First Look: 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty

Detroit, MI – The industry-first ability to still have a backup camera view and working reverse sensors when the rear tailgate is down is among the top highlights of the upcoming new Ford F-250 and Super Duty models, arriving for the 2023 model year with a raft of new innovations set to make the commercial-oriented Ford pickup more productive and easier to tow and work with, the company demonstrated in an embargoed preview right around the Detroit Auto Show.

It will also offer more power from two new gas and diesel engines, better payload ratings and is targeting best-in-class towing figures, though Ford hasn’t yet released any horsepower or torque figures as of yet. The F-250 will also offer better off-road capability offered on more models, after testing undertaken in the tar sands of Alberta and elsewhere, said Ford officials.

“We’ve taken the truck to tar sands of Alberta and mines of Nevada to really see how our trucks are used,” said Andrew Kernahan, chief engineer for Super Duty.



No official cold-weather testing in Alberta though. That was apparently performed in northern Minnesota, as Ford has scaled back on their extreme cold weather testing operations in Thompson, Manitoba, which is 761 km north of Winnipeg.

Super Duty models will include a simple but very handy scale function integrated into the taillights: as the load in the bed gets heavier, a liquid-encased indicator of weight and percentage of payload capacity rises. Other innovations include a 360-degree trailer camera system, a blind spot trailer warning system for the rear-view mirrors, an automatic Pro Trailer Hitch Assist function that backs the truck up to align the hitch ball to the receiver, and an available special trailer-ready navi system that given trailer dimensions can plot out routes that avoid low bridges and tight turns.

There’s a new standard 6.8-litre V8 that replaces the former 6.2, which is now based on the optional 7.3 V8 gas engine. Also added is a new high output 6.7-litre V8 diesel with a water-cooled turbo, as well as a standard diesel of the same displacement. No hybrid or full electric in this line yet, though there is finally Ford’s Pro Power Onboard that debuted on the F-150 Hybrid, in the Super Duty it can output 2.0 kW of power.

The Super Duty will also offer the Tremor off-road package, with a raised front axle and venting for water fording, and an XL Off-road package Ford believes will be very useful for forestry and mining customers.

Depending on the year, Super Duty versions can make up anywhere from 15 to 30 per cent of total F-Series sales in Canada, which is by far the best-selling pickup in the country and has been for the last 56 years. The F-Series has also been the best-selling vehicle for the last 12 years in Canada, selling 50,440 pickups in the first half of 2022, including the first-ever all-electric F-150 Lightning models.