Another 23 design blunder no one seems to be talking about

[Alpoba]

It’s the digital dash aka instrument clusterF. The design is incomplete and just plain awful to navigate. I stopped by local dealer to play with one on a lariat, and was shocked how unintuitive and unbalanced it felt compared to my 22. Shit’s all over the place to find. My 22 aint perfect, but its a lot more straightforward and nicer to work with.

Here this dude summed it up nicely in this video.

And then he compared it to a 24 GMC new digital dash which i haven’t tried myself but it does look a lot more thought out than does Ford’s 23.

 

[TexasTremor]

I believe this new tech in vehicles are going to expensive to keep up with for the long time owners, and maybe that is what the mfg. wants?.. trade every 4 or 5 years . Someone with the financial and engineering support could probably make a Steel body and all mechanical truck again that would probably appeal to a large customer base. Look at the current prices of classic trucks across all makes .

 

[Modman]

It’s the digital dash aka instrument clusterF. The design is incomplete and just plain awful to navigate. I stopped by local dealer to play with one on a lariat, and was shocked how unintuitive and unbalanced it felt compared to my 22. Shit’s all over the place to find. My 22 aint perfect, but its a lot more straightforward and nicer to work with.

Here this dude summed it up nicely in this video.

And then he compared it to a 24 GMC new digital dash which i haven’t tried myself but it does look a lot more thought out than does Ford’s 23.

The SD cluster and screen actually are very similar to the ones in the 23 Escape we just got. Not terrible but I like the 22 SD better. I am also not a fan of the new steering wheel control layout. Probably because I am so used to the other configuration/layout which has been around seemingly forever... It seems like a change for change sake.

 

[Dented]

Can't say I'm overly thrilled with the dash and menu layout. How about they just let me set it up and then leave the damn thing alone? I hate scrolling through menus to get back to calm view. Frankly, I'd rather have analog gauges mechanical climate control.

 

[oops]

Everything about this truck seems to be an afterthought or entirely unconsidered. All of Ford's digital interfaces are questionable, but the new Super Duty is particularly laughable in contrast to a F-150, Bronco or Ranger. Abysmal product management.

 

[armorross]

I find it annoying that on the dash cluster, it does not automatically revert to the last screen I used before shutting the truck off. Jeeps going back to the list and makes me select an option.

 

[schneesb]

Fortunately (if Ford so chooses) its probably a firmware upgrade to make things more intuitive.

 

[BroncoHooves]

Warned everyone in the old threads here that the new digital cluster has less info visible in the middle of the screen compared to 22 and prior years.

 

[OTG-Tremor-CG]

I believe this new tech in vehicles are going to expensive to keep up with for the long time owners, and maybe that is what the mfg. wants?.. trade every 4 or 5 years . Someone with the financial and engineering support could probably make a Steel body and all mechanical truck again that would probably appeal to a large customer base. Look at the current prices of classic trucks across all makes .

Old Classic 4WD trucks from the 1960's and 1970's are still reasonably priced unless the truck has been completely torn down to the frame...sandblasted, powder coated; axle assemblies / differentials rebuilt, new suspensions, transfer cases rebuilt, new engines, paint, upholstery, gauges, etc, etc, etc. ........then it gets expensive. There are a handful of custom builders that produce phenomenal trucks.....especially diesel trucks.....like 5.9L Cummins 12V - 550 HP with stout drivetrain...NP 205 transfer cases, etc. So, none of the modern EPA required junk that ruins the performance of diesel engines and is expensive to maintain and repair. If I wanted a nice diesel pickup....I'd go this route and do quite a bit of the work myself.

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[Dented]

$350,000?
AW HELL NO!

 

[Vecman]

I’ll be honest and say I was hopeful I could retrofit one of these new 23’ gauge screens into my 22’ truck. I think they look great. But after watching @Alpoba’s video above, not interested. That is a significant difference in information. That’s too bad.

 

[OTG-Tremor-CG]

$350,000?
AW HELL NO!

Yeah........that's if a customer wants the BEST of everything on the build......for rich people who have no skills. A very nice truck can be completely torn down and built.....frame sandblasted...e-coated then powdered coated, new suspension, new gears and traction devices in the differentials, nice 5.9L Cummins from CPP Diesel in Pennsylvania or Industrial Injection in Utah......it'd be some money, but not much more if any more dollars than a new highly optioned Lariat, KR or Platinum.....and a more reliable and durable diesel pickup......IF the majority of the work was done by the truck owner. Very Nice truck probably done for under $100,000.00. However, not many people have the time or the skills.

 

[Modman]

Warned everyone in the old threads here that the new digital cluster has less info visible in the middle of the screen compared to 22 and prior years.

I find the the lever actuators a bit more clunky vs. the arrow buttons with "ok" on a separate middle button. My first impression is that the same info isn't as quickly accessible. There may be the same actual button presses but the layout isn't as intuitive to me to get between screens.

 

[BroncoHooves]

I find the the lever actuators a bit more clunky vs. the arrow buttons with "ok" on a separate middle button. My first impression is that the same info isn't as quickly accessible. There may be the same actual button presses but the layout isn't as intuitive to me to get between screens.

I find the physical layout size in the middle of the screen to be much smaller than prior gen, which is much wider for phrase information.

Interior, overall, looks more comfy to the ass though at least.

 

[Modman]

I find the physical layout size in the middle of the screen to be much smaller than prior gen, which is much wider for phrase information.

Interior overall looks more comfy to the ass though at least.

Yep, agree.

 

[xxflyingturtlexx]

I disagree; the new cluster is tons better and easier to use. Current one is archaic

 

[PlumasTremor]

The more details I see with the 23s the more I dislike them.

 

[buckeyechemie]

Longer-term, what about reading basic operating data such as speed and RPM if your gauge cluster fails (electronic components tend to fail randomly due to the "shake and bake" treatment that circuit boards get during manufacturing)?

For this reason, I'm not a fan of even the digital gauges atop the '22 cluster. When the screen goes, I hope they still have spares available (again, long-term).

Perfect setup for me would be the analog gauges above the graphical interfaces of the 8" LCD.

 

[avocadofarmer]

Guess I'm old fashioned, but when I saw that digital dash coming for '23 I made haste and bought my '22. Analog for me, please.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

Longer-term, what about reading basic operating data such as speed and RPM if your gauge cluster fails (electronic components tend to fail randomly due to the "shake and bake" treatment that circuit boards get during manufacturing).
For this reason, I'm not a fan of even the digital gauges atop the '22 cluster. When the screen goes, I hope they still have spares available (again, long-term).

Perfect setup for me would be the analog gauges above the graphical interfaces of the 8" LCD.

I've always been an early adopter for new technology so appreciate the move to an all digital display, but I didn't consider the point you're making above regarding the digital cluster. It seems like it could be a safety issue should the screen fail. I wonder what safe guards / redundancy is in place should that occur or will people be flying blind?

Having driven vehicles in the past where the mechanical gauges were broken, I do think for regular roadway driving, most drivers would be fine estimating speed versus other vehicles to get to a safe place to stop. If there's something else mechanically wrong, that puts a bit more pressure on the driver to sense what is wrong and how much time they have before total failure occurs should they continue to drive the truck once the display fails.