Service Vehicle Report: Heavy-duty changes in 2017 offering

While consumer vehicles are constantly being tweaked to capture buyers’ interest, commercial vehicles are more about practicality than pizzazz.

A new 6.6-litre V8 turbodiesel offered with the Chevrolet Silverado Heavy Duty makes 445 horsepower and 910 lb.-ft. of torque.

The most remarkable changes in the commercial vehicle offering for 2017 are in the heavy-duty pickup segment, with an all-new Super Duty from Ford, and a new diesel engine from General Motors.
The Super Duty, in 250, 350 and 450, now uses the same construction as the F-150: an aluminum body and high-strength steel frame, with barriers to prevent cross-metal corrosion. That construction dropped the F-150’s curb weight, but for the Super Duty, engineers put it back into beefier axles and brakes.

Engineers put the weight back into the Ford Super Duty with beefier axles and brakes.

  Engine choices are a 6.2-litre V8 making 385 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque, or a 6.7-litre V8 turbodiesel making 440 horsepower and 925 lb.-ft. of torque, both with six-speed automatic.
The mechanical twins of the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD receive a new 6.6-litre V8 turbodiesel that makes 445 horsepower and 910 lb.-ft. of torque, alongside the carried-over 6.0-litre V8 that makes 360 horsepower and 380 lb.-ft. of torque, both with six-speed automatic transmissions.
The only other heavy-duty, the Ram 2500/3500, carries over with few changes. It offers a 5.7-litre V8 (393 hp/400 torque) and 6.4-litre V8 making 410 horsepower (370 in Mega Cab configuration) and 429 lb.-ft. of torque, both with six-speed automatic transmissions. Three versions of the 6.7-litre inline-six turbodiesel are offered: 350 hp/660 torque with six-speed manual transmission; 370 hp/800 torque with six-speed automatic; and a high-output making 385 horsepower and 900 lb.-ft. of torque.
A fourth choice, the Nissan Titan XD, is meant to “bridge the gap” between a half-ton and three-quarter-ton truck, in size and capability. It offers a 5.6-litre V8 making 390 horsepower and 394 lb.-ft. of torque with seven-speed automatic, or 5.0-litre V8 turbodiesel making 310 horsepower and 555 lb.-ft. of torque with six-speed automatic. An all-new half-ton, which shares the XD’s V8, rounds out the Titan lineup for 2017.

To see what is available in 2017 in full-size pickups, small pickups, full-size vans and small vans, click here.