Quick Drive: 2011 Ford Super Duty F-250 Lariat 4×4 Crew Cab

Reviews I By Winding Road Staff I June 22, 2010

I found the gasoline-powered Super Duty to lack the charm and personality of the diesel version. It doesn’t feel as quick or capable, and certainly isn’t as efficient. The 6.7-liter grease burner is just so stupendous that any other mill Ford could plunk into its work truck would be outshined by its 735 pound-feet of torque (the 6.2-liter gas engine’s 405 pound-feet is a far cry from that).

That said, the gas-powered truck is still one hell of a pickup. It rides nice, not bouncy or harsh, and can handle any road with ease. The six-speed transmission feels smooth, and I like having the ability to lock out certain gears.

The interior isn’t bad either—a definite improvement over prior model years. The amount of storage in the cabin, be it compartments or cupholders, is almost comically abundant. Combined with the interior comfort, one could almost live out of this truck.

—John Beltz Snyder, Production Editor

Ford’s 2011 Super Duty follows up on last year’s new F-150 introduction really nicely. There’s obviously a lot more capacity in the bigger F-Series, most of which I certainly didn’t have the opportunity to test out during the period of our loan (still need to get around to buying that boat…), but there’s just as much luxury, too.

As far as I’m concerned, if you’re even considering buying a ¾ ton or larger pickup, you’d better have a real need for the extra tow/haul ability. Today’s ½ ton trucks are so good in thier own right (F-150, and Ram especially) that I’d be hard pressed to justify the added initial and running costs if I didn’t need to pull some serious tonnage. That said, if you do need to run with the big dogs, you could hardly do it in a nicer environment than the F-250 provides. In Lariat trim I felt instantly comfortable—dual zone climate control, powered/heated side mirrors, leather seats, SYNC, and a 4.2-inch LCD screen will do that—if not quite as pampered as I might have in the leather-palace King Ranch truck.

I have to say though, that I really longed for some diesel torque in this monster. The 6.2-liter gas-powered V-8 is a manly motor, to be sure, but it just can’t offer the same rock-crushing power of the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke oil-burner.

—Seyth Miersma, Editor-In-Chief

I am not really a fan of big trucks. It may have something to do with an incident involving my 17-year-old self, a 2001 Dodge Ram and the side of a garage door, but I digress. I approached our tester with some trepidation, hoping to avoid a similar incident.

This is a genuinely massive vehicle, but it drives smaller than it is (still not car-like, exactly). You always seem to know where the corners of the vehicle are, and the rear-view camera (part of the Lariat Ultimate Package) offered confidence in navigating the behemoth in tight situations. Driving the Super Duty was far more enjoyable than I was expecting.

The area that really shined for me was the interior. All of the touch surfaces were of a nice quality, even the cheesy “Super Duty”-embossed plastic on the passenger dash. The heated leather seats were wide and supportive, and had a lot of adjustability. The Super Duty’s ride was surprisingly comfortable for a big truck. There was the occasional shudder, but for the most part, comfort was the name of the game. The F-250 ended up being a nice place to spend some time.

—Brandon Turkus, Test Fleet Manager

Pros

  • High-quality, luxurious interior with a lot of tech
  • Comfortable ride
  • Smooth-shifting transmission

Cons

  • Gas-powered 6.2-liter V-8 doesn’t have the character of the F-250’s diesel
  • Size can be intimidating at first
  • Standard F-150 or Dodge Ram does almost as much for less money
     
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