A lot of people are excited about the 2011 Ford Super Duty^®. This week, media are getting their first chance to drive the vehicles and write their new vehicle reviews. But already, the truck has been busy with deliveries.

First, the 2011 Ford Super Duty delivers a long list of best-in-class achievements:

• The all-new Ford-engineered, Ford-designed, Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke^® V-8 turbocharged diesel engine has best-in-class torque of 735 ft.-lb. (at 1,600 rpm) and best-in-class 390 horsepower (at 2,800 rpm)
• The new diesel does this with best-in-class fuel economy and biodiesel compatibility up to B20
• All-new 6.2-liter V-8 gas engine is best-in-class with 385 horsepower and 405 ft.-lb. of torque
• The 6.2-litre V-8 delivers class-leading fuel economy and E85 compatibility
• The 2011 Super Duty has class-leading payload capability at 12,711 pounds on chassis cabs, 6,520 pounds on pickups
• And it has best-in-class towing capability of 26,400 pounds on chassis cabs, 24,400 pounds on pickups

The 2011 Super Duty builds on its best-in-class towing and payload capability by offering more towing options from inside the bed. It is now available with the first-ever factory-installed and warranted fifth wheel and gooseneck substructure directly attached to the frame.

For 2011, Super Duty also features an all-new transmission. The 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission was designed to manage the high levels of low-end torque produced by the new diesel engine. The same basic transmission is also mated to the new gasoline engine, giving customers of either engine the ability to efficiently get the increased torque and horsepower to the ground. In addition to hardware-based improvements, the new transmission features enhanced Tow Haul mode with integrated engine exhaust braking and SelectShift Automatic capability, which includes Progressive Range Select and a manual mode, allowing customers to select the gear to suit their needs.

The other type of deliveries the 2011 Super Duty has been busy with was real work in the field. In an unprecedented customer field work evaluation program, Ford gave commercial businesses around the country preproduction models of the all-new 2011 Super Duty months before the truck goes on sale.

To test the trucks in extreme real-world conditions, select customers put the new 2011 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 to work immediately in the humid swamps of Florida, in the subzero wintry conditions of Wyoming and in the dusty, dry areas of Texas construction sites and ranches.

“As soon as we got this truck, we slapped a 22,000-pound trailer on it and headed for the field,” says a Wyoming-based Well Cementing supervisor in one of the webisodes. “Ford asked us to work this truck hard, and we’re working this truck hard.”

The evaluation trucks are all equipped with the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine and the 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission.

Ford engineers are using advanced telematics technology to retrieve daily performance data from each truck for further analysis. These data are being posted and continually updated online, allowing the public unprecedented access to the performance of the next generation of the best-selling truck in America for 33 years.

Here’s a sample of what the customers had to say:

“The truck sat in negative weather for several hours, then started right up with no issues.”

“A group of us were standing around the truck, maybe 10 feet away. A guy told me I left my lights on, and I said the truck is still running. He couldn’t believe how quiet it was.”

“I was towing a trailer 311 miles and had to keep checking in the mirror to see if the trailer was still there.”

Click here to visit fordvehicles.com for more information on the 2011 Super Duty, which goes on sale in the spring of 2010. Or click here to find out about all Ford trucks and select which one is the best truck for you.