Ford's F-Series pickup has been America's best-selling truck for the past three decades. That alone speaks volumes as to the toughness and durability of this legendary vehicle.
The Super Duty line takes the impressive F-Series to greater heights by offering a higher level of toughness and capability. For example, the 2008 Ford F-450 Super Duty features a towing capacity in excess of 24,000 pounds and maximum payload of more than 6,000 pounds.
As expected, the Super Duty is built on a totally different chassis from the regular F-Series. Also, Super Duty is instantly recognizable by its massive front grille.
Built in Louisville, Ky., home of the "Slugger," the F-Series Super Duty is offered as an F-250, F-350 or F-450. There are three cab styles - Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab - and two bed lengths - 6-3/4 feet and 8 feet.
Super Duty buyers can choose from one of two gasoline engines or a totally new clean-diesel engine. On the gas side, there's a 300-horsepower 5.4-liter V-8 and a 362-horsepower 6.8-liter V-10. The big news, though, is the all-new 6.4-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel that features clean diesel technology.
The new diesel V-8 delivers 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm, 650 foot-pounds of torque starting at 2,000 rpm and has particulate emissions on par with gasoline engines - a 97 percent reduction from the 6.0-liter.
The Super Duty test vehicle was an F-250 with the diesel V-8. I was surprised with how quiet the engine was. Outside of the momentary wait-to-start, you wouldn't know it was a diesel from inside the cabin.
The tester was rated to tow up to 15,000 pounds. The diesel is not only quiet at idle, but it remains fairly quiet while accelerating. On the highway, the cabin remained quiet and tranquil. My Super Duty tester delivered a rock solid, comfortable ride, even when going a bit faster than the posted limit.
Two transmissions are available, either a six-speed manual transmission or five-speed automatic with a "Tow/Haul" mode to cut down on shift frequency.
My tester's five-speed automatic provided smooth, effortless shifts. In "Tow/Haul" mode, the shifts aren't as subtle, but definitely not objectionable.
My one main objection, though, was trying to park this big rig at the grocery store. Also, due to my tester's clean-diesel engine, I had some difficulty locating a station that had the required ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.
If fuel with higher sulfur content is used, it will damage the particulate filter and result in costly repairs.
The Super Duty's cabin features comfortable seating, a large center console and a nice commanding view of the road. I enjoyed operating the (optional) user-friendly DVD-based touch screen (6.5-inch) navigation system in my tester.
For diesel customers, Ford is offering a rapid heating system that features an electric heater to instantly heat the cabin during warm-up periods.
One of my favorite features on the Super Duty is the tailgate's optional built-in pull-out step and handle to make it easier to step up into the bed.
It seems as though Ford has thought of just about everything. There are a number of trim levels available to provide Super Duty customers with as many creature comforts as they require.
The tester's base price of $34,755 jumped to more than $51K due to its 6.4-liter V-8 diesel ($6,895), five-speed automatic transmission ($1,490), navigation system with upgraded sound system ($1,875) and lots more.
The Super Duty is one tough truck built for those who need a serious hauler. There's a long list of options to customize the Super Duty to your specifications.
2008 Ford F-250 Super Duty Engine: 6.4-liter (350 hp) V-8 Diesel
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Drive type: 4WD
Fuel Economy: not available
Base price: $34,755
As tested: $51,040 (including $925 for destination)
Web site: www.ford.com