I love trucks. My affection began on my grandfather’s ranch with a flatbed truck from the 40’s that I drove through the hay fields. I’m too young to throw balls on my back, so it made sense for the 10-year-old to drive.
Over the years, my love of trucks has remained rooted in the responsibilities they can fulfill. Whether hauling stones or firewood or pulling out stumps, my trucks are used for transportation purposes.
So when I recently had the opportunity to test drive a 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty, it was almost like Christmas morning. And I’m not the only one who loves big, rugged pickup trucks. J. D. Power settled on the existing F-350 as its most productive large heavy-duty truck of 2024
The edition I got to drive was Lariat styling with the Tremor Off Road package, which means it comes with extra floor clearance, 35-inch wheels, high-tech suspension, staggered underbody protection, and increased handling in off-road conditions. It includes a rock crawl mode and a trail mode.
I didn’t get a chance to test the truck’s ability to move slowly over rocks, but I was able to use four-wheel drive on a steep segment of a bumpy gravel road and the Super Duty solved that effortlessly. One feature I liked about the 360-degree camera. The segment I climbed had a sharp turn in the most sensitive part with some scattered rocks. The camera allowed me to obviously see the invisible giant rocks from the windshield.
Performance & Capabilities
Most drivers never want a 500-horsepower truck that can tow 40,000 pounds. But in cases where they do, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to settle for anything else. Maybe you want to haul a trailer loaded with horses down a steep, winding dirt road. down the side of the mountain. Or maybe you’re pulling a fifth wheel and a toy carrier. Or maybe you want to bring a backhoe to the job site.
Matt Degen, writing for Kelly Blue Book, says, “No matter what kind of paint you make, we can almost guarantee that a Ford Super Duty will let you do it. In our testing, we found that even the least rugged engine is a willing partner. And when we say “less harsh,” we mean a 6. 8-liter V8 with 405 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. . . But if you have to do some serious towing and hauling responsibilities, you’ll probably need the 6. 7-liter engine. The popular edition V8 turbodiesel Stroke. La produces a class-leading 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque, while the high-performance variant boosts that output to a class-leading 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. Towing figure of 40,000 lbs.
As soon as you get on a Super Duty and get it going, you can feel its musculature and its weight. Everything is solid.
Interior Comfort
This old flatbed truck my grandfather had had a front seat with padded upholstery so thin you can feel the springs in your hand (and back). I can’t say that the F-350 provides the ultimate comfort I’ve ever experienced. This designation will go to the post-2021 F-150. But the 2024 F-350 Super Duty is the most comfortable of all the heavy-duty trucks I’ve driven.
The Super Duty can be supplied with Ford Max Recline seats. This is my wife’s favorite feature in full-size Ford pickup trucks. The seats are very comfortable to drive in, but where they shine is if you need to enlarge the seat for a nap.
The interior of the F-350 is spacious. The center console is generously wide and offers a paint surface similar to that of Ford’s center console.
Safety & Driving Features
Changing lanes and reversing are more complicated when pulling a trailer. Ford makes it easy with available features like its 360-degree camera and blind-spot data system.
Super Duty control was provided with a front-end demo so that vital data, such as speed limit and speed, is displayed on the windshield in front of the vehicle. In addition, you have the option to decide the data you need to demonstrate and customize. where you need it to show up.
Ford offers several other features to make driving easier when towing a trailer.
When you’re looking to hitch a trailer, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist allows you to press a button and let the truck move into position to perform the attachment. This is especially useful when you’re alone: you don’t want to jump to check how far the ball is from the hitch. .
Similarly, Pro Trailer Backup Assist simplifies the task of reversing a trailer. Once set up, all you have to do is turn a knob in the direction you and the vehicle will be positioned where you want to be.
Beyond blind spot tracking and caution, a Super Duty equipped with a 360-degree camera provides a camera view of turn signals when towing. When you turn on the turn signal, the 12-inch touchscreen features a symbol of the truck’s look. and a lane forward that moves forward so you can see potential obstacles before changing lanes.
Price, Fuel Economy & Final Thoughts
The price of a 2024 Super Duty ranges from $46,975 to over $100,000 depending on the trim level and desired features. The value of the decal in the style I tested: the 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat trim and Tremor off-road package: $92,855.
As far as the fuel consumption of those big trucks goes, if that’s something you’re worried about, you might not be able to do it. Car and Driver reports, “Since the EPA doesn’t control cars as heavy as the Super Duty and its giant competitors, we judge them based on our own checks. On our 75 mph highway fuel economy, the diesel F-250 we checked returned 20 mpg.
I drove less than two hundred miles in my test vehicle in a combination of city and highway driving and was given about thirteen miles per gallon.
As much as I enjoyed driving the 2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty, it’s actually made for someone who tows a lot of weight or someone who wants its paintworthiness. I rarely tow smoothly and most of my homework is done with a computer. , so I can’t really justify owning a Ford Super Duty. If I was on my grandfather’s ranch picking up hay bales or hauling a farm animal trailer full of oxen, this would definitely be my vehicle of choice.