2006 Ford F-250, F-350 Super Duty XLT Crew Cab 6.0L Diesel 4WD

We don't know about you, but when we're in the high Sierras and we see a family with a diesel-powered crew-cab pickup towing some cool ski boat—with a big wakeboard tower that looks like the Golden Gate—whisking up some 10,000-foot peak on the way to Lake Tahoe, we go nearly insane with jealously. Maybe it's a guy thing. But having made such treks with some great rigs (along with some comically poor ones—how about a Triumph TR4 towing a Hobie Cat uphill at 15 mph—), we can tell you unequivocally: Great equipment rocks. And the 2006 Super Duty XLT Crew Cab, equipped with Ford's stunning Power Stroke six-liter diesel, is exactly that.

All the Room You Need

Automakers, or make that truck makers, figured out some time ago that we have an incredible amount of Large Things in our lives. We have boats—big offshore cruisers and fast metal-flake bass boats. We have Belgian draft horses and Belgian draft-horse trailers. Tall kids and tall kids' basketball teams. Plus briefcases and laptop computers, sporting and camping equipment, and all kinds of other things too valuable to put in the back of a pickup truck.


This is exactly why the Crew Cab was invented. Its interior offers an incredible amount of room and seats up to six passengers. Up front is a roomy three-passenger bench seat offering independently adjustable sections for the driver and passenger, while the FlexFoldTM 60/40 rear seat can be configured for storage, passengers—or both. "Captain's chairs" (luxurious independent driver and passenger's seats) are available in different trim sets, including leather trimmed. A nice breathable cloth is the standard upholstery with XLT.

Big Muscle for Big Jobs

The Super Duty nomenclature defines the serious players in Ford's pickup workload hierarchy, and brings a choice of rugged F-250 or even heavier-duty F-350 models. Both offer a heavy-duty driveline and suspension, a more businesslike ride quality, and a greater work capacity than the standard-issue F-150.


But the piece de resistance in the Super Duty line up is Ford's 6.0-liter diesel V-8. Producing 325 hp and 570 lb.-ft. of torque (you read that right, 570 lbs.-ft!), the F-250 can conventionally tow up to 12,500 pounds. Or for really huge loads, try a properly equipped F-350 that can 5th wheel tow up to 19,200 pounds. Whichever you choose, the optional TowCommand System, which features an Integrated Trailer Brake Controller, makes the driver's job that much easier. Good news for 2006, the Super Duty diesel engine is now emissions certified in all 50 states.