The Ford F-250 Super Duty Pickup Truck
In the last decade, light-duty pickup trucks have evolved from rugged work trucks to daily drivers and family vehicles. Ford's famous F-150 has been especially prone to these changes, sporting longer multi-door cabs and shorter truck beds. Consequently, the role of the sturdy and powerful work truck has fallen to Ford's Super Duty Series, and the 3/4-ton F-250 in particular. The F-250 has enormous hauling and towing capacities while still being easy to handle and providing a comfortable ride.
One of the reasons Ford continues to be a leader in the work truck market is because their trucks are extremely customizable. Customers can pick out the exact vehicle for their needs, choosing from among a several cab styles, truck bed lengths, engine powers, transmissions, drive options, trim levels, and more optional bells and whistles that you can imagine.
The current 2008 model of the Ford F-250 offers a wide range of choices. Three engines are available. The standard gasoline engine is a 5.4-liter V8 that puts out 300 horsepower (hp) and 365 pound-feet (495 N·m) of torque. The midrange features a 6.8-liter V10 gasoline engine capable of 362 hp and 457 pound-feet (495 N·m) of torque. The top of the line is Power Stroke turbodiesel, a 6.4-liter V8 diesel engine commanding 350 hp and 650 pound-feet of torque. All engines are available in either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. All F-250 pickup trucks are also available in either two rear-wheel or four-wheel drive.
The Ford F-250 has three cab options and two truck bed lengths to choose from. The Standard Cab is the regular two-door model. The extended Super Cab has two regular doors and two rear-hinged reverse-opening rear door, and seats up to six passengers. The Crew Cab also seats up to six people, but has four full-sized doors. The Super Cab and Crew Cab models can chose from either a 6 ¾-foot (2-meter) or 8-foot (2.4-meter) truck bed, while only the 8-foot bed is available for the Regular Cab.
Four trim levels are offered: the basic XL, the midlevel XLT, the top-of-the-line Lariat, and the FX4, a version specifically designed for going off-road. Some nice additional features include telescoping and folding powered side mirrors, a drop-down tailgate step, and the highly useful trailer-brake control system, which integrated the brakes on the trailer with those of the truck. Other upgrades for the 2008 model include solid, corrosion-resistant chassis, and an improved rear suspension design that improves riding and handling.
Ford current generation of Super Duty pickups runs from 1999 to 2008. If you're in the market for a used earlier-model Ford F-250, there are a few things you will want to be aware of. The Ford F-250 was updated in 2001 to include a standard four-wheel Antilock Brake System, a reverse parking sensor, and a stronger Power Stroke engine.
In 2003, the FX4 off-road F-250 made its appearance. The six-speed manual transmission became available. On the down side, the 7.3-liter Power Stroke diesel engine was replaced with a smaller but more powerful 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel engine that quickly earned a bad reputation as being problematic and unreliable.
2005 brought a new five-speed automatic transmission, and improved front suspension, and increased hauling and towing capacities. Between 2006 and 2007, only minor adjustments were made. The 2008 model was the next major upgrade, with the features already described above.