2011 Ford F- 250 Super Duty Diesel Review

By contributing editor David Colman
There are still a few escapees from the LaBrea Tar Pits roaming our highways, and this brutal Ford is one of them. At over 20 feet long, and 7 feet high, this F-250’s skeleton ought to be on display at the Museum of Natural History. Joking aside, though, if you plan to tow a big boat or mobile home, the Super Duty Diesel is just exactly what you need. The F-250, with a minimum tow rating of 11,800 pounds, will rise to meet any occasion, especially if you equip it with the new 6.7 liter Turbo V8 Diesel, which produces an amazing 735 lb-ft of torque at just 1,600 RPM. With that much grunt on hand so low in the RPM spectrum, you need to take extra care not to spin the rear wheels, especially when the eight foot cargo bed is empty. In fact, the F-250 really needs 4-wheel drive to maintain traction in damp conditions, because it’s way too easy to get this rig sideways in the wet in rear wheel drive.




The base price of the F-250, $39,420, includes a 6.2 liter gasoline engine good for 385 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Although the 390 hp Diesel makes only 5 hp more than the gas motor, it’s the Diesel’s extra 330 lb-ft torque that distinguishes it from the base motor. That, and the $7,835 premium you’ll pay for the optional engine. In fact, our test F-250 was so loaded with options that the final tally on the invoice read $55,435.
Among the more expensive items was the $1,985 FX4 Off-Road Package, which stiffened the suspension and added Michelin 275/65R20 LTX-XT tires. The $995 Chrome Package added very useful chromed running boards, which eased entry to the 2 foot high door openings by providing a step in height of just 18 inches. If you want a power sliding rear window for the back of the crew cab, you’ll add $250. Off-Road FX4 Skid Plates up the tally by $295.

When you combine a rear view camera ($470) with a reverse vehicle aid sensor ($245), you’re able to view (in the inside rear view mirror) terrain behind you that would otherwise be invisible. This option also eases the burden of backing onto a trailer ball. For a vehicle as fully equipped as this F250, however, there were some surprising omissions. The dash contained no Navigation unit, the front seats lacked heaters, and the tailgate on the pickup bed crashed open with a tremendous judder. Although Ford has thoughtfully included a stow-away bed ladder in the 3 foot high bed’s tailgate, it would be nice if the back gate were hydraulically damped.









The Super Duty Diesel F250 is a remarkable behemoth. It will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, off or on road, with minimum fuss. The new 6.7 liter Diesel is so remarkably quiet you’d think it was a gas motor. The tremendous torque is really the selling point of this expensive option, which actually amounts to a tremendous bargain when you consider the output per dollar. Just how much would you have to spend to make a gas motor that strong? At least $20,000. Spend a week behind the wheel of this comfortable, conveniently optioned, four-door XLT trim level cab, and you’ll hardly know you’re in a truck – until you flatten the accelerator pedal.
2011 FORD F-250 4×4 CREW CAB 6.7 LITER DIESEL

• ENGINE: 6.7L Power Stroke™ V8 Turbocharged Diesel
• HORSEPOWER: 400 hp at 2,800 RPM
• TORQUE: 800 lb-ft at 1,600 RPM
• TRANSMISSION: 6-speed SelectShift Automatic™
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: N/A
• PRICE AS TESTED: $55,435

Posted in: Cars