After pushing the light-duty envelope with the thirteenth generation of the F-150, Ford will follow that act with the 2017 F-Series Super Duty. The most capable full-size pickup truck ever developed by the Blue Oval will be available with not three, not four, not five, but seven cameras. Isn’t it a little bit overkill? Not quite.
Chevrolet has just announced a retrofit camera system for the 1500 and the heavy-duty series, though it can’t hold a candle to the one available on the all-new Ford Super Duty. For the 2017 model year, FoMoCo came up with no less than fourteen segment-exclusive features, all of them designed around the driver.
The most important, however, is the Trailer Reverse Guidance. This system is comprised of three cameras that are more than just digitalized rearview mirrors. Starting with the tailgate camera that tracks the motion of the trailer and helps the driver as he backs up, Trailer Reverse Guidance also comes with two side-view cameras. What about the remaining four cameras? Where did Ford put those?
One of them is incorporated into the Ford badge that dominates the front grille, the second is in the tailgate, there’s one in the center high mounted stop lamp that’s really helpful when hitching a fifth-wheel or a gooseneck trailer, and the last one is mounted on the back of the trailer to see what’s behind it.
As if seven cameras weren’t enough to help the driver, the Trailer Reverse Guidance system also includes a color-coded bird’s-eye view of the truck and trailer. Regarding the color-coded aspect, yellow means that the trailer angle is too tight and red means you’re close to jackknifing. Simple as that. The 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty and F-Series Chassis Cab will go on sale late this year, with pricing and capabilities to be announced this fall.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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