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Ford's new F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty truck offers a unique ownership experience

Ford's new F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty truck offers a unique ownership experience

USA Today30-04-2025
Ford's new F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty truck offers a unique ownership experience
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The 2025 Ford F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty is on sale now starting at close to $100,000.
As part of the purchase, a buyer gets the Platinum Plus Ownership Experience.
Advertising around the 2025 Super Duty will emphasize its U.S. assembly.
If you're willing to pony up about $100,000 for a luxury pickup, Ford Motor Co. thinks you should get something beyond all the new in-vehicle amenities and luxury features: You should also get a package that comes with a personalized gift, discounts on accessories and one-on-one texting privileges with Ford truck specialists to answer any questions — to name a few of the benefits.
The Dearborn-based automaker opened the order banks for the 2025 Ford F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty pickup in September and has started to deliver the vehicles to the first buyers in recent weeks. It offered a peek at the Platinum Plus package to reporters this week.
Ford's Brian Rathsburg declined to provide figures for how many of the top-of-the-line models it has sold so far, other than to say "we have a healthy amount of orders." And, for those who have purchased the Platinum Plus package, Ford will include with it the "Platinum Plus Ownership Experience."
"This is an all-new bundle. It's all-in-one given to the Platinum customers," Rathsburg, Super Duty marketing manager at Ford Pro, told reporters April 22. "The new element is there to try to revise the experience level for our most premium customers."
Your own personal concierge
The 2025 Ford F-Series Platinum Plus Super Duty Platinum Plus Package pricing is as follows; these do not include a $2,095 delivery fee:
F-250 starts at $97,360
F-350 starts at $98,860
F-450 starts at $103,535
The Platinum Plus package is available in the United States and Canada. The Platinum Plus Ownership Experience is offered only to customers in the United States for now, Rathsburg said.
Rathsburg said it is a specialized ownership experience that starts with a phone call welcoming the buyer to the "Ford family." The buyers will then receive a personalized gift in the mail, arriving in an engraved cedar box.
As part of the experience, that buyer gets a 25% discount on Ford accessories for the first 90 days for a maximum of discount of $500, a free two-year maintenance plan or two free services up to 25,000 miles, a guided virtual truck tour, access to exclusive events and eligibility for upgraded top tier status in FordPass Rewards. FordPass Rewards is a loyalty program where a customer can earn points when buying a Ford vehicle, getting service and using the FordPass app. The customer can redeem points for various rewards, including discounts on service, parts, accessories and toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle.
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But perhaps the coolest part of the Platinum Plus Ownership Experience is that the customer gets one-on-one texting access with Ford truck experts who are on hand to help walk the person through any help they need with their new truck, Rathsburg said. He likened the experts to vehicle concierges of sorts.
Made in America
Along with the special ownership experience, Rathsburg said Ford wants car buyers to know that this particular model is assembled in the United States. He said Ford is running the "From America, For America" ad campaign that showcases the vehicle rolling off the assembly lines at Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville. Ford also builds the truck at Ohio Assembly Plant near Avon Lake.
That fits with Ford's MO lately. The automaker has been aggressively touting its American heritage in 30-second television spots, social media and most recently in full-page newspaper print ads. The campaign coincides with Ford's employee-pricing for everyone sale that runs through June 2.
"We felt the newspaper ad put more depth into (the message): That we are the right brand at the right time and it's about being supportive to America," Ford spokesman Said Deep told the Free Press earlier.
Rathsburg echoed the sentiment, saying of the Super Duty ads, "We're extremely proud to remind everybody that all Super Duty trucks sold in America are made in America. That'll be a clear message going forward."
Asked how much of the vehicle's content includes imported parts, which could be subjected to 25% tariffs starting May 3, Rathsburg said he did not have that information. As to how future tariffs could impact the vehicle's price tag, he said the company is monitoring it and will address that issue if and when it comes to bear.
"That's a very murky, tenuous space," Rathsburg said. "We're monitoring it. Right now, we're doing very well in the marketplace. We're off to a terrific start with Super Duty and all indicators are we're doing quite well. But there are things down the road that we don't know about."
Luxury mixed with capability
The Platinum and Platinum Plus trims replace the Limited trim as the Super Duty's top of the line package. The reason Ford removed Limited from the 2025 model year Super Duty lineup is to be consistent across the F-Series lineup and F-150, which announced the same last year, Ford spokeswoman Elizabeth Kraft said.
"Platinum is our top trim, the Platinum Plus Package is a step up from our Platinum trim level," Kraft said.
The new Platinum Plus offers a distinctive satin finish grille with bright chrome inserts and the interior is a soft brownish-gray color that Ford calls "Smoked Truffle."
The truck has perforated Venetian leather seats with French stitching and "Max Recline Seats" for added refinement. It has 2 kilowatts "Pro Power Onboard" to provide mobile power for tools or recreational equipment.
Ford will offer the 2025 Super Duty in two new exterior colors: Avalanche and Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat.
The 2025 Super Duty has maximum available 500 horsepower and 1,200 pound-feet of peak power. It has a maximum available payload of 8,000 pounds and maximum available towing of 40,000 pounds. Ford said the 7.3-liter V8 gasoline engine is now standard starting on King Ranch and Platinum. The 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine is an option across all trims. All engines come standard with a version of the heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift automatic transmission.
"It's a luxurious truck for the customer who still needs the capability," Rathsburg said.
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
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