2023 Ford Super Duty First Drive Review: Brainier, Brawnier, and Back on Top

The headline news for the fifth-generation Super Duty is the addition of a fourth engine at the top of the lineup, the high-output Power Stroke 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8. With 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque, it adds 25 hp and 150 lb-ft over the standard-output Power Stroke that shares most of the same hardware. To make the extra grunt, Ford engineers turned up the boost, dropped the compression ratio, fit stainless steel exhaust headers, and swapped in a cooled turbo housing to keep the aluminum compressor wheel from melting down and becoming part of the intake charge.

Multiplied through first gear and the shorter 3.55:1 final drive, the diesel's grunt balloons to more than 20,000 lb-ft at the wheels—and that's before shifting the four-wheel-drive transfer case into low range. To protect the transmission and driveline, some competitors limit the torque of their beefy diesel engines in lower gears. Ford brags that its new engine never holds back, but there's a big, fat asterisk on that claim: The traction control is always at the ready to cut torque when the tires start slipping.

Notice that I said "when," not "if." Mash the accelerator to unleash its full torque, and the tires are inevitably going to spin. It's no surprise that an unloaded truck will struggle to put down that much thrust through the rear wheels, but even an F-450 dually with 6,000 pounds of trailer tongue weight pushing down directly on the back end broke its four rear tires free when spurred.

Driven with a lighter foot, the new Power Stroke is both a gentleman and a beast. That F-450 easily muscled 40,000 pounds up a 7 percent grade starting from a stop. In an F-250 Limited, the engine did its part to justify the $92,085 sticker by simply making itself scarce until called on. The diesel's vibrations are subdued and the noise, while hardly musical, is smooth and hushed.

The TorqShift transmission is effectively an extension of the engine, helping the diesel make the most of its small operating window between 600 and 3,600 rpm. The 10-speed automatic's shifts are unhurried but unexpectedly graceful for what's essentially a work truck in a suit. Passing moves do require planning, however, as the Power Stroke takes several long and deep breaths after downshifting to spool the turbo and unload its torque. Cars and SUVs with modern turbocharged gas engines have largely eliminated the term "turbo lag" from our lexicon, but the phenomenon is alive and well in the Super Duty.

At the other end of the engine lineup, the entry 6.2-liter gas V-8 has been replaced by a 405-hp 6.8-liter unit that improves output by 20 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque. Designed for fleet customers, it's only offered in the entry $45,865 F-250 XL and $46,865 F-350 XL and pairs with the less stout TorqShift-G version of the 10-speed transmission. Unfortunately, among the 20 or so trucks on hand for Ford's media drive, we didn't find a single 6.8-liter V-8 in the mix, so we can't say anything about how it drives.

Buyers who love a simple truck with Leatherman-like versatility will appreciate the new (and inventively named) XL Off-Road package. This no-frills kit developed with mining companies in mind upgrades traction and protects the critical bits with 33-inch all-terrain tires, a locking rear differential, skid plates guarding the transfer case and fuel tank, a unique front air dam with a better approach angle, and raised vent tubes to keep water out of the transfer case and differentials.

On an undulating, mud-slicked trail, a diesel F-250 with the XL Off-Road package never hunted for purchase, but if you're planning on more hardcore recreational adventures, the Tremor Off-Road package makes a compelling argument with its taller 35-inch tires, front limited-slip differential, front-end lift, and Trail Turn Assist, which drags the inside rear wheel in corners to drastically tighten its turning circle. That last feature, new for 2023, magically shrinks the 21-foot Super Duty on wooded trails where it would otherwise feel as nimble as the Ever Given container ship navigating the Suez Canal.

Ford truck engineers have earned a reputation for cooking up clever, segment-first features that occasionally make their peers at Ram and Chevy look like they're living in caves. We've seen them do it with recent redesigns of the F-150 and the launch of the F-150 Lightning, and it continues with the new Super Duty. By mounting parking sensors and a camera in the top of the tailgate, Ford gives owners an extra set of eyes when hauling long cargo or backing up to a loading dock. It's a feature that's as useful as it is simple, especially when the load in the bed is also blocking the view out the rear window.

Pro Trailer Hitch Assist backs the truck up to a trailer—steering, accelerating, and braking without driver input—and places the ball directly under the coupler. It worked flawlessly when I tried it during Ford's demonstration, although at about 90 seconds start-to-finish, it isn't exactly quick. A human driver can do it quicker with a spotter guiding them to the precise spot, but letting the truck handle it sure beats getting in and out of the cab three times when you're alone.

Several new features are directly ported over from the F-150. Ford's Onboard Scales with Smart Hitch measures the payload or trailer tongue weight for safer, more stable hauling. Pro Power Onboard provides up to 2.0 kilowatts to household outlets in the bed and cab for running tools, lights, or laptops. Trailer navigation helps drivers avoid low bridges, tight turns, and load limits on a route based on trailer dimensions and weight. The Super Duty's blind-spot monitors can also now extend their coverage to include the sides of a trailer, or you can integrate trailer-mounted accessory cameras and blind-spot monitors directly into the truck's infotainment screen, speakers, and warning lights.

Inside, the new Super Duty is almost indistinguishable from an F-150. Moving the shifter from the console to the steering column in the heavy-duty truck opens up additional cubby space, but an F-150 owner would otherwise be able to find their coffee, turn on the heated seats, and tune the radio to Outlaw Country with their eyes closed.

A $100,000 Super Duty isn't nearly as posh as a $100,000 Mercedes, but the list of available equipment runs just as long. If you're willing to make mortgage-sized payments on a pickup truck, you can have massaging seats, a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster, an 18-speaker B&O sound system, and a head-up display. Lariat trims and higher get the larger 12.0-inch infotainment screen, but even the standard 8.0-inch display features wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple Carplay. For commercial customers, Ford's slick Upfit Integration System allows drivers to control third-party equipment such as outriggers, cranes, and lights via the touchscreen.

When you factor in the weight of the truck itself, you can rig a Super Duty to a gross combined weight rating of 48,000 pounds, or 60 percent of what a semi is legally allowed to haul. It's a preposterous amount of weight that almost no one will use. By the time you're talking about moving this much mass, you probably already own an F-750 or an actual semi truck, or maybe a whole fleet of them.

Besides, there's exactly one truck that achieves each of the big numbers. The 40,000-pound yanker is a rear-wheel-drive, regular-cab F-450 dually with the high-output diesel and an optional package that trades the center console for a bin on the floor to save weight. To carry 8,000 pounds, Ford cuts even more weight by requiring the 6.8-liter gas V-8 on a rear-drive F-350 rear axle.

Of course, all this peacocking means that any tasks within the limits of less capable trucks feel like total nonevents. I pulled a roughly 8,600-pound boat with the 7.3-liter gas V-8 and a 24,000-pound enclosed trailer with the high-output Power Stroke, both via conventional hitch, and felt just as confident in the steering and braking as with an unloaded truck. The biggest difference, other than slower acceleration, is the roar of the cooling fan working overtime anytime the road points upward.

No one buys a heavy-duty truck for the steering precision, the ride quality, the acceleration, or the brake feel, but it's no bad thing that the Super Duty generally drives with the same decent manners of an F-150. The primary ride—the way it tames body movements and cushions harsh impacts—is surprisingly good. Heavy-duty trucks are typically saddled with uncomfortably stiff springs to carry such heavy loads, but an unloaded F-250 managed Michigan roads without beating me up. It does, however, suffer from the usual (but still annoying) secondary shake, a jittery sensation that's inherent in all body-on-frame trucks, but better in some than others.

It's easy to point at the big numbers put up by the Ford Super Duty and claim it's the king of the heavy-duty segment, but the reality is that most buyers aren't going to be probing the hauling limits of these pack mules. The best truck in the segment is the one that makes real-world work effortless while being comfortable and easy to live with every day. We don't pick winners until we've wrangled a proper comparison test, but based on the fact that it backs up its immense capability with innovative, useful tech, the Super Duty sure looks like it has the odds in its favor.