Driving Impressions

People familiar with trucks, and most particularly those familiar with previous Ford trucks, will find a surprisingly enhanced driving experience in the new F-Series. For some time, partly due to the Twin I-Beam, partly due to over-assisted power steering, Ford trucks had a numb feel through the steering and would wander when encountering large dips or road irregularities, and were very susceptible to being blown around by crosswinds. That's all pretty much a thing of the past. Our F-250 had genuine steering feel, either when traveling straight ahead or negotiating twists and turns. And it had a high degree of directional stability, which helps to keep the vehicle headed down its intended path. Ride, too, was remarkably good. One big problem with pickup trucks has always been how poorly they tend to ride when empty; this can become really annoying on fairly long trips on concrete interstate highways, where the truck will bounce ceaselessly. We ran our F-250 through exactly such a situation for several hours, and the ride was relatively car-like and comfortable, mile after mile. Another part of the driving pleasure quotient is due to the smooth, quiet overhead cam engine. There's no truck-like roar or rumble, no feeling that it's overworked at higher speeds. Again, driving around the city, or taking an extended highway cruise, the 5.4-liter Triton engine was probably the most velvety full-size pickup truck engine we've encountered. The 4.6-liter version is equally smooth, but less powerful, and we highly recommend the stronger 5.4-liter V8. It's $555 more, but you'll probably get most, if not all, of it back at trade-in time.

Final Word

It's a little bit of a contradiction in terms to think of "truck" in the same sentence with "cutting edge, aerodynamic styling," but with the new Ford F-Series, we think it works. There's a lot to like about it in addition to the look. The interior is extraordinary, the new V8s are silky and strong, the ride and drive is exceptional and it's full to the brim with worthwhile features. We don't see how you could go wrong.