2008 Ford Super Duty F-450

The über-equipped F-450 pickup tested for this story bore marks of a broad options brush stroke: a moonroof wide enough to serve as a backup strip for the space shuttle; navigation that still leads the industry for simplicity and easy interface; a sound system that, while complicated, suffers no shortages of power or quality (and has the iPod port no new vehicle should be without); passenger heating, power rear sliding window, and auxiliary power switches for all your pre-wired power needs. Leather and false (but not ugly) wood is all about, and remote sound controls are nicely positioned in the steering wheel. Need a button or switch, it's here, reachable but scattered about the control suite.


Though we never got to use them, there were scads more neato special-duty items on this $50,000-plus towing machine. An OEM block heater, SIRIUS radio (did we mention the iPod port?), electric telescoping (PowerScope) trailer mirrors. Traction control. Heated seats. A nifty new built-in tailgate step. While one may question the logic of building small movable parts into the abuse-zone of a workin' truck like this, and perhaps question whether a real truck guy needs a step to get in and out of the box, there were at least two old dudes who approved. Remember, owning a near-tractor pickup like Ford's F-450 is not an inexpensive proposition: Sometimes it takes a well-funded old guy to appreciate a detail like easy box access.

Hardware for Workin'
The serious truckin' and work capacities of the Ford F-450 do not deny the cozy condition of its interior, nor the benefit of adopting traditionally "carlike" driving characteristics to it. Better steering and road feel are not a bad thing, and any compensations for the potentially Stone Age ride of a high-capacity load rating are welcome. The rear leafs are longer, and this basic alteration to the physics of spring movement reduce the harsh response of a shorter, stiffer spring. All F-450 pickups use the wide-frame monobeam front suspension introduced in 2005 on the F-450/F-550 chassis cabs, a huge advancement over previous Super Duty trucks, and the turning radius for these large trucks is astoundingly small. The wheel just keeps coming over. Of more consequence than driving characteristics alone, the behaviors of the 2008 F-450 Super Duty pickup driving under load are something towing and workaday users have dreamt about.


To drag a trailer with the 'Stroked F-450 pickup is easier than any production pickup has made it before. Up to 24,500 lbs. can be hauled behind a correctly equipped Super Duty, and 6120 lbs. of whatever you've got will fit just fine in the bed. All this weight is moved more simply with the power routed through Ford's infallible five-speed TorqShift transmission, a tow-friendly automatic transmission that's made the 6.4L PowerStroke look even better. Like the name or not, at your command this box holds gears for improved decel and downhill control, and towing speed in the uphill is more easily maintained with a gear-fixing shift strategy that avoids excessive shifts and gear hunting.


At the heart of the Super Duty legend lays the imperturbable 6.4L PowerStroke V8 turbo diesel. From the 7.3 liters sprung the advanced new 6.0-liter, and now comes the 6.4 liter bearing dual sequential turbochargers, more boost (up to 40 psi gauge), greater cooling, enhanced efficiency and improved durability. Oh yes, and with this new iteration of the 'Stroke comes the factory torque enough to tweak Earth's rotation: 650 lb.-ft. at 2000 rpm, and 350 hp at 3000 rpm. This new diesel (combined with improved emissions controls) runs cleaner and with less noise, both in response to ultra-high direct-injection pressure (about 26,000 psi). The piezo-electric injectors enable multiple injector pulses per combustion cycle and increased control of the fuel used (and the subsequent burn quality helps reduce emissions, smoothes engine operation and knocks down noise production). A low-pressure fixed-geometry turbine spins up early and manages initial acceleration, while a high-pressure variable-geometry turbine (the same style turbocharger that handled boosting duties in the 6.0-liter 'Stroke) spools behind it to fulfill the new PowerStroke's demands for boost.