The Ford F-650/F-750 has been named Work Truck magazine’s 2016 Medium-Duty Truck of the Year. The award was presented to John Ruppert, general manager – Commercial Vehicle Sales & Marketing at Ford Motor Company, by Work Truck Editor & Associate Publisher, Mike Antich, at a ceremony during the 2016 NTEA –Work Truck Show.

“We’re proud this award recognizes our F-650/F-750 team’s commitment to delivering our toughest, best value, and most upfit friendly medium-duty trucks ever,” Ruppert said.

The Ford F-650/F-750 was chosen by the readers of Work Truck magazine from a field of 12 trucks.

Work-Ready Configurations

The Ford F-650/F-750 is offered in three cab styles — Regular Cab, SuperCab, and Crew Cab. The different models offered include a straight frame, dock height, and two dedicated tractor models for heavy towing.

The area behind the cab is designed to more easily accommodate custom work bodies, such as tow truck, dump truck, and ambulance bodies. Auxiliary components, such as the diesel exhaust fluid tank and standard fuel tank, are located under the cab instead of behind it on the frame. This cab-to-axle design satisfies more truck body applications and makes customizing easier, which helps reduce the customer’s final costs and time to delivery.

The all-new Ford engineered frame and suspension includes a new anti-roll bar for enhanced roll control and longer leaf springs for an improved ride over the previous model.

Aluminum fuel tanks replace steel and are lighter to help efficiency. In addition, the electrical system is more robust than the predecessor model to handle larger component loads.

Gasoline & Diesel Powertrains

The F-650/F-750 offers the Ford-built 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 diesel, which is mated to a commercial-grade 6-speed TorqShift HD automatic transmission with available power takeoff (PTO) provision to run accessories in the field, a dump body, crane, or other vocational equipment.

In addition, Ford remains the segment-exclusive OEM to offer a gasoline-powered engine for a medium-duty truck. The 6.8L V-10 is also available for both F-650 and F-750 models with the TorqShift HD 6-speed automatic transmission. The 6.8L V-10 can be factory-prepped for converting to compressed natural gas or propane autogas as cost-effective alternatives to unleaded gasoline.

The F-650/F-750 6.7L Power Stroke and TorqShift HD have been developed and tested for medium-duty applications, with three horsepower and torque levels and a five-year/250,000-mile limited warranty.

Key innovations on the 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel are its compacted graphite iron engine block and so-called reverse-flow layout. The advanced design places the exhaust inside the engine’s V-shape while the air intake is positioned on the outside of the V. This segment-exclusive design naturally improves a variety of attributes.

Shorter airflow from the exhaust system to the turbocharger sitting between the engine’s cylinder banks improves turbo responsiveness — key to providing torque quickly to truck users when needed the most.

“While other medium-duty truck manufacturers restrict top horsepower and torque ratings to certain applications, such as emergency services, the all-new F-650/F-750 will arrive with no vocational restrictions,” Ruppert said.

Power Stroke driveability is enhanced with tow/haul mode that includes a switchable integrated engine brake. The driver can regenerate the diesel particulate filter on-demand to clear out trapped soot from the exhaust system to help maximize performance.

Intelligent Oil Change Monitoring is standard, so oil changes are based on driving patterns and load demands instead of fixed distance intervals.

Quieter Work Environment

The 2016 F-650 and F-750 trucks offer a lower noise level than outgoing models mostly due to the redesigned turbo diesel engine.

The 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 is 25% quieter in the cabin. When idling, the engine is as much as 45% quieter in the cabin and 35% quieter in front of the grille.

“Lowering in-cab and exterior noise levels improves driver comfort and minimizes disturbances while idling at work sites,” Ruppert said.

When traveling at 60 mph, the level of engine noise in the cabin drops to 68 decibels from 74 decibels compared to the prior model, according to Ford. Idling levels fell to 48 decibels from 63 decibels.

Mounting the engine’s turbocharger inside the engine block valley also brings improvements in overall noise, vibration, and harshness.

The F-650/F-750 interior includes an 110-volt power outlet, available SYNC and Crew Chief factory-installed fleet management telematics, and a rapid-heat, supplemental cab heater that quickly warms the cab in cold climates.

A new steering wheel has advanced controls to focus driver attention on the road, and a click of the turn lever features automatic five-blink turn signals. A choice of hydraulic or air brakes is also available.