- After the truck’s reveal last month, Ford revealed official numbers for the 2023 Super Duty lineup.
- Highlights include the horsepower and torque figures for the new 6.8L gas V8, the 7.3L “Godzilla” V8 and the 6.7L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel.
- The brand-new 6.8L V8 makes 405 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque.
- Ford’s existing 7.3L V8 gets a slight torque bump, making 430 horsepower and 485 lb-ft.
- The 6.7L Power Stroke diesel V8 still comes in 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft configuration, but…
- There’s a new High Output version, putting out best-in-class 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft torque figures.
- The 2023 Ford Super Duty also brings greater towing capability.
- Diesel-equipped F-250 models (including the Tremor) can tow up to 23,000 pounds, with the Tremor beating both the 2023 Ram HD Rebel and 2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2.
- The Ford F-450 touts a class-leading gooseneck towing capability of 40,000 pounds.
- Pricing for the 2023 Ford lineup starts at $45,765.
- Order books open today, with deliveries set to begin in early 2023.
It’s finally happened. Numbers for the 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup are officially available, and the Blue Oval is first to claim a milestone 40,000-pound towing capacity. It’s not just the F-450 boasting berserk numbers, though. Up and down the range, Ford also notes class-leading capabilities in horsepower, torque and payload, depending on which model you’re looking at. There’s quite a bit to cover, including all the asterisks involved when shopping for the best truck to suit your needs, so let’s dive in deeper.
One quick point of business: Orders for 2023 Super Duty trucks are open today, October 27. Pricing starts at $45,765 for the base F-250 XL, including Ford’s $1,795 destination fees.
2023 Ford Super Duty Horsepower & Torque Figures
One brand-new powertrain joins the 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup: a 6.8-liter gas V8 replacing the outgoing 6.2-liter engine. The new design and enlarged displacement offer a step up over the previous truck’s baseline output, managing 405 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. For reference, the old 6.2 put out 385 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque.
Then there’s the existing 7.3-liter “Godzilla” gas V8. Of course, it’s sticking around with the Super Duty’s redesign, though Ford did bump up its torque figure to set it apart from the 6.8L V8. Now, the 7.3 puts out the same 430 horsepower, but an additional 10 lb-ft of torque, for 485 lb-ft.
As for the 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel, there’s still the option for 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque, same as before. However, this time around Ford’s introducing a high output version, akin to Ram’s treatment of its own Cummins powertrain. The High Output 6.7L Power Stroke diesel puts out a remarkable 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Among 8,500-pound GVWR and higher full-size trucks (the basis of Ford’s “class-leading” claims), this engine is currently in a class of its own among the competition.
All 2023 Ford Super Duty trucks use the brand’s flagship 10-speed automatic transmission. The old 6-speed unit has been retired, along with the 6.2L engine. 4×2 configurations are available on XL models, while four-wheel drive is standard on XLT and higher trims.
How do these figures compare to GM and Ram?
GM did boost its 6.6-liter Duramax V8 turbodiesel figures for the 2024 Silverado HD and Sierra HD, both due out next year. Even so, it still manages a lower 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft torque figure, which falls short of even the standard 6.7L Power Stroke. Notably, though, their 6.6-liter gasser does trade blows with Ford’s new 6.8, making slightly less power (401 hp), but more torque (464 lb-ft). At the moment, the General does not have a direct response to the Blue Oval’s larger displacement gas engine.
In Ram’s stable, you do have two turbodiesel options. The standard 6.7-liter Cummins I6 puts out 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque. In its High Output form, available on 3500 and higher trucks, you get 420 horsepower and 1,075 lb-ft of torque. That makes it competitive with the standard Power Stroke, though Ford’s new high output option currently gives it a commanding lead over its cross-town rivals. As for its 6.4-liter Hemi gas V8, the 410 hp and 429 lb-ft put it in the same ballpark as the 6.8-liter engine, though Ram clearly loses to both Ford and GM in the torque game.
Payload
Every couple of years, each of the Big Three aims to smack down their competitors with ever bigger numbers. For the 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup, that doesn’t just stop with the horsepower and torque figures. The need to do more and more translates to larger capacities as well, both in terms of payload and towing.
Let’s start with payload. In the proper configuration — which Ford says is a F-350 DRW Regular Cab 4×2 XL with the Heavy-Duty Payload Package — this new truck can haul up to 8,000 pounds in the bed. Apples to apples, that puts it 810 pounds ahead of the 2024 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD, also in a Regular Cab dually configuration. Ram comes closer, with its Hemi-equipped Regular Cab 4×2 Tradesman managing up to 7,680 pounds.
One ace Ford currently has up its sleeve is its available “Onboard Scales”. That allows owners to measure the weight of what they’re loading up in real time. The system also incorporates a visual indicator into the taillights, so you don’t overload the truck. New for 2023, Super Duty trucks also get a 360-degree Trailer Camera Package, providing a birds-eye view of the truck, box and trailer. A color head-up display is also available and shows turn-by-turn trailer navigation that customizes your route to fit whatever you’re towing.
One crucial note to folks ordering a Super Duty now: The Onboard Scales and 360-degree camera packages will be available in spring 2023 on Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited models.
Towing capabilities
Speaking of towing, the 2023 Ford Super Duty claims best-in-class towing across several segments. The headline figure, of course, is its maximum towing capability of 40,000 pounds. It’s an insane figure in its own right, though it does require some nuance. You can tow that sort of weight, provided you get the F-450 Regular Cab with the available 6.7-liter High Output Power Stroke diesel and Max Tow Package. Actual towing capability across the range, as ever, varies based on the vehicle configuration, cargo, passengers and accessories.
If you’re looking one tier lower, at the F-350, Ford still claims best-in-class gooseneck towing with the DRW model, at 38,000 pounds. Again, that’s based on the two-wheel drive, High Output diesel Regular Cab with the Max Tow Package. If you’re planning to use a fifth wheel instead, the maximum towing capacity on the F-450 DRW is 35,000 pounds.
What about bumper pull numbers? Again, the 2023 Ford F-450 claims the best towing capacity there, too, at 30,000 pounds with the Class III/14K GVWR F-450 Crew Cab using the 6.7L High Output turbodiesel. The F-350 DRW drops that figure down to 28,000 pounds as a best-case scenario, while the SRW tops out at 25,000 pounds in the Crew Cab/6.7L High Output configuration.
Even the Tremor offers solid towing capacity
While those with the most serious towing needs will opt for the F-350 or F-450, the 2023 Ford F-350 Tremor still manages up to 23,000 pounds of towing capability with the 6.7L High Output Power Stroke diesel. Stick with the gas engine, and you’ll be able to pull up to 21,000 pounds with the Tremor Off-Road package — a healthy margin above the Ram HD Rebel’s 16,870 pounds. While GM did not offer ZR2-specific towing figures for the 2024 Chevy Silverado HD, the 3500 HD SRW’s best towing capability, even for non-offroad 4×4 versions, stands at 21,600 pounds.
The diesel-equipped 2023 Ford F-250, where the High Output diesel is still an available option per the specs Ford published Thursday, can also tow up to 23,000 pounds.
But, say you don’t want to fork over the extra cash for the Power Stroke. If you stick with the 7.3-liter gas engine, the F-350 DRW tops out at 22,000 pounds in bumper pull towing applications. Ford did not specifically mention towing capabilities for the smaller 6.8-liter V8, as today’s announcement focuses on the maximum possible capacities. We’ll publish a full spec sheet when we have that information.
Stay tuned for more details and driving soon
The 2023 Ford Super Duty lineup includes some other notable features, including a 2.0-kW Pro Power Onboard option. A Tailgate Down Camera and Tailgate Down Reverse Park Aid will be available in the spring on Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited models. FordPass Connect comes standard, and the truck uses a 5G embedded modem to allow up to 10 devices to connect via Wi-Fi for an Internet connection on the jobsite. That same modem enables over-the-air software updates, as well as Ford Pro Telematics for fleet management and the use of an available Vehicle Security Package.
Ford’s 2023 Super Duty trucks are built at the Louisville Truck Plant in Kentucky, as well as the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio. Check out more on Ford’s revamped heavy-duty truck lineup below:
