2024 Ford F 250 Super Duty Review

Who really needs a truck like the Ford F-250 Super Duty? Well, a lot of people for towing, hauling, and looking like you care about towing and hauling. The Super Duty is good at all three of those. So if you're one of those people who needs a truck like this, should you get a Super Duty, a Ram 2500, or a Chevy Silverado 2500? Come along and let's find out. Ford completely redid the Super Duty for 2023. So now in 2024, there are only a couple of small changes, but it's essentially the exact same truck. And the things that immediately stand out that are going to differentiate it from past versions of this truck are some things like these double slats on the front grille, this kind of surround design on these hammer style DRLs, and of course an extremely tall hood and a intimidatingly flat front face. Now this is still a work truck at heart. So there are relatively affordable versions that start under 50k, but this, this ain't one of them. This is the King Ranch version, which means you get these fancy looking 20 inch wheels and some styling that makes you look like you own the place because you probably do. New additions on the 2023 models include some actually pretty athletic looking styling with these cool looking side intakes. And this integrated step is now built into every single Super Duty as well. Now we're at the business end of the truck. There are two different versions of a bed. You can get a standard short box like this one or a longer extended version. Key features at the back of this truck include this very proud announcement that it's a King Ranch in bright, shiny metal. You've also got integrated steps here at the corners too. And the King Ranch comes with a power activated tailgate. In the Super Duty, there are four different engines to choose from, and they're all V8s. So starting out, there are two gas powered V8s, which are pretty powerful. And then there's this 6.7 liter power stroke turbo diesel making gobs of power. How much? 475 horsepower and hold your breath, 1050 pound feet of torque. There's also an even higher output version of this diesel making 500 horse and ungodly amounts of torque. But I think you'll agree. This sounds like plenty. Every Super Duty gets a 10 speed automatic transmission and almost all of them come standard with four wheel drive. Now we do not have fuel economy figures to report because heavy duty trucks are not required to provide efficiency estimates. And yes, there are small efficiencies built into some of the features here. Things like the 10 speed auto and some, you know, trick features within the diesel engine are designed to help you save fuel. But this is a very large truck with a very big engine. It's going to hurt at the pump. Base versions of the Super Duty start around $45,000 with Destination. Personally, I would recommend the mid-level Lariat trim because it comes with a lot of convenient and comfort features as standard for about $64,000 including Destination. But then there's stuff like this, the King Ranch. And then if you can believe it, two trim levels above the King Ranch with the top end limited starting around $98,000. That's almost unthinkable only a few years ago. Now the truth is competitors are pretty much in line with this pricing too. Chevy starts a little more expensive on the low end, but is a little more affordable on the higher end. And Ram heavy duty trucks are basically aligned with Ford's pricing. Although they don't really have a true top, top end competitor like Ford has the limited model, but Ram's interiors are arguably nicer. So let's go inside and check this one out. Inside the King Ranch now, which has a starting price of $78,000, just about including Destination. And this particular one is loaded up with features. So you're now looking at over 95 grand for this particular truck, which is almost as much as the top of the line limited. So what do you get? Well, a whole lot of King Ranch specific stuff in here. First of all, there are really nice materials, including leather pretty much all over the place, like up here and a very plush steering wheel and over on the door too. It's not a super opulent leather, like a Mercedes style, more like a firm and durable, but it is definitely nice. You've also got King Ranch logos basically all over the place, like up here, ingrained in the wood down here on the steering wheel and even etched into this panel here with a drawing of the actual King Ranch in Texas. Yes, there's a real King Ranch. All in all, it comes together to provide a luxurious but still rustic feeling that I can get used to. More features on this particular truck include these lay flat front seats. Ford calls them max recline so you can take a little nap on the worksite. There's also a wireless charging station underneath this tray and there are tons of different camera views. So a surround view camera comes standard on the King Ranch. This is a pretty high quality resolution and a nice view. But on top of that, you can even add more camera views, helpful things for having a truck, things like a view of the bed, a view of the trailer hitch if you're attaching a trailer. And if you are attached to a trailer, it can even give you a surround view of the trailer itself. Pretty mind blowing stuff and helpful features if you're really towing big loads back there. The base work truck versions come with an eight inch screen. But if you move up to the Lariat, you get dual 12 inch screens like you see here. Now the screen is nice and big and pretty responsive to the touch. It also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard with wireless connectivity on all trims. Some of the coolest stuff in the screen, however, has to do with towing. So you can add a trailer that you would typically use and it'll remember the size and dimensions and things like that. It can also check to make sure that your trailer lights are working. Now Ford's rivals have features like that. So you'll find them on other heavy duty trucks. But one thing that Ford uses that's very cool is onboard scales. So if you click on onboard scales here, it will show you your max gross weight that you can put in the vehicle. So for this one, it's 2626 pounds. And as you load more stuff into the bed and into the cabin, it will show you how close you're getting to capacity, which is very cool. Tons of space in the back seat, as you would expect for a truck of this size. And the seats are really comfortable. It's more of that nice quality leather from the front, but it does feel a little bit more plush and cushy back here, which is definitely nice. You still get nice leather appointments. And I've also got a great view of this sunroof up here, which is optional on the King Ranch. Now it's actually a dual pane sunroof, but for all intents and purposes, it's basically panoramic. This is a huge view. Down here, you've got two USB-C ports and the King Ranch has heated rear seats, too. There's also extra storage underneath the seats if you need it. If we're going to talk capability, we got to start at the truck bed. So the tailgate on the Ford Super Duty is not one of those trick ones like GM has its multi-flex or multi-pro tailgate. Instead, it just folds down, but it is power and it's dampened, so it'll open softly like that. And Ford has its integrated step here, which you can pull out to get easy access. One cool thing Ford does in the tailgate is you can now get sensors and even a camera integrated into the tailgate. I don't think I've seen that before. Good idea. So where Ram typically really shines on the interior, Chevy and GMC typically really shine in the bed area. They've got a really wide access point and tons of space and tie-down points. By contrast, Ford doesn't have quite the cavernous space and as many tie-down points, but this is a really functional bed. And this one comes with a bed liner, too. The Super Duty has a pretty cool trick up its sleeve, too. You can equip the truck with Pro Power Onboard. This is essentially an onboard generator using power from the truck's engine. So the engine has to be running to use it, but what it can do is power power tools and other electronics with up to 2,000 watts of power to the bed and outlets in the cabin as well. So when we're talking about toughness, that also includes payload and towing. Now, suffice it to say, the Super Duty is incredibly strong with massive payload and towing capabilities. All heavy duty trucks are incredibly tough these days. So, I mean, we're talking a capacity of over 10,000 pounds towing just from the trailer hitch. In some cases, these trucks can tow much more, but that's highly dependent on exactly which configuration and which engine and other features that you get in your truck. So if you need to know exactly how much your truck is able to tow, I would consult a dealer. Your general takeaway should be if you're doing everyday towing and hauling, trucks like the Super Duty are going to have no problem. Behind the wheel now in the Turbo Diesel F-250 Super Duty. This diesel is a workhorse. I like sometimes when reviewers are driving diesels and they say, oh, you can barely tell it's a diesel. That's not the case here. It's very, very clear. You get a classic diesel rumble. It's a very consistent linear power. It really feels like you're driving a freight train. There is no mistaking this for a gas engine. But with that, it just climbs up inclines with ease. Again, 1,050 pound feet of torque, just astronomical numbers coming out of heavy duty trucks these days. And there's no better example than this motor right here. Now, the thing to know about the driving experience in the Ford Super Duty is that it's all tailored towards towing, period. So, for instance, in the Ram, that's more of a cushiony, luxurious ride. In the Chevy, in my experience, that's a little bit more of a nimble, pretty responsive truck to drive. Ford, by contrast, is all about towing. So you get a few of those aspects, like you get a little bit of a smooth luxury ride, you get a little bit of a nice responsive handling, but all of that exists just to serve towing big boats or big campers or big heavy machinery. And that's what we're getting here. A pretty comfortable ride for a truck of this size, pretty easy to handle, but no mistaking that this is a large truck. It does not try to hide its size. Now, on that note, visibility is obviously going to be very important with something this big if you're towing big, heavy trailers too. And I do think Ford has this part down because I've got a great view out the front of the windscreen. Even as large as that hood and front fascia is, it's very easy to see the road in front of me. And these giant window cutouts mean that I've got a really good view of my blind spots as well. Now, all that said, there's a ton of power under the hood. So if I really step on it, that turbo gets going and this thing rockets forward in a hurry. And that's how you turn this thing into a three-ton rocket ship. Other features that come on this King Ranch are a head-up display, so I can keep my eyes on the road while I'm looking at my speed and the speed limit. And in the digital cluster in front of the driver, there is tons of information that you can scroll through to get a sense of how the truck is acting, which is super helpful if you're towing. And if you're a fake truck guy, at least you can look like you know what you're talking about. Also, if you're big into towing, we're not going to get to use it today, but Pro Backup Assist up here can be a very helpful tool for making sure your trailer's in the right position while you're backing up. I like it a lot because it will automatically line up the trailer to back up in a straight line, which can be extremely frustrating to do manually. Pros and cons of the Ford F-250 Super Duty. Let's start with the pros. First is all that power under the hood, especially with this turbo diesel engine. It is seriously tough. Second is some truly impressive features available on this truck. Things like Pro Power Onboard in the bed and the lay flat reclining seats in the front. Finally, the emphasis on towing is a huge strength for the Super Duty, and this shows itself in ways that affect both novice and expert towers. What about cons? Well, first has to be the price, the price, price, price. I mean, what are we doing? This is so expensive, especially if you get up into trims like the King Ranch, the Platinum, and then the Limited. You're going to be shelling out big bucks. Second is its sheer size. I mean, does it really need to be that big? Is that where we're at with heavy duty trucks? They need to be so gargantuan. This truck handles its size pretty well, but there's no getting around the fact that it's basically a small building. And finally, Ford hasn't quite caught up to Chevy and Ram in some specific aspects. It's kind of sticking to its tried and true formula here. All in all, that is still a winning formula for Ford, and the redesigned Super Duty is a very impressive truck. Costly or no? That's all for today. If you like this video, please click like and give us a subscribe so you can see more just like it. And if you'd like to read more about the F-250 or its competition, click the link in the description below. Until next time, thanks for watching.