2008 Ford Super Duty F-450

Competition is fierce in the pickup truck world, even more so in the big-truck realm. Ford has done something superior with their new 2008 F-Series Super Duty and created a big truck dynasty—something durable, an enduring answer for those in need of a big truck. As such, the Ford Super Duty has gilded the marketplace; its presence on the worksite does not go un-noticed. It's towed itself into toy-hauler history, and broadly affected the trends of design and function for all heavy-duty pickups. And now comes the Ford F-450 pickup with more capability than any pickup truck ever before.


Why should you care about Ford's new F-450 pickup? Dual sequential turbos on a bigger 6.4-liiter PowerStroke diesel, massive tow and haul capabilities, bigger axles, a highly evolved big-truck ride and an options list longer than your arm.


"Best ever" is a marketing phrase that's been ground into powder by overzealous promotion. It doesn't mean much anymore. You expect a subsequent design to be better than the former. Sweeping threadbare phraseology aside, Ford showrooms will see the 2008 F-450 pickup as something more than just the next iteration. This is the evolution of the heavy-duty truck, a creature beyond the next "Best." Imagine the first atomic aircraft carrier to sail into harm's way, or the first jet fighters to duel with prop-driven P-51s. This truck is new like sliced bread.

Drive This Truck

Great steps have been taken by truck manufacturers to make the working vehicles they build more luxurious inside and out. While it may be a wise trend to bring some civility to the function of a pickup, it doesn't make such a truck any lighter, smaller, or simpler to drive. Likewise, Ford's Super Duty pickups, like the F-450, are neither small nor light. Curb weight will exceed 8500 lbs. for a dual-wheel 4x4, long bed crew cab F-450 pickup. Impromptu testing quickly identified improvements in braking behavior; the big binders on this truck were honestly inspiring. That's a "carlike" characteristic we don't mind seeing.


The quality of the steering experience is another feather in this very large truck's very large hat. Directional stability, tire-to-wheel communication, linear guidance translation and the overall wheel-in-hand satisfaction of navigating this otherwise sizeable rig make it seem much less, well, large. If that was what Ford's Super Duty engineers sought when they targeted a "carlike" driving behavior for their big pickups, they sought well. You'd never mistake this truck for Town Car, but it is a pleasant, accommodating vehicle to drive. An owner of an earlier generation Super Duty would be impressed with wheel time in a 2008.