Winching Your Way in a 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty

The Ford Maverick has been a firestarter as a brand new truck for people who wouldn’t usually look at buying a truck. The Maverick is available as either a hybrid or a turbocharged 4-cylinder, each getting excellent fuel mileage and still having a 4.5-foot bed in which you can haul up to 1,500 lbs of stuff. Who Is Autoblog.com? Autoblog.com, one of the largest automotive news and review websites, ranked the best compact trucks for 2024 and gave the Maverick an 8 out of 10 score, besting its nearest rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz. What made Autoblog love the Maverick so much? What Autoblog Had To Say “There was a time in America when choosing the best compact truck was an extremely difficult proposition. Not terribly long ago, buyers could find a small pickup truck or two in virtually every new-car showroom. Those days are long gone, as offerings like the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet S-10 (and later Colorado), Nissan Hardbody and Toyota Tacoma grew in size over the years or were discontinued (and in some cases reborn or renamed) to make up the category we now know as midsize trucks. Interestingly enough, a couple of automakers re-entered the compact pickup segment in 2022 with surprisingly different takes on the small truck formula. So which of the two options is the best compact truck in America? We think most buyers will be best served by the Ford Maverick if they are buying a truck to serve as an implement to move people and cargo.” Price, Engines, And Drivetrain, Oh My Besides being a small truck, what makes the Maverick so appealing to prospective buyers? For 2024, the small Ford has a base MSRP of $23,815. It is available with either a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder that has a combined output of 191 horsepower and standard front-wheel drive or the available 2.0-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder that produces 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque available in either front or all-wheel drive. Both engines can be optioned with three trim levels: XL, XLT, and Lariat. An 8-speed automatic transmission is standard for all models. Fuel Economy When equipped with the hybrid motor, the Maverick can achieve 42 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. When opting for the EcoBoost, customers can see up to 23 city and 30 highway mpg when equipped with front-wheel drive or 22 and 29 when optioned with all-wheel drive. The top-of-the-line Tremor option will get 20 mpg city and 24 on the highway. Towing Capabilities All Maverick models can tow 2,000 lbs as standard. However, a towing package can be optioned that increases the usability to 4,000 lbs. Interior Technology No matter which Maverick you choose, buyers will get an 8-inch center touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With FordPass Connect, you will have a WiFi hotspot that as many as ten devices can access simultaneously. Safety Features Ford CoPilot 360 is also standard on all Maverick models and features Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and Automatic High Beam Headlamps, as well as available Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane Centering, and Evasive Steering Assist. At Benna Ford, we offer our customers some of the best prices and services. With more than 100 new and used vehicles to choose from, our outstanding sales team and finance department will work hard to make sure you drive away happy. And our fantastic service department will take care of your new-to-you vehicle as if it were their own.

Available on the F-150 Lariat and Tremor and standard on King Ranch and Platinum, Ford’s Pro Access Tailgate is the latest in tailgate design. A visit to Benna Ford will quickly demonstrate how its side-swinging door within the traditional tailgate promises to solve some problems that have long plagued traditional tailgate design. It is also the latest in Ford’s long tradition of tailgate innovation. The Basics Were Set in 1927 The basic form of the tailgate has changed little since the 1927 Model A Wagon and truck. It was the width of the cargo area, bottom hinged with supports on either side that held it to a horizontal position when lowered. Initially, those supports were simply chains. They hung in a loop when the tailgate was up and bounced against the inner walls. In 1964, Ford replaced the chains with hinged metal bars that folded within the tailgate sides and stayed quietly in place. How the Tailgate Both Provides and Hinders Access One issue with the standard tailgate design is that an open tailgate keeps one away from the load in the bed, making it more challenging to position items in the bed, make adjustments, and reach for things to unload. In 1980, Ford combatted this with the easily removable tailgate. Though a bit cumbersome, the removed tailgate did allow a person much easier access to loading and unloading the bed. Interestingly, Ford developed a precursor to the Pro Access in 1966 on its full-size station wagons with a feature called the Magic Doorgate. An available feature at the time was seats on each side of the cargo area, each of which could fit one adult or two children. To prevent those passengers from having to crawl over the tailgate to get in and out, Ford created the Magic Doorgate, in which the full tailgate opened to the side and down. As this was for passenger accommodation, Ford did not extend this feature to its pickup trucks. The 2000s Provided an Explosion of Tailgate Ideas In the mid-2000s, Ford showed they paid considerable attention to the tailgate. In another move to improve access to the truck bed in 2006, Ford created a step extension for the King Ranch model. This would drop down at a height approximately halfway between the lowered bed and the ground and out a bit to help you step into the cargo bed. The following year, they showed a Pickup concept in which the entire tailgate would power downward horizontally to both act as a step and give the operator access to the bed while standing on the gate. It never went into production. In 2008, however, Ford addressed the issue of using the tailgate as an extension of the bed but subsequently leaving the rear open. Available on Super Duty trucks, the Bed Extender was a three-sided cage that could rotate out to create an enclosure on top of the extended gate for long loads. When not needed, the extender would rotate inside to divide the cargo bed or collapse out of the way.  In 2021, Ford used the bedliner composite molding on the tailgate to create an on-site workbench with a built-in yardstick, grooves for pencil holders, and other clever shapes to assist working. Ford’s Pro Access is the Best Tailgate Innovation Yet Ford’s latest and most comprehensive innovation is the Pro Access tailgate.  Here, the middle 60% of the tailgate, or 37 inches, is hinged on the passenger side to swing out of the way to give you access to the cargo bed. The swing-out gate has check-stops at 37, 70, and 100 degrees. The first check stop addresses a long-term issue with traditional tailgates when towing, in which a trailer jack hampers the ability to lower the tailgate. The 37-degree check is designed to stop just short of the trailer jack to give the operator bed access. When there is no trailer, the 70-degree stop provides easier access while still remaining within easy reach to close.  Opening it 100 degrees gets it completely out of the way for unloading. A wider kick step on the bumper under the license plate provides a convenient step for entering the cargo bed area. That the Pro Access hardware adds 62 pounds to the tailgate weight is not an issue because every Pro Access tailgate comes standard with power raising and lowering. By contrast, GM’s Multi-flex tailgate does not address the trailer jack issue, and Ram’s 60/40 side swinging tailgate adds 75 pounds and has no power function. The Pro Access tailgate is both the latest in Ford’s long history of tailgate innovation and just an example of the clever, user-based thinking that Ford puts into all of its trucks. Take a look at the best and best-selling trucks in the U.S. at Benna Ford.

On September 14, 2022, Ford unveiled the 2024 Mustang–the first fully redesigned Mustang since 2015. Within that announcement came news of a new range-topping performance model called the Dark Horse. The Dark Horse will be the most powerful Mustang in the lineup–at least until the Shelby models appear–and now we have imagery of the car in a color known as Vapor Blue. This new hue is a color-shifting Blue Ember Metallic and will also be another Dark Horse color exclusive. Meaner Mechanicals The Dark Horse will be powered by a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote V8, producing 500 horsepower and 418 lb-ft of torque. Engine enhancements from the GT500 include a dual throttle body intake and connect rods. Cooling will be augmented with a bespoke lighter radiator, more powerful fans, and an auxiliary oil cooler. Tremec manual 6-speed will channel power to the rear wheels with a specific transmission fluid cooler or a 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters. To shore up handling, the suspension will include larger rear sway bars, standard MagneRide magnetically controlled adaptive dampers, and a Torsen rear differential. Up front are Brembo 6-piston brakes with 13.9-inch rotors. The wheels are 19-inch but are staggered with 9.5-inch width up front and 10-inch in the rear, wearing standard Pirelli P Zero tires. An optional Handling Package brings stiffer springs, larger front and rear sway bars, and Pirelli Trofeo tires on one-inch-wider wider rims front and back. Arriving later in the model year will be available carbon fiber wheels, the first for a Mustang without a Shelby badge. It Looks the Business The Dark Horse lives up to its name with dark trim accentuating various aspects of this muscle car–even around the headlights. The black grille is divided into three crating trapezoidal “nostrils” on each side. The front bumper will be unique to the Dark Horse and feature what Ford refers to as “high gloss fangs”. For the first time, a Mustang “face” badge appears on the side, which also features lower side skirts. At the rear are darkened exhaust tips, a fixed wing, and a lower racing-derived diffuser. Gripping the specially molded steering wheel, you’ll recognize just how special this vehicle cockpit is, and not just due to the Cameros and European sports cars quickly receding behind you. In your hands is a thick flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in suede with Bright Indigo Blue stitching. Matching accent stitching also trims the seats, door panels, shift gate, and is color-matched by coordinating blue seatbelts. Up front, you receive all needed vehicle information through a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster and an adjacent 13.2-inch center infotainment screen with “Black Alley” dash trim. Deep Indigo seats with unique perforation are available in an Appearance Package. The 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will have a starting MSRP of $57,970 and is anticipated to be available sometime in late Q4 with very limited availability. In the months to come, speak with our Genuine Ford Representatives regarding how to acquire your own 2024 Mustang Dark Horse in advance.