Ford's New F-600 Super Duty the Goldilocks of Medium-Duty Trucks

Ford is introducing an F-600 model to further broaden its appeal with fleet customers.

This new medium-duty nameplate slots into the space between the F-550 and F-650 models. Designed to offer buyers the maneuverability of the former with the capability of the latter, it features a familiar class-five body with an upgraded chassis and enhanced driveline components. In short, the F-600 will offer class-six capability in a manageable package.

Ford’s latest Super Duty product should help give it another advantage over rivals. The Dearborn-based automaker claims to be America’s best-selling commercial-vehicle brand for the last 34 years, with the industry’s most popular trucks and cargo vans. They’re also the only full-line manufacturer of class-one through class-seven vehicles.

If F-600 fits the bill, you’ll be able to place an order for one starting early next year, with deliveries taking place around the middle of 2020.

SEE ALSO: Ford Building a New Big-Block V8 For Heavy Trucks and Here’s a Deep Dive

Beyond this, Ford is further refining the rest of its commercial vehicle range. All models will come standard with a 4G LTE connectivity and Wi-Fi that supports up to 10 devices. They’re also making automatic emergency braking standard on 2020 Transit and 2019 Transit Connect vans to reduce the damage caused by collisions or prevent them entirely. This feature will be offered on other commercial vehicles as well.

Elements of Ford Co-Pilot360, the automaker’s suite of advanced driver-assistance technology, will migrate to medium-duty trucks and E-Series stripped-chassis models. Traction control, hill-start assist and automatic headlamps are some of the standard amenities. Optional features include adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams and more.

The automaker’s brand-new 7.3-liter big-block gasoline V8 will not only be offered in its Super Duty trucks. Smartly, it’ll see duty in chassis-cab and medium-duty vehicles as well, replacing the long-serving 6.8-liter V10. Ford is proud to trumpet that it’s the only vehicle manufacturer designing and building its own powertrains for commercial vehicles, both engines and transmissions. This is a dig against Ram and GM. The former uses Cummins diesels and Aisin gearboxes, the latter worked with Isuzu to develop its Duramax V8 oil-burner, which is paired to an Allison transmission.

ALSO SEE: 2020 Ford Transit Van Can Get a 4-Cylinder Diesel or All-Wheel Drive

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