Ford F250 Superduty 2008

The F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab FX4 is a four-wheel-drive workhorse. It hauls manure as opposed to producing it in word-processing machines. That is an important distinction in assessing its value and place in a political environment marked by concerns about fuel efficiency and global warming. On Capitol Hill, honorable lawmakers and their staffs, many of whom have never hauled anything except lobbyists' reports, or built anything except political constituencies, are apt to look at the big Ford truck and say: "Aha, see! That is why we need higher fuel economy standards."

Complaints:
It has a ground clearance of nearly eight inches, presenting ingress-egress difficulties for short people. An optional swing-out step is available.
Ride, acceleration and handling: It's a big pickup truck that rides and handles like a big pickup truck--hard and sometimes bouncy. Handling is good in straight-line highway running, competent in wide curves, less pleasing in tight curves, and ponderous to clumsy in city traffic. It is a truck designed to push, haul and tow, which is why it has lots of torque, especially at lower engine revolutions per minute. That means it's no speedster.
Head-turning quotient: It drew smiles and praise in West Virginia. It brought curses and sneers in Washington and its suburbs.

Body style/layouts:
Ford's Super Duty trucks are full-size, body-on-frame pickups available with rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. There are three cab styles--regular (two side doors), Super Cab (two full front side doors and two half doors for rear-cabin access), and the tested Crew Cab (four full side doors). There are two bed lengths--6.75 feet and eight feet. And there are three towing-hauling ranges--F-250, heavy; F-350, heavier; F-450, heaviest.

Engines/transmissions:
Three engines are available for the F-250, including Ford's base 5.4-liter, 300-horsepower, gasoline Triton V-8; a 6.8-liter, 362-horsepower, gasoline Triton V-10; and the tested 6.4-liter, Power Stroke diesel V-8 that develops 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm and 650 foot-pounds of torque at 2,000 rpm. In the tested vehicle, the diesel engine was linked to a five-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is available.
Capacities: With bench seats front and rear, there is seating for six. Maximum payload is 3,170 pounds. Maximum towing capacity is 12,500 pounds. The fuel tank holds 38 gallons of required ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Warning: Carefully read diesel pump labels before filling.

Mileage:
I averaged 22.5 miles per gallon in highway driving with one passenger, no cargo.
Safety: Four-wheel antilock brakes are standard. Side and head air bags were not available at this writing. Electronic traction control is available. Ford's Trailer Brake Controller, which synchronizes braking between the truck and trailer, is optional on the F-250 and is recommended by this column.

Price:
Base price is $35,880. Dealer's invoice price on the base model is $33,152. Price as tested is $54,825, including $18,010 in options (diesel engine, five-speed automatic transmission, navigation, Trailer Brake Controller, power sunroof, leather-covered captain's chairs, tailgate step, Sirius Satellite Radio) and a $925 destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $49,027. Prices sourced from Ford and www.edmunds.com.

Purse-strings note:
Easy on the options. Regular cab versions are substantially less expensive. Rear-wheel drive beats four-wheel-drive in fuel economy.