: Reviews and Interviews

Ford debuts the F-250 Super Chief

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

Ford shows off it's all-new F-250 Super Chief.

by Jason Rzucidlo

AmericaJR@AmericaJR.com

 

The Ford F-250 Super Chief. It's truly like no other truck on the road. It's industrial. It's a real man's truck. It has all the amenities that other trucks lack.

Let's begin with the engine. It comes with a Tri-Flex V10 engine. That's right, I said V10! It can run on gasoline, hydrogen or E85. It's truly a truck of the future. It will provide 12% better fuel economy in gasoline mode and 99% less CO2 emissions in hydrogen mode. You will only need to fill it up every 500 miles.

The driver is responsible for deciding which type of fuel to run on. If you want to operate on ethanol or gasoline, you can flip the switch on the dashboard while you are driving. However, if you decide to use hydrogen, you have to be idle and stopped for the transition to occur.

Peter Horbury is the executive director of North America design. "F-250 Super Chief pays tribute to the bold optimism that is part of the American character." He adds, "The F-250 Super Chief's innovations pave a new path for the American truck. It's a notion -- and a modern design -- so bold, it could only come from Ford."

The Super Chief comes with 24-inch wheels. There is a second row of seating with reclining chairs. There is a 3-Bar grille on the front. The rear doors can open independently from the front doors. It used to be where you had to open the front doors in order to open the rear doors. In this truck, you can open either door at any time. The roof is made of glass with a leather-wrapped grid of American walnut..

Let's talk about interior. It has everything you could ever ask for plus more. Three materials are used in the interior: American walnut, brushed aluminum and rich brown leather. All of the seats remind me of couches. There are ottomans for the rear seats so you can put your legs up. They come out of the floorboards.

What else is on the inside? Three large LCD screens. There is a sky-view roof. This is the first truck with a minibar between the second row of seats. There is also a humidor for cigars to be placed. It's the only truck that i've ever seen with that feature.

The bed of this truck is 6 feet long. The original F-250 has an 8 foot bed. In the Super Chief, 2 feet of space was converted to the cabin. The bed is made of wood and metal rub strips are evenly spaced for easy loading. There is also an under-bed storage area.

Other features included on the F-250 Super Chief is the safety belt reminder. It not only tells you when the front row is unbuckled but now warns the driver when the people in the 2nd row aren't bucked up. Every 30 seconds for five minutes or until the driver puts on their belt, they will hear the reminder.

J. Mays is the Chief Creative Officer for Ford. "Ford has been the truck leader for so long, no one can remember it being any other way." He adds, "The F-250 Super Chief boldly restates our leadership with a quinessentially American truck."

In December 2005, Ford announced that they will be producing F-150's that will run on gasoline or ethanol. This truck is definitely a step in the right direction for Ford. However, they said it would cost $1 million to produce a truck like this. Is it too far fetched? We'll leave that up to you.

PHOTO BY JASON RZUCIDLO / AMERICAJR.com

Here's a side view of the new Ford F-250 Super Chief.

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