Word on the Street | The Latest News, Rumors and Changes in the Truck World

Upgraded Ford Super Duty Gets SYNC 4, 12-inch Screen, Lariat Sport and Black Appearance Packages

 Ford is rolling out smart and stylish upgrades for the 2022 F-Series Super Duty as it continues to offer the highest available payload, and max conventional and fifth-wheel towing.

The all-new, landscape-oriented 12-inch center touch screen with SYNC 4 is standard on Lariat and above models, with physical controls below for quick access to commonly used functions. Occupants can easily multitask functions by splitting the screen to see navigation, music, truck features and the new digital owner’s manual.

With twice the computing power of the previous-generation system, all-new SYNC 4 can wirelessly connect smartphones without the USB cord for seamless integration of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility, as well as SYNC AppLink apps. Customers can interact with the truck using more conversational natural voice control to ask for points of interest or delays along a route.

For 2022, Super Duty offers a new stylish Lariat Sport Appearance Package that includes body-color bumpers, exterior mirrors and grille, as well as a chrome exhaust tip and black platform running boards.

The wildly popular Black Appearance Package is now being made available for XLT models for 2022. This includes 20-inch Ebony Black painted premium wheels, body-color front and rear bumpers, grille bars, and 6-inch Ebony Black running boards—even the front and rear Blue Ovals have been painted black. The Black Appearance Package will be available fall 2021.

New colors available inside and out include a Baja interior for Lariat, a Navy Pier and Light Slate interior for Limited, and an Atlas Blue exterior color.

The current-generation Super Duty is the toughest, most powerful, most capable Super Duty, with an available 7.3-liter V-8 with the most gas horsepower and torque in its class—430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. The available third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8 delivers 1,050 lb-ft of torque and best-in-class 475 horsepower. Super Duty’s capabilities speak for themselves, with maximum gooseneck towing of up to 37,000 pounds, best-in-class maximum fifth-wheel towing of 32,500 pounds, best-in-class maximum conventional towing of 24,200 pounds and best-in-class maximum payload capacity of 7,850 pounds.

The 2022 Ford Super Duty is built at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio, and will be available this summer.

Ram Launches Fifth and Final Phase of U.S. Military-Inspired ‘Built to Serve’ Trucks

 Ram Truck announced the fifth and final installment of its Built to Serve limited-edition trucks will open for orders, with production slated for the second quarter of 2021 at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan.

Ram is celebrating America’s five land-, sea- and air-based armed forces with Built to Serve editions of its popular Ram 1500 half-ton pickup truck lineup. This fifth installment offers a maritime force-inspired theme with both Spitfire and Bright White exterior colors offered, along with a black interior with orange accent stitching.

• The Built to Serve edition Ram trucks are offered in the following colors and limited numbers:
• Gator (1,000 units) and Diamond Black Crystal (1,000)
• Ceramic Gray (1,000) and Patriot Blue (1,000)
• Anvil (1,250) and Billet Silver Metallic (1,500)
• Tank (1,000) and Flame Red (1,000)
• Spitfire (500) and Bright White (750)
• Ram Built to Serve editions offer other unique interior and exterior features that set them apart, including a United States flag and “Built to Serve” decal on each of the rear quarter panels.

Built to Serve edition trucks get additional stylish exterior cues, including 20-inch aluminum wheels with a unique-to-the-edition Technical Gray finish. Body-color wheel flares also accent the exterior.

Each of the new Ram front ends gets a unique treatment consisting of an all-black grille and surround, black bumpers and black-bezel premium lighting. Complementing the look are black badges, black wheel-to-wheel side steps and dual 4-inch black exhaust tips.

 Inside, the Built to Serve Ram trucks represent each of the five military branches, accented with unique, corresponding color stitching: Light Frost, Light Ambassador Blue, Light Diesel Gray, Medium Graystone, or Orange.

These new Ram models are also ready to display their owner’s military pride with “Built to Serve” embroidered on Velcro panels on each front seat and additional Velcro panels on each front seat inboard shoulder panel. Buyers can apply their own patches—regimental, flags, name tapes or slogans—to personalize their Built to Serve edition. Front seat back panels are covered with Pouch Attachment Ladder System/Modular Lightweight Loadbearing Equipment (PALS/MOLLE) webbing to attach additional equipme

Ram 1500 Built to Serve editions also feature a Built to Serve instrument panel badge, lockable console storage (optional), deeply bolstered cloth and vinyl Sport seats, Black Onyx Chrome interior trim and all-weather rubber slush mats.

Underneath the skin, each Ram Built to Serve edition is ready for action, loaded with 4×4 Off-Road Group content. Ram Built to Serve edition packages are available on all body styles and all powertrains.

Step Up: New Tacoma TRD Lift Kit Now Available

 Owners of 2020-and-newer Tacomas now have a suspension lift option available from Toyota Racing Development (TRD). The new Tacoma TRD Lift Kit is available nationwide as a dealer-installed option, providing up to a 2-inch front and 1-inch rear lift on most V-6-powered 4×4 Tacomas. Best of all, this kit was designed and tested by TRD engineers and is the only one validated to be compatible with the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) system.

At the heart of the kit are new monotube Bilstein shocks that adopt digressive valving to provide improved on- and off-road vehicle dynamics. Specifically designed to complement the additional lift, each Bilstein shock is fitted with new TRD red dust boots and “Tuned by TRD” graphics. Offering more than good looks, the front shocks provide an additional 2 inches of lift thanks to the adjustment of the coil spring position on the shock tube. The front shocks also improve off-road performance due to the extended rebound stroke that makes use of the additional suspension travel.

The rear Bilstein shocks employed in the kit also enhance off-road performance because of their larger shock body compared to the standard Tacoma shock (2 inches vs. 1.5 inches). Cast-iron spacers are included in the kit to lift the Tacoma 1 inch in the rear.

The additional lift provided by the Tacoma TRD Lift Kit gives the truck a taller stance and improves off-road capabilities. With the kit installed, frame ground clearance increases by 1.7 inches. The kit also improves the approach angle (+3.1 to 32 degrees), breakover angle (+1.6 to 23 degrees) and departure angle (+0.5 to 24 degrees).

The icing on this ruggedly tasty cake clearly must be the TRD Pro-style front grille, which is highlighted by heritage-inspired TOYOTA lettering across the front. The kit includes a new TSS system millimeter-wave sensor (and new camera support bracket) that is designed to precisely fit within the grille to retain the functionality of the TSS system once the kit is installed. Also included are two matching black bezels that fill in the deleted fog lamps and complement the TRD Pro-style grille.

For more information, contact your local Toyota dealer, visit www.TRDusa.com or find the dealer nearest you at www.toyota.com