G14 AUTOMOTIVE THE CAR PAGES A short story about reaching lofty heights
Super Duty XLT pickup truck. That’s climbing as in “climbing.” My height is 5 feet 6 inches.My wife,Mary
Y
Anne, barely rises 5 feet. The 2011 model of the F-350 crew-cab pickup stands nearly 7 feet from ground to rooftop. The truck’s ground clearance, the distance between the road and its chassis, is 8.2 inches. It’s a tall, big truck. We’re short, little people. There was a construction crew working on a
house across the street from our home in Northern Virginia.We provided comic relief for them during our time in the F-350 Super Duty XLT. The workers would snicker and finger-point
in a manner stereotypical of alpha males watching something that, in their estimation, is less than manly. Mary Anne would try to lift herself into the
front passenger seat using a ceiling-mounted interior handle. I’d try to give her a gentlemanly boost. That would yield laughter and head-shaking among the construction workers. They would laugh when I tried to haul
myself into the driver’s seat, desperately grabbing the ceiling-mounted assist handle on that side. The only thing that made them laugh harder wasMary Anne struggling to lift herself into the driver’s chair. “You’re going to drive that thing?” They’d put that question to both of us, depending on who was taking a turn behind the wheel. “Yes,” we were going to drive that thing.We
may be little people—nerdy, urban types— but we love trucks.Mary Anne grew up with them in Texas. I was reared with them in Louisiana. In both states, if you wanted to get something done—haul, pull, or push something—you did it with a truck. Trucks are respected in those places, as they
are everywhere in the country where there is physical labor to be done, and where that work often involves pulling and hauling off- road. Mary Anne and I weren’t going to do
anything that difficult. Our plan was to make a few dump runs, to continue divesting ourselves of the detritus of 25 years of living in the same house, which had transitioned from family shelter to semi-storage unit for children who had moved out to adulthood. We also planned to buy more shelves to properly house those hard-to-dump things— books. We accomplished both tasks, made easier
by three recommended options—two of which are substantially less expensive than
WARREN BROWN On Wheels
the first, the 6.7-liter turbo-diesel Power Stroke engine (400 horsepower, 800 foot- pounds of torque). That monster diesel is more fuel-efficient
than the standard 6.2-liter gasoline-fueled V-8 (385 horsepower, 405 foot-pounds of torque). Its better fuel efficiency—an estimated 30 percent more efficient in terms of the amount of work done per unit of fuel used—and considerably higher torque means the big diesel makes more sense as an engine in a
FORD/WIECK
tough work truck. But the turbo-diesel V-8 is a pricey option, adding
$7,835 to the cost of the F-350. And the price of diesel fuel—nationally $3.07 a gallon, compared with $2.83 a gallon for regular gasoline—doesn’t help.
But the other two recommended options, the
Tough Bed spray-in bed liner and the tailgate step, are more reasonable. The liner costs $450. But it will save hundreds,
possibly thousands, of dollars more in terms of scratches, dents and other damage to the cargo bed. Short people will smile every time they use the optional tailgate handle and step to climb into the cargo area. That step saves backs and face, reducing the amount of strain and embarrassment for short folks in loading and unloading the cargo bed. Ford’s F-Series trucks have been the best-selling
vehicles in the United States for a generation. After a week in the F-350 Super Duty, it’s easy to see why.
brownw@washpost.com
ou don’t understand the meaning of “Ford tough” until you’ve spent a week climbing in and out of a Ford F-350
NUTS&BOLTS 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT
Bottom line: The F-350 is a dedicated work truck, although it can be outfitted to mimic a luxury ride. In the matter of options, there are many ways to waste money. But there are options that make sense, such as the turbo-diesel Power Stroke engine, the Tough Bed spray-in bed liner and the tailgate step.
Ride, acceleration and handling: It rides and handles better than we expected. But it’s still a truck—front stabilizer bar with solid live-axle suspension front and rear. On bumpy roads, you feel the bumps. Acceleration is slow from start. But it hauls tail when it gets moving.
Head-turning quotient: Once you’re safely behind the wheel, no one laughs at you in this big truck with the bold chrome grille.
Body style/layout: The 2011 F-350 Super Duty XLT is a full-size pickup available with regular cab (two side doors), extended cab (two full side doors, two partial rear-access doors) or crew cab (four full side doors). It is available with rear-wheel or four-wheel drive.
Engines/transmissions: The standard arrangement is a gasoline-fueled 6.2-liter V-8 engine (385 horsepower, 405 foot- pounds of torque) with a six-speed transmission that can be operated automatically or manually. The F-350 Super Duty XLT driven for this column was equipped with an optional turbo- diesel 6.7-liter V-8 (400 horsepower, 800 foot-pounds of torque) and a six-speed manual-capable automatic transmission.
Capacities: There are seats for six people. Maximum payload is 3,660 pounds.With the diesel option, the F-350 can be outfitted to tow a trailer weighing 14,800 pounds. That falls to a tow capacity of 14,000 pounds with the gasoline engine. Fuel- tank sizes vary. Our diesel-powered truck came with a 26-gallon tank.
Mileage: We drove the 2011 F-350 Super Duty XLT with diesel option 370 miles, averaging a combined 14.2 miles per gallon city/highway.We refilled the tank with required ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel in Northern Virginia for $79.82.
Safety: Standard equipment includes four-wheel disc brakes, anti-lock brake protection, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability and traction control, and front and side- curtain air bags.
Prices: The base price on the 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT is $40,450. Dealer’s invoice price on that model is $37,376. Price as tested is $51,145, including $9,720 in options (diesel engine, backup camera system, Tough Bed bed liner, tailgate step, Sirius satellite radio, Ford Sync infotainment system, adjustable acceleration and brake pedals, skid plates and other elements of the FX4 off-road package, and a $975 destination charge). Dealer’s price as tested is $46,419. Consumer rebates totaling $2,500 were available at this writing.
OPQRS
BD
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010
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