Towing is tough. I do know I’m going to take some warmth for that, particularly from you skilled drivers, however I’m proper. If it weren’t onerous, you wouldn’t must be a professional driver with particular licenses to tow the actually heavy stuff.
For these of us who aren’t skilled towers, the drivers who’ve huge campers, toy haulers, boats, and different huge and heavy issues to tow, the 2024 Ford F-250 Tremendous Responsibility has a complete lot of tech to attempt to make towing simpler. A few of it really works nice, however a few of it may use some assist.
Ford, GM, and Ram all construct HD pickups that may tow and haul greater than my driver’s license permits. They’ve diesel engines with extra torque than two Ferraris and may be optioned out with vinyl flooring or luxurious cabins, which put luxurious automobiles to disgrace. It’s within the particulars the place every one wants to face out.
In brief: The 2024 Ford F-250 doesn’t excel at trip, luxurious, or devices, however it does all the pieces you desire a truck to do with stunning effectivity.
2024 Ford F-250
Specs
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Engine
6.8L V8, 7.3L V8, 6.7L V8 diesel, 6.7L HO V8 diesel -
Horsepower
400/430/475/500 hp -
Torque
445/485/1,050/1,200 lb.-ft. -
Mileage
NA; 19.8 mpg noticed -
Cargo
8' field, 4,323 lbs. max payload (1,819 lbs. as geared up) -
Towing
Max 23,000 lbs. (with HO diesel), 15,119 lbs. as geared up
Professionals
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Beefy diesel
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In depth tow tech suite
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Snug seats
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Glorious visibility
Cons
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Poor trip consolation
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Some tech more durable to make use of
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Some supplies really feel low-grade
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Choices shortly slash payload
2024 Ford F-250 Tremendous Responsibility Assessment
The truck I’m driving is a Crew Cab F-250 with an 8-foot field. That makes this pickup a whopping 266.2 inches lengthy. It’s not the longest truck in the marketplace (GM beats it by about half an inch), however this factor is huge. Its wheelbase alone is longer than a complete Ford Bronco Sport.
All of that size provides it cabin house that will make a big-city studio condo jealous. It additionally signifies that the truck can match a 4×8 sheet of plywood flat between the wheel wells — with the tailgate closed.
It’ll stack about 40 sheets of ½-inch plywood earlier than you attain the max payload capability of the truck I examined — 1,819 kilos. No, that’s not a lot larger than a typical half-ton, however 3/4-ton pickups have a lot much less payload capability than you may anticipate. Particularly when you get a big-cab 4×4 diesel.
You want an F-350 (or 3500 from the opposite guys) to get the 2-ton and even 3-ton payload rankings you see within the adverts.
Onboard Scales Measure Up
However whilst you’ll be guessing how a lot you’ve at the back of a Ram or GM, Ford will inform you nearly precisely. The Onboard Scales function makes use of sensors to estimate what you’ve put within the car.
The function was easy to make use of. Press the size button below Options, and you’ll see on display screen roughly how a lot payload weight you’ve added. The Tremendous Responsibility can even present you a visible illustration utilizing LEDs within the taillights.
It labored effectively, and I appreciated that you could possibly enter the burden of the motive force and passengers in order that it could be correct even when you and the household (or crew) weren’t within the truck whenever you loaded.
The easy bars work on a regular basis, however to make use of the size mode to provide you a extra actual weight, it’s essential to reset the truck weight every time. So, if in case you have a payload, journey to a different website, after which add extra cargo, you’ll must do some math to know the way a lot you’ve within the mattress if you’d like the precise determine.
Sensible Hitch Tells You Tongue Hundreds
Sensible Hitch makes use of the Onboard Scales system that will help you load your trailer extra safely. An excessive amount of or too little tongue weight out of your trailer could make it unstable as you tow, however gauging it by eye isn’t straightforward.
Sensible Hitch tells you when your tongue weight is in vary, and confirmed me that transferring my automobile ahead on the trailer by simply round 6 inches introduced it from doubtlessly unstable to a significantly better and safer steadiness.
The precise pickup I drove has a most bumper tow ranking of 15,119 kilos, which drops to 10,127 if in case you have a gooseneck or a fifth wheel (all of those numbers from Ford use 300 kilos of occupants).
The F-250 maxes out at 22,000 kilos, with an F-350 effectively north of 37,000. That’s 3.7 occasions what my driver’s license permits, so I went with one thing a bit smaller.
Round 6,000 kilos of rental trailer and compact sedan aren’t precisely taxing the truck’s capability, however they’re sufficient to check out the towing options. I can lastly lengthen these tow mirrors with out trying like an fool.
Digicam View Even With Tailgate Down
An computerized trailer mild verify isn’t new, however Ford does have it on the Tremendous Responsibility. The system permits you to cycle by the trailer lights thrice to make sure indicators, operating, and brake lights are working. It may be accessed by the sprint or the Ford app.
Nonetheless, the automated verify wouldn’t work with my four-pin rental trailer regardless of the indicators and lights functioning correctly. I’ve used the GM’s light-check system efficiently with a same-brand rental trailer, so I’m unsure what the issue was. In case you’re utilizing your personal trailer, it’s not more likely to be an issue.
The F-250 doesn’t have the configurable tailgate GM provides on the Silverado and Sierra or the split-gate Ford provides by itself F-150 vans. It does, nonetheless, have parking sensors and a digicam mounted to the tailgate’s higher rail. The function lets the parking sensors work when you’re hauling longer objects and allows you to see behind you whenever you’re backing as much as a loading bay or work website.
Ford is the one one with this digicam function, and it’s tremendous helpful. Nonetheless, if in case you have it, you’ll must take it straightforward on the tailgate. The electronics are uncovered, and a brand new digicam in all probability isn’t low cost.
Ford F-250 Devoted Digicam Button
What actually makes Ford’s digicam system completely different, although, is how straightforward it’s to entry. You get the standard aspect mirror views, overhead digicam, hitch view, and the remainder, however there’s a button. That doesn’t sound like a giant deal, however Ram and GM each disguise the cameras within the heart display screen.
Ford has a button sitting on high of the 12-inch heart display screen that does nothing else. From there, you’ll be able to choose the view you need by an easy-to-understand graphics menu.
Proper beside that button is one other helpful one: the engine exhaust brake. Ford has added an Auto mode to the standard On and Off decisions.
“On” engages the brake to attempt to assist cease the truck everytime you carry off the accelerator. “Auto” will let the truck coast however received’t sluggish it down until you hit the brake or let it achieve velocity on a downhill until you hit the pedal. It’s the smoother of the 2 modes, however having the selection is nice.
Professional Trailer Backup Help Saves Campground Heartache
Professional Trailer Backup Help is Ford’s actual get together trick; unsurprisingly, it required essentially the most preparation. For Blind Spot Help with a trailer, the truck solely must know the way lengthy the trailer is. For backup help, it is advisable to do some driving.
First, you’ll want to use one in every of Ford’s included stickers to the tongue of your trailer. The sticker may be positioned in a variety of locations behind the hitch ball and can work with V-nose or straight tongue tools.
To calibrate the system, you’ll must do some driving, and this was the hardest half. The system guides you thru the method, however the ahead and reverse driving at low speeds, plus the variety of sharp turns, meant I couldn’t do it on the road. I needed to discover a very huge car parking zone. At the least you solely must do it as soon as per trailer, and the system will keep in mind the setup going ahead.
The system was extremely handy for backing up in a straight or near a straight line. Sure, that must be straightforward sufficient by itself, however something to make that awkward campground reverse much less of a spectacle is welcome. Who cares if the opposite guys watching make enjoyable of you for turning the little dial? You’ll be completed in a rush.
Small Reverse Issues, Attainable Driver Error
I bumped into an issue with handing over reverse. Once I cranked on the little dial, the system would solely give me about 30 levels of flip. I may again into a good parking house, and it was splendidly easy. It was even accompanied by the rear digicam views altering to finest present me the place I used to be reversing. However I wanted rather more room than doing it the old style means.
I reached out to Ford to ask if this was a security restrict or an effort to cease jackknifing. A Ford rep instructed me that it was extra doubtless an issue between the steering wheel and the motive force’s seat. OK, he didn’t fairly blame me like that, however he did recommend that it was an issue with how I calibrated the trailer.
If I didn’t make tight sufficient turns, it may suppose that I used to be turning as tightly because the trailer would enable and would do not forget that. He additionally despatched me a hyperlink to this video speaking about methods to set it up and the way it ought to work.
So sure, Professional Trailer Backup Help could make getting that trailer parked simpler, however it brings a few of its personal new challenges to the desk. At the least you solely must arrange a trailer as soon as; after that, the truck remembers all the essential components.
Beefy Powerstroke Diesel Choices
With a trailer hitched up, I can actually push the 6.7L Powerstroke diesel. That is the “low output” model of the V8, so it “solely” makes 475 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque, and it’s nonetheless an excessive amount of to totally unleash for various seconds on the freeway.
It’s sufficient energy to push this huge beast to 60 mph in 2000s-era sports activities automobile occasions, and sufficient that its nonetheless fairly fast in the present day, even with that trailer behind.
Freeway passing with the trailer? No downside. Nevertheless it’s additionally shockingly good on gas for one thing too heavy to wish an EPA ranking on the window sticker.
Ignore the numbers on the display screen in my pictures; they weren’t consultant of my complete drive. I noticed a rounding error away from 20 miles per gallon empty and 17 loaded. That’s on par with loads of the gas-powered three-row crossovers I drive and significantly better than any gas-powered V8 or V6 half-ton I’ve examined.
If it’s not sufficient for you, spend a couple of thousand extra and Ford gives you 500 horses and 1,200 pound-feet. In case it is advisable to spin the earth backward to avoid wasting Lois Lane or one thing.
The diesel choices are costly, although, with this one including $9,995 to the sticker and the HO including $12,495. The gasser doesn’t ship the torque or the gas economic system, however that’s a giant stack of money.
King Ranch Cabin Simply Misses Luxurious Ranges
King Ranch was once the highest of the Ford truck vary, however that was a very long time in the past — again when it got here with (impossible-to-maintain) saddle leather-based. Immediately, the leather-based is often coated automotive leather-based, and there are Platinum and Restricted grade trims above it.
I’ve already mentioned the cabin is immense, and it’s additionally fairly comfy. Energy operating boards make it straightforward to hop out and in, and in contrast to GM’s energy items, Ford’s boards don’t wobble round beneath me.
The engraved ranch tableau is super-cool, too, however the supplies let down the aspect. All the pieces across the buttons you contact, in addition to the display screen, is low-grade plastic. It flexes and creaks whenever you contact it, which is unavoidable. I perceive the necessity for work-ready supplies in a working pickup, however components of this sprint really feel like they’ll find yourself cracked in just some years.
Trip & Comport
The trip, when empty, is what you anticipate from an HD truck. It shakes, it shudders, and you’ll really feel practically each imperfection on the highway. The off-pavement really feel is about the identical.
With a trailer on the again and correct tongue weight, it begins to really feel higher. The shake and shudder are decreased as a result of the suspension is in its working vary. A reasonably loaded F-250 looks like an F-150 on the subject of trip consolation.
2024 Ford F-250 Tremendous Responsibility Assessment: Conclusion
The 2024 Ford F-250 Tremendous Responsibility doesn’t supply the elegant trip and cabin of the Ram HD, and its engine and transmission mixture really feel much less cohesive than the GM twins. However, a truckload of considerate particulars like the massive decrease window cutout and an abundance of tech to assist make towing simpler means it’s no shock that Ford continues to be the highest vendor on the subject of pickups 12 months after 12 months.
It’s robust to discover a full bundle that’s extra succesful and extra complete. This truck carried a window sticker of $91,290, together with vacation spot, which isn’t precisely low cost. However with a beginning worth of $46,945 for a primary XL, there must be one out there for many budgets.
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