Ford Goes Bull Riding With The 2013 F-Series Super Duty Platinum

New model unveilings usually happen at an auto show, or more often than not, consist of just a press release. Not so, with the 2013 Ford F-Series Super Duty. Which is why we found ourselves, in cowboy boots we might add, standing on a layer of dirt at Ford Field in Detroit.

 

You see, Ford is the title sponsor for the Professional Bull Riding series, and the cowboys were in town for one leg of their 30-city, 23-state tour. That made for a perfect opportunity to debut a truck that is very popular with the sort of folks who are in to bull riding. According to Ford, 50 percent of PBR fans own heavy duty pickup trucks, so their sponsorship of the series makes quite a lot of sense.

 

For 2013, the Super Duty has been, what can best be described, as tweaked. Powertrains remain unchanged, as are important things like towing capacity and fuel economy. What has changed is the new top-dog Super Duty. It’s no longer the King Ranch trim, which has been tops since it debuted in 2003. Now there’s the Platinum series, based off the F-150 Platinum.

 

The exterior, as befitting of a luxury pickup, is slathered in chrome. A satin chrome grille surround starts things off. The rest of the grille is finished in chrome as well, as are the door pulls, mirror caps, and the “Platinum” lettering that adorns the boxsides. Unique, Platinum series twenty-inch wheels round out the exterior changes.

 

On the inside, leather and wood cover the large majority of surfaces. Wood is the material of choice on the door trim, center stack, and instrument cluster, while leather covers the arm rests. The ten-way power leather seats are finished in fine hides, and feature “Platinum” embroidered backrest.

 

Anyone that’s tried using an iPhone or Android with gloves on knows how difficult the experience can be. Since Super Duty customers, apparently, spend a lot of time wearing gloves, Ford has made some big functional changes to the MyFord Touch system. A new, eight-inch touchscreen display dominates the upper dash, while a set of redundant buttons sit below it. This allows customers to easily access the infotainment system, whether wearing gloves or not.

 

After the product demonstration, we were treated to a bull riding demonstration with some of the top guys on the circuit. The goal of a bull ride is to remain on the back of a very large, bucking animal for eight seconds or more. Scores are only eligible after the rider has been on for eight seconds, and are then scored from zero to 100, with 50 points going to the difficulty of the bull and 50 to the talent of the rider. Generally, the best scores are in the 85 to 90 range, with anything higher being exceedingly rare. Unlike the mechanical bull at your local country bar, the bovines these guys were riding are some seriously scary animals.

 

To protect the riders, there’s a saftey rider on horseback ready to lasso the raging bull, as well as a pair of bullfighters (more commonly known as rodeo clowns) to distract the bull, allowing the riders to get out of harm’s way. The exhibition was a great opportunity to experience a sport that doesn’t get quite so much air time, especially in a northern state like Michigan. It’s something we’ll be keeping an eye on in the future.

 

The 2013 F-Series Super Duty, and the Platinum trim package, go on sale later this year.

 

Please scroll down for the official press release from Ford.