There are three main contenders in the three-quarter-ton class, but only one of them is in the four-figure class ... when it comes to torque.
The Ford F-250's 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8 engine makes more than 1,000 foot-pounds of it. This explains why it can pull more than 20,000 pounds.
That's another figure that puts this Ford in a class by itself.
What It Is
The F-250 is Ford's heavy-duty, full-size pickup.
Like its main rivals — the Chevy Silverado 2500 and Ram 2500 — it comes standard with a big (gas) V-8 engine and offers an even bigger gas V-8 — as well as regular, extended and crew cab body styles with an 8-foot-long bed available with any of them. That's not available in many light-duty/half-ton trucks, which don't come standard with a big V-8 either.
But the big Ford offers the brawniest diesel by far as well as the highest maximum tow rating of the bunch.
Prices start at $34,035 for an XL trim regular cab with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine. A top-of-the-line Limited crew cab with the 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel (a roughly $10k option), four-wheel drive and all the bells and whistles can sticker for more than $80,000.
What's New
The optional 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8 engine is uprated from 953 foot-pounds of torque last year to 1,050 foot-pounds this year.
A new 7.3-liter gas V-8 is also available.
What's Good
It's the hunkiest of the bunch.
There are three engines to choose from versus the usual two.
It has 8-foot bed availability with all the body styles (increasingly not available in the half-ton class).
What's Not So Good
The diesel option costs almost as much as some cars do.
The aluminum body costs more to fix than steel.
Getting into the bed takes a stepladder.
Under the Hood
The F-250's smallest (standard) V-8 displaces 6.2 liters and belts out 385 horsepower and 430 foot-pounds of torque — enough to pull 15,800 pounds.
For more — of everything — the F-250 offers a massive 7.3-liter V-8 engine. It is the biggest V-8 you can get in ... anything.
It makes 430 horsepower, 475 foot-pounds of torque and ups the F-250's towing capabilities to 19,500 pounds.
And there's more to come — if you choose the Ford's third available engine.
It's the 6.7-liter PowerStroke turbodiesel V-8, the only four-figure V-8 you can get (shy of a Peterbilt) and the only one in the class rated to pull a foundation-ripping 22,800 pounds.
The standard 6.2-liter V-8 is paired with a six-speed automatic, but both the 7.3-liter gas V-8 and the 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel come standard with heavy-duty 10-speed automatic transmissions that have a very deep .63 overdrive in tenth gear.
All three engines can be paired with rear-drive or four-wheel drive and with any cab/bed or trim configuration.
On the Road
Really capable trucks with solid axles and leaf springs like this one used to be a handful. They were great on the job site and just the ticket for getting your Airstream to the campsite. But they were like Mr. Universe-level bodybuilders in that they were just too big — and much too clunky — for everyday driving.
Amenities? If you had carpet, you were riding in style.
Now there's only a pea-under-30-or-so-mattresses' worth of difference in ride quality, noise and even handling between a heavy-duty, three-quarter-ton truck like this one and the light-duty 1500s.
Well, once you're inside.
As upsized as the current crop of half-ton trucks are, the 2500s are even more so — especially vertically. Running boards are not optional — unless you're an NBA forward. You climb up and pull yourself in.
But once you're settled in, the rest is easy.
It's almost as if — no, it's exactly as if — anyone could drive this truck.
It does not take a caveman — or even a man — to do it.
At the Curb
Ford's Super Duty series of trucks used to look very different from the light-duty F-150. But then styling overlap happened, and the Super Duty look — high bed walls, inverted hockey stick driver and passenger-side door uppers — became the look of the half-tons.
What separates the Super Duty from the half-tons of today — aside from the heavier-duty underthings and the much bigger things under the hood — is the limitless configurations of cab and bed.
The Rest
If you buy the diesel, you can turn on the exhaust brake to keep the big lug from picking up too much speed in its lane while going downhill. You'll feel like a Peterbilt driver — just without the Peterbilt.
Also, you can go far — despite the big-rig appetite of the big V-8s.
Regular cab F-250s come standard with a 29-gallon fuel tank, but you can get a 34-gallon tank with extended cab models and a 48-gallon tank with crew cab versions.
Enough to travel four digits — even at 25 mpg.
The Bottom Line
In terms of power and capability, this truck is so far ahead of the pack it could stop by the side of the road for a Big Gulp and a pee break and still beat its rivals to the finish line — with 22,000-plus pounds riding on the bumper.
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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