From the August issue of Car and Driver. Ford's Super Duty pickups did not debut until last March, so we must chalk up to coincidence the name of a Memphis hip-hop group that debuted in The band is called Big Ass Truck. The Super Duty pickups have soldiered on with a design that has had only modest updating since , so they were overdue for a makeover. This, however, is much more than a makeover. Ford's Super Duty model shares considerably less with its little-brother F than previously. Looks, for instance.
The Super Duty pickups have big, substantial grilles that more than one observer has suggested was inspired by the current Dodge Ram pickup. Our F was powered by the optional 6. Its horsepower is impressive, but its pound-feet of torque is what makes it a worthwhile truck engine. It isn't as gutsy as Dodge's 8. Despite the big exhaust outlet, it sounds like a relatively docile V General Motors, incidentally, isn't interested in V powerβthe General will stick with the horse, 7.
That aside, we expect a certain number of Ford customers to be swayed by the prominent front-fender badges that say, "Triton V," sort of the late-Nineties' equivalent of the Sixties' muscle-car hood scoop, although the majority of customers would likely find the standard 5. The V provides right-respectable acceleration in this pound dualieβ0 to 60 mph took Our last 7.
The engine and the four-speed 4R automatic transmission are nicely matched. The anti-lock brakes work wellβthe foot stopping distance recorded from 70 mph is respectable given this truck's size and three-ton weight.
Handling, however, is another story. The 0. It's also well behind the 0. Suffice it to say that owners won't be seeking out twisty roads.
