• Auto123 puts the new and improved 2023 Ford F-250 through its paces.
Trois-Rivières, QC - Almost a year ago, American auto giant Ford invited a number of truck and van journalists to discover the all-new Ford F Super Duty. This coincided with the 2022 Detroit Auto Show.
We then conducted an initial test of the revised Super Duty series in Kentucky, without, however, putting the trucks through their paces on public roads.
More recently, Ford of Canada gave us the opportunity to test out the F-250 truck, both off and on the road.
Why the F-250 specifically? Probably because this full-size pickup is a favourite among pickup owners for towing trailers and caravans of all sizes. In other words, the model presentation was aimed more at home users than at contractors – though not exclusively. More on that below.
New from bumper to bumper
The F Super Duty range was completely redesigned for 2023, even if the silhouette is still recognizable. Two new engines have been added to the catalog, including a “smaller” 6.8L V8, which makes 400 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. This engine is only available with the base XL version.
Other trim levels can be equipped with a 7.3L V8 good for 430 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque. In the trade, this is known by its codename Godzilla (while the smaller V8 has been christened BabyZilla or MiniZilla, take your pick!).
On the other hand, if buyers opt for the PowerStroke turbodiesel V8 (an engine completely designed and built by Ford), they can choose between the regular version (475 hp and 1050 lb-ft) or a brand-new High Output option (500 hp and 1200 lb-ft of torque). Note that Super Duty models equipped with this engine feature a door ornament indicating displacement, but with red inserts in the centre of the numbers.
In all cases, the engines work via a 10-speed Ford automatic transmission, with four-wheel drive on request (although some base models can be had with rear-wheel drive only).
A first contact
To give us a taste of each of the engines in the catalog, Ford of Canada provided us with half a dozen F-250s powered by one or other of these engines.
Incidentally, according to Matt Drennan-Scace, Director of Communications at Ford of Canada, some 90 percent of F-250 buyers express one main reason for purchasing such a truck: its towing capacity. In the case of the F-250, here are those numbers:
- F-250 with 6.8L V8: 14,800 lb
- F-250 with 7.3L V8: 17,200 lb
- F-250 with 6.7L V8 turbodiesel: 18,200 lb
- F-250 with 6.7L V8 turbodiesel, fifth-wheel or gooseneck attachment: 22,900 lb
- F-250 with V8 High Output: 18,200 lb
- F-250 with High Output V8, fifth-wheel or gooseneck attachment: 23,000 lb
Among competitors, GM's figures indicate a capacity of 18,510 lb for the Silverado and Sierra 2500, while Stellantis gives a maximum capacity of 19,900 lb for the Ram 2500 HD.
In terms of payload, the F-250 offers a capacity of 4,268 lb, compared with 3,979 lb for GM pickups (Silverado and Sierra) and 4,000 lb for the Ram 2500 HD.
In a first for pickups, Ford has created a backup camera that modifies itself to remain functional when the rear panel is folded down. The Tailgate Down camera is standard on all trim levels.
The Onboard Scales option (standard on luxury versions) allows the operator to check the balance of the weight deposited in the body, thanks to the rear lights, which have indicator lights to better guide the operator.
Test, test and more tests
Ford of Canada invited us to take turns driving several versions of its F-250 in the Trois-Rivières region of Quebec. Our arrival point, the local airport, where a number of trailers were waiting for us, itching to show the many functions that enable camping and RV enthusiasts to easily manoeuvre an F-250 with its trailer.
Before we embarked on those exercises, we were invited to drive on an off-road track to educate us on how well the big F-250 can handle this kind of situation if the occasion arises.
It's worth mentioning the Tremor version (available with the XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum) comes with Trail Turn Assist, which the driver can activate from the dashboard. This function locks the rear wheel (right or left, as the case may be) if the driver has to negotiate an extremely tight turn given the length of the trailer (this function is also available on certain versions of the large Bronco).
If you have a large camper, Ford has created a number of electronically operated accessories to make driving a Ford F-250 easier.
For example, the Ford F-250 can be ordered with the Smart Hitch function (standard on luxury versions, optional on others), which analyzes and illustrates trailer weight balance on the dashboard screen.
Similarly, the Pro Trailer Hitch Assist and ProTrailer Backup Assist functions enable the F-250 to find the direct location for the hitch (ball) for attachment, and then help the driver reverse with the trailer thanks to an image reproduced on the screen. All the driver has to do is steer the vehicle accordingly using a rotary control on the dashboard (which reacts quickly!), without having to touch the steering wheel.
After our series of exercises, Ford's instructors invited us to take to the road to Shawinigan and a few other towns in the area to get a feel for the vehicle's performance and driving capabilities.
It's easy to see why these F-250s are the choice of so many who tow campers and trailers. All versions proved to be very quiet on the road, which is an improvement in this class of pickups.
The same applies to the interior environment F-250s, especially those at the top of the range. In those, it’s hard to believe you're actually in a pickup truck. And what can we say about the instrumentation (including the projection of the speedometer inside the windshield) and all the functions on the dashboard?
Acceleration is also astonishing (going from a stop to 100 km/h takes less than six seconds in some variants). On the other hand, it's tricky to appraise fuel consumption in the case of models like these, given their various configurations. Don't look for such references in the government's EnerGuide - pickups in this category don't appear there.
Pricing is similarly a case-by-case affair; just know nothing is cheap in this segment. For example, the least elaborate of the F-250s present at the Trois-Rivières event, an XL 4x4 crew cab base model with a 6.8L V8 gasoline engine (a true commercial or municipality-type pickup truck) carries a price tag of $80,969 including freight and preparation. The most high-falutin’ pickup I drove, a Limited version (still with crew cab) with a High Output turbodiesel engine, was priced at $123,960.
See also: 2023 Ford Super Duty: Here’s the Canadian Pricing
Commercial users
At the end of the event, Ford planned a little discussion to inform participants about its Ford Pro program. Kevy Stephen, Director of Charging Solutions at Ford of Canada gave us a brief explanation of the Ford Pro program, as well as the connectivity of Ford trucks thanks to integrated software.
This can help even a small business manage a fleet of Ford vans, including maintenance programs, dealer appointment scheduling, speed reading, aggression reduction, safety promotion and more. Kevy Stephen really emphasized that this way, fleet managers will have better control over their vehicles.
