Loetoning is the first Dutch hauling company that has put a Ford F-Max to work, the tractor was registered just recently. It has been more than 35 years since the last new, genuine Big Ford got a registration in my country. So welcome back!
The Ford F-Max is the one and only successor to the venerable 1975 – 1984 Ford Transcontinental. A dedicated long-distance cabover tractor, with a 2.50 m (98.4”) wide, high-rise sleeper cab. And with ample power from a big turbodiesel.
A mid-size truck/tractor model with a sleeper cab, like the Ford Cargo of yore, isn’t a dedicated long-distance runner. Regardless engine power and GVM-rating, the cab is simply way too narrow and low.
The F-Max was unveiled at the 2018 IAA exhibition in Hannover, Germany. Shortly after, it was awarded the 2019 (European) Truck of the Year.
Ford’s current top tractor model was developed by Ford Otosan from Turkey, a 50:50 joint venture between the Ford Motor Company and the Turkish Koç Holding. Ford Otosan has a long history of building a wide range of commercial vehicles, in all size and weight segments.
The cab design is clearly “Swedish inspired”. Never mind, it certainly blends in really well with the contemporary offerings from Volvo, Scania, DAF, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Renault and Iveco. The establishment, so to speak.
Clean, roomy and fully up-to-date. There’s no gear stick intruding into the cab, as the transmission is a ZF TraXon 12-speed automatic. For the time being that is, I’ve read that Ford Otosan is working on an in-house transmission.
You certainly won’t find this under the hood of an F-750 SD Diesel Tractor. The F-Max is powered by an inline-six, 12.7 liter Ford Ecotorq turbodiesel with 500 DIN-hp. Naturally, the engine meets the latest European emission standards.
On behalf of Ford Otosan, TIP Trailer Services takes care of the after-sales support, warranty and full maintenance included. You can’t just roll your F-Max into the workshop of the local Ford dealership (even if it would fit), they have no experience whatsoever with anything bigger than a Transit. On top of that, there’s also the organization of a European wide, 24/7 roadside assistance circus.
More information about the Ford F-Max can be found right here, included a technical data sheet.
I guess all we have to do now is wait for a comprehensive Jim Klein review of Ford’s heaviest-duty model, with some magnificent scenery in and around Istanbul as the cherry on the cake.
It looks like it has a Volvo cab, the grille splits in half like a Volvo or Scania for doing daily checks and gear levers are almost a thing of the distant past in trucks,, why you ask? Well here ypou cant find guys or gals who can drive a creash box RR or reverse trailers so automatics make recruiting easier and transmissions seem to last longer if a computer does the shifting, though its a pity drivers arent involved in the programming, Im driving a old Sterling for a couple of weeks despite 1.2 million kms on the odo and having driven the same track since it entered service it does not know how to shift climbing the Bombay hill loaded, the stupid thing will split every gear instead of taking whole gears if left to its own devices, somebody at Eaton in transmission programming has no idea how to drive a truck, I just put into manual mode and use the entire torque band of the Detroit engine and top that hill two gears higher and 15 kmh faster than the computer can
Those Fords with a ZF auto would be a similar nightmare to similarly equipped DAFs the transmission takes forever to shift either in manual mode or automatic when climbing wasting torque and momentum those systems are fine on flat roads or in city traffic but on hilly highways grossing 44 – 58 tonnes just horrible give me a manual 18 speed any day of the week. hmm pictures dont load ok
Regarding ZF: I think you’re talking about the “old” AS-Tronic, not about their latest TraXon transmissions.
2018 model DAF auto shift was the one that was awfull uphill but no automatic truck is good uphill unless manually shifted except Volvos, I shift is really good and shifts properly using the whole torque band, and they shift quickly from gear to gear.
Quite likely but having driven automatic and AMT trucks from various manufacturers Im still of the opinion Volvo is the only good one that shifts like a human driver using the entire torque band, I shifts and Eaton Smart shifts both last really well and are reliable ZF doesnt have much of a rep here with their transmissions, manual DAFs arrive here new via Australia if a RR is ordered the ZF manual is pulled and replaced with a Road Ranger then shipped again,, and those are really nice to drive, unfortunately DAFs with RRs dont have intarders so rely on exhaust brakes downhill, they hold better than Volvos downhill but not as well as a good retarder, nothing so far is perfect but some are getting close.
Going up the Bombays is such a dog fight. I guess it’s different in a truck, as you just hang in the left lane, but for the rest of us there’s the usual Kiwi mix of dozy middle-lane hangers who are thinking about second breakfast, aggressive tradies, Audis who are wondering what all these plebs are doing on their road (“don’t they know I’m driving an Audi?”) and lost tourists in campervans. Then when you finally get through and get a head of steam up, you crest the hill and there’s a mobile speed camera waiting for you… Welcome to Auckland!
Sterling is a Ford, that is what Mercedes renamed the L-series when they bought it to reduce competition for 10 years.
The transmission is programmed to maximize fuel economy, not to minimize the time to climb a grade.
Interior of that Ford is basically a rearranged Euro5 Volvo they moved the radio controls and left out the electronic parking brake but the rest matches the 600 & 700hp Volvos we have on our fleet, even the cruse controls match no separate trailer control thats Volvo a stupid idea for a company that brags about safety the most useful safety device in a truck is the trailer brake separate to the service brake, this Ford hasnt got one either.
Separate trailer brakes are illegal in Europe since 2009.
Apparently because they were used instead of the main brakes.
We have a couple of old manual Scania 500 V8s both are tractor units both have separate trailer brakes 2013 models,
I’d love to try something like this, I’m sure it’s still a handful (or two) even with the automatic. The 120km/h limit (or at least highest speedo mark) would never fly here, seeing rigs at over 80mph (so 130km/h+) is not uncommon.
Johannes, you’re right, I could do a lot with the Turkish scenery, I’ll have to hit up my contacts! 🙂
Everybody’s favorite truck driver did an F-Max cab tour and drive test a couple years ago on YouTube:
Unless you speak Polish click on CC for an English translation.
No heavy battering ram bumpers?
Thanks for this information. I have been meaning to research the Ford Heavy-Duty which is not in The U.S. So, you have given me a good start on understanding it. Having not sold trucks for a couple of decades, I find it interesting that they still cannot shift properly for highway use, id est, climbs. I used to sell automatics in vocational use where they are just fine, such as refuse trucks, school buses (medium-duty), concrete mixers for example. I look on sites for trucks from around the world which is how I learned of the Ford F-Max.
Interesting, I was wondering if they were going to get back into Class 8 and tractors in Europe.
The non-compete agreement that kept them out of the segment expired a few years ago. In the US they dipped their toes in the water a couple of years ago they brought back the F-850 tractor, though it wears a F-750 badge.