As part of Ford’s refresh of the F-650/F-750, the medium-duty vocational trucks will now be equipped with a Ford-produced diesel engine and transmission beginning with MY-2016.

The current generation of the F-650/F-750 was equipped with a standard Cummins ISB 6.7L diesel and an Allison 6-speed automatic transmission. The F-650 is also available with a gasoline-powered V-10 engine and transmission that also produced by Ford.

What's New on Ford F-650/F-750?

The F-650/F-750 will be equipped with the second-generation 6.7L Power Stroke V-8 diesel, which is specially engineered to tackle medium-duty jobs with three horsepower and torque levels, according to the automaker. The upcoming F-650 and F-750 will be available in both the gasoline V-10 and the Ford V-8 diesel.

The engine is paired with Ford’s commercial-grade six-speed 6R140 automatic transmission with available power takeoff to run accessories in the field, such as a dump body, crane, or other vocational equipment.

“Ford is the only medium-duty truck maker that designs and builds its own diesel engine and transmission, enabling us to optimize performance across the entire lineup,” said Todd Kaufman, Ford's F-Series Chassis Cab marketing manager. “And, our customers will appreciate driving the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel, which is more than 25-percent quieter at idle than the diesel it replaces.”

However, one regional fleet dealer noted there could be some initial pushback from Ford fleet customers who are used to the Cummins engine and Allison transmission, but this should be short lived.

“Ford is definitely taking a chance not using an Allison just for the sake of the name. However, Ford has done very well with the in-house Heavy Duty transmission they use in the F-Series Super Duty,” said Russ Cass, fleet director of Piemonte National Fleet. “We’ve had no problem with the transmission, and if there were problems we would have heard about by now.”

Cass noted that the switch to an all-Ford package will make fleet managers’ lives a bit easier. “It opens up a lot possibilities for fleets. As long as they can accommodate larger-size vehicles most dealers will be able to have trucks drop shipped to their facilities,” he said. “It also simplifies service.”

Previously, because of the special certifications required, F-650 and F-750 models equipped as diesels could only be drop shipped to a handful of Ford dealerships specially certified to handle the engines and transmissions, requiring fleets to travel up to several hundred miles to pick up their vehicles. Ford operates a network of 3,000 service points that helps maximize customer uptime, according to the automaker.

The Power Stroke and 6-speed transmission is backed by a five-year/250,000 mile warranty. This warranty is across all vocations and uses, according to Ford.

In addition to the new diesel engine and transmission package, the MY-2016 F-650/F-750 also received new styling, including an all-new mesh grille to improve airflow for optimal cooling performance. Available PowerScope trailer tow mirrors feature large standard and spotter mirrors with a segment-exclusive power telescoping and folding design. The area behind the cab was redesigned to more easily accommodate custom work bodies, such as tow and dump truck bodies.

Auxiliary components such as the diesel exhaust fluid tank and standard fuel tank are now located under the cab instead of behind it on the frame, making customization easier and reducing costs and order-to-delivery times, according to Ford.