Short Take Road Test
With the discontinuation of the Ford GT, we wondered, What's the best vehicle in Ford's lineup? After trying out the 2008 F-250 Super Duty, we're thinking a case could be made for this pickup.
When put up against its classmates, the heavy-duty Dodge Ram and GM pickups, the redesigned 2008 Super Duty brings home an impressive report card.
Those whose fantasies include 18 wheels and 13-speed gearboxes will be attracted to the $6895 Power Stroke 6.4-liter, 32-valve diesel V-8, which, when ordered with the King Ranch trim package, requires a mandatory $1490 automatic transmission. So equipped, the F-250 boasts a serious 650 pound-feet of torque at 2000 rpm and 350 horsepower at 3000 rpm, numbers that equal the power output of the latest 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel from Dodge and nearly match the 660 pound-feet of torque and 365 horsepower from GM's 6.6-liter Duramax diesel.
Ford's Power Stroke is a redesigned version of last year's 6.0-liter V-8 diesel that was plagued with engine-management and fuel-injector issues. Henry's disciples assure us those problems have been solved in the largely new twin-turbocharged 6.4-liter version, and in our hands for testing, the truck never once hiccuped.
Pumping diesel into the 30.5-gallon tank (a 38-gallon unit is offered with certain wheelbases) and the subsequent stinky residue that clings to your hands is the worst part of the diesel experience. Ford's latest oil burner offers excellent throttle response and lights quickly. The traditional clatter of compression ignition is muted-we recorded a carlike 69 dBA at 70 mph. From rest there is a trace of turbo lag, but it doesn't take long for the two turbochargers nestled in the V-8's valley to begin to force highly compressed air down the engine's throat. Once the mighty giant awakens, it honks the colossal 8120-pound truck forward as if it were being shot off an aircraft carrier. More than four tons of Ford fun get to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 16.8 seconds at 84 mph. Of greater interest to potential owners is the 12,500-pound towing capacity.
Our scales weren't up to Super Duty duty-they tilt at a mere 6000 pounds-so we headed to the local truck scales twice (the second visit was to assuage our disbelief). From behind the wheel the truck seemed solid. The slow steering (4.1 turns lock-to-lock) lent an elephantine quality, but it didn't feel like four tons. Piloting the F-250 was more a matter of managing 246.2 inches, and huge exterior mirrors kept us from pulling a Captain Hazelwood. Ride quality, despite shiny 20-inch wheels and two solid axles that look as if they'd been pulled off a railroad car, was agreeable-indeed, a huge improvement over that of the previous Super Duty.
Comfort was a clear priority inside the new truck. Our tester wore the King Ranch package, which adds baseball-glove-like leather seats among other sensual luxuries. No other Ford product is as well thought out and uncompromised, and that makes the price of nearly $60,000 at least understandable-excellence is rarely cheap. So what if the Super Duty breaks the bank? Viewed through a rearview mirror, this chrome behemoth looks like a bank.
