Ford F-450 Super Duty Truck Review
Truck Reviewer
There are a lot of large, very capable trucks around. Then you come face-to-face (or rather, race-to-grille because it’s that tall) with the Ford F-450 Super Duty. If you haven’t got up close and personal before, words might fail you. This is the vehicle they invented the word massive for. An imposing lump of steel that sits there waiting for you to load a couple of hundred head of cattle into the bed, or tow half the county around. OK, so I’m joking – a little – but the sheer scale of this pickup is impressive, and that’s before you actually start analyzing it’s statistics and options. First, some thing that aren’t options. It’s a crew cab, with an eight-foot bed, four-wheel drive and twin-wheel rear axles. No choices there. There’s also no choice of power: with the Ford F-450 Super Duty you get 6.7 liters of turbocharged diesel V8 but then, as it churns out 400 horsepower and a thundering 800 lb-ft of torque, you really don’t need any more.
So it’s a real brute – well actually it isn’t. Yes, it is big, very big, but it’s remarkably drivable for all that. That’s in no small measure down to the clever front suspension, designed to give it a tight turning circle. OK, you won’t want to take it into the city center too often, but for where it usually lives it’s very good indeed. When you want it to start working for its money, you can load it down with up to 4,920 lbs of gear and pull 24,400 lbs behind. Although ride could be described as firm when empty, that’s usually true of heavy-duty vehicles like this. Loaded up it smoothes out noticeably. You’d be quite happy to pile on the miles in a Ford F-450 Super Duty. You would be particularly happy to do so in the upscale Lariat or the positively luxurious King Ranch trim levels. The base XT is, well, basic, although well sound-proofed and comfortable enough. The XLT has cruise control and a reasonable CD/MP3 player and a few other nice features. The Lariat has power this and that, leather, clever electronics and the King Ranch has such a long list you need to check it online or at your dealers because it won’t fit in here. Let’s just say you won’t find many sedans that are better equipped than that particular Ford F-450 Super Duty.
Until a couple of years ago you couldn’t have a Ford F-450 Super Duty unless it was as a flat-bed, ready to have your choice of commercial body attached. So have we all gone power mad? Probably not. Few people will actually buy one unless they really have use for it. The other F-Series pickups are such good vehicles they already cover most people’s needs. The Ford F-450 Super Duty will be bought by those who need serious abilities to do serious work. If you are one of them, this magnificent truck will not disappoint.
(3 Users voted, average: 3.00 out of 5)
Loading ...