MotoramicDriving the 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty, the big dogs in Detroit
The Big Three duke it out in pretty much every corner of the market, and some rivalries—like between their respective muscle cars—are juicier than others. But in no battle do GM, Chrysler and Ford compete more fiercely than in that of full-size pickups. And not just the light-duty models, but in their heavy duty forms, as well. In the case of the latter, the winner is typically the one with the most power. Or hood-twisting torque, to be specific.
The reigning horsepower and torque champ is the 2015 Ford Super Duty pickup that, with its optional 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8, produces an otherworldly 440 hp at and 860 pound feet of torque, up from the 2014 model’s still unfathomable 400 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque and far more powerful than its standard gas-powered 6.2-liter V-8, with its paltry 385 hp and 405 lb-ft. The revised Power Stroke produces way more more grunt than the new 2015 Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD trucks with their shared 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V-8 that produces “just” 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque. It out-torques (barely) the Ram Heavy Duty’s 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine, with its 385 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque.
All of this is in order to have payload and towing bragging rights, of course, and the Ford models’ maximum tow capacity for its F-450 dually rises from 24,700 lbs. to 31,200 lbs., leapfrogging the Ram 3500’s 30,000 lb. rating and bests the GM twins by 8,000 lbs. Should you be able to live without the F-350’s massive 19.5-inch commercial-grade wheels and beefed-up suspension, the somewhat softer F-350 can still tow 26,500 lbs. of your stuff on a fifth-wheel trailer, while the F-250 can tug up to 16,800 lbs., or roughly the weight of the other two trucks combined.
Ford didn’t have to reinvent the reverse-flow SOHC Power Stroke to achieve the newfound power; engineers simply added new injector nozzles and swapped out the existing turbo for a larger one. The increased airflow in turn allows for improved exhaust braking via backpressure within the turbo, which is now selectable via a button beside the steering column. The level to which the exhaust brake slows the truck can be reduced if desired by stepping lightly on the accelerator pedal, a cool trick that’s unique within the segment, says Ford.
Ford has also stated that not only did the design of the 6.7-liter engine make it relatively easy to upgrade, but that the newfound power does not come at the expense of fuel economy. That said, they weren’t exactly eager to provide actual fuel economy numbers, which it is not obliged to provide (yet) due to its weight class.
“The improvements we’ve made essentially give Super Duty customers an engine designed for our larger F-650 and F-750 trucks,” said Ford in a earlier press release. “They may not realize how tough this engine really is.”
To drive that point home (well, far from home for us), Ford brought us to rural West Virginia, along with the 2015 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duties and comparable GM and Ram rigs, each loaded up with something close their trailering max. A stretch of highway that included a steep (seven percent) four-mile grade often used by its engineers for product verification was to be our battleground.
First up was the big, stonkin’ F-450 dually, in which we rode shotgun with a Ford engineer, since we would have needed a commercial driver’s license in order to legally tow the 30,000-pound fifth-wheel trailer that was hooked up to it. We repeated the test in another F-450 loaded all the way to the 31,200-pound max, and then again with a Ram pulling 30,000 pounds. Not surprisingly, the Super Duty trucks ruled the day, maintaining 50–55 mph as we ascended the four-mile grade, with even the fully loaded F-450 passing the Ram, which dropped into the mid-40s at full throttle. The F-450’s ride was quite rough, and the engine seemed louder than the Ram’s at full tilt, though when it comes to pulling such heavy loads up hills and, if necessary, summoning passing power to overcome slower rigs, noise is usually the least of a driver’s concerns. Besides, it sounds like a big rig and to some of us, that’s part of the fun.
We repeated the exercises in the F-350 and comparable Silverado and Ram one-tonners with gargantuan fifth-wheel RV trailers and found that, once again, the Super Duty trucks took the hill with the least loss of speed and very little gear-hunting on the part of the six-speed transmission. On downhill stretches in tow/haul mode, the exhaust brake made for intuitive and stable speed adjustments via the right pedal, helping to preserve the brakes, as well as the upper gear lockout device, operated via the rocker switch on the shifter. The wide, tall RV trailers also gave us appreciation for the power telescoping outside mirrors; the Ram’s smaller mirrors flip outward for towing wide loads, but that must be done manually on both sides.
The sports car of the group was the F-250 with a 9,000-lb auto trailer, which charged up with hill with no loss of speed. That said, in this regard the three-way comparison seemed to reach more equivalence, at least in terms of each truck getting up the hill at full speeds, though the Ford retains distinct advantages in passing and transmission smoothness, however.
You get the point: the Power Stroke can pull. But how does the Super Duty drive on its own? Ford also provided us some wheel-time in untethered F-250 4X4s, one with an empty bed and another saddled with 1000 lbs. in the back (which is less than a third of that particular models’ 3250 lb. payload max). Not surprisingly, with that much torque being sent to the rear wheels, wheelspin is inevitable if you mash the throttle from a standstill, but even with the empty bed, it’s not as easy as we had expected/feared. And when it comes to handling and braking, the truck seems utterly impervious to such a payload and remains eminently drivable, so long as you are comfortable driving several inches if not feet above standing height for most people.
Another revelation came in the form of the F-250’s remarkable ride composure, with less-than-expected structural quivers when the road gets rough (or disappears altogether). Steering is slow and numb, but direct and obedient. The brakes are strong, but like the steering, are utterly devoid of feel. Then again, you’re not going to find any heavy duty trucks that will give you much feedback through the pedals or the wheel, so the Super Duty shouldn’t be faulted too much for that.
If the Ford has any competitive weaknesses, they are 1) its dated styling—unchanged since 2011—and 2) the cluttered, comparatively cheap-feeling cabin. Even in the fancy Platinum and Texas-y King Ranch trims (both of which boast fantastically comfortable front seats, by the way), the Super Duty’s interiors are awash in hard plastic panels and inelegant, overwrought shapes. Most buyers might accept this as par for the heavy duty course, only that's no longer true, with Ram and Chevy having stepped it up recently inside their cushy new rigs.
The 2015 Super Duty can be had for as little as $32,240 in XL work truck form, though the cheapest model with the Power Stroke costs $40,720. The loaded King Ranch and Platinum grades we enjoyed came with sticker prices ranging between $65K and $75K, which may seem like a surprisingly high figure if you haven’t been shopping for such a truck in recent years, but if you already tow or haul with any frequency, it probably won’t surprise you.
Looking ahead, the next-generation of Ford’s Super Duty pickups are expected to appear as soon as next year or 2016, and you can bet that with updated styling, modernized interiors, and an expected switch to lightweight aluminum body components, the Super Duty trucks will be lighter, more nimble, much more comfortable, and if the underhood wars continue as they have, even more powerful. In the meantime, however, the current Power Stroke has all the grunt any non-professional trucker would ever need.
