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When extreme cold-weather hits, the first thought many car owners have is, “Will my car start?”
That worry is even greater for diesel truck owners, who may put additives to their tank to ensure the diesel fuel doesn’t “gel up,” or prevent the waxes in diesel fuel from crystallizing. The crystallized fuel can lead to clogged fuel filters or a truck simply not starting.
Modern vehicles are underrated marvels of engineering, and the 2024 Ford Super Duty truck just might lead the pack in cold weather. It’s also the class-leading tow champ in a segment where big numbers reign supreme.
Recently I spent a week with the Ford F-350 King Ranch variant in extreme Minnesota cold weather, with overnight lows plunging into double-digit sub-zero temps. What I experienced was nothing short of a testament to how far modern vehicles have come. Here are the pros and cons from that experience.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Pro: Ford Super Duty starts insanely fast in the cold, every time
A count of two- or three-Mississippi. That’s all it took with remote start for the massive 6.7-liter High Output turbodiesel V-8 to crank and fire to life after sitting outside overnight in double-digit sub-zero temps. That’s not just wild, it’s better than any other modern diesel I’ve ever experienced. A Ford spokesperson said the performance comes down to the use and programming of the engine’s glow plugs, which are heating elements that warm incoming fuel and air. A week later with temps in the teens, a Ram Heavy Duty pickup’s 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel took nine- or ten-Mississippi to crank over and fire to life. The Cummins doesn’t have glow plugs, rather it uses a grid heater that raises the incoming air temperature for the intake manifold. In my experience, a GMC Sierra HD’s 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V-8 can take three-Mississippi to crank over and fire from cold when it’s 70 degrees out. The Duramax features glow plugs. The Ford performed the same feat in sub-zero weather without having a block heater plugged in. A friend with a 50-year-old Mercedes turbodiesel fired his car’s engine in the same sub-zero temps, but it took, well, nobody is going to count that high in Mississippis. People who drive these things everyday can quickly forget what old diesels were like.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Con: Ford Super Duty intimidates
The Super Duty in my driveway was massive and hulking. This is ridiculous. The top of the hood is nearly to the top of my chest, and I’m 5-foot-10. It’s not as high as the GMC Sierra HD’s hoodline, but it’s not that far off. The full-width grille running into the headlights now only accentuates the truck’s 6-foot-6 width. If this thing’s size isn’t compensating for something, I’m not sure how else to explain it. A non off-road variant of the Ram 2500 HD seems more approachable with its less blocky front end. It’s also not small though.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Pro: Ford Super Duty features useful tech
Over time, Ford’s adapted a lot of the F-150’s tech into the Super Duty, including zone lighting controlled from the touchscreen, a surround-view camera system, and more. The integration of a camera into the top of the Super Duty’s tailgate so the backup camera can still be used with the tailgate down is pure genius. It’s useful tech that makes backing up easier and safer.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Con: Ford Super Duty can get crazy expensive
The Ford F-350 Super Duty costs $48,010, which isn’t chump change. It’s also a massive, capable truck that in base form was designed to spend a hard life working. My leather-laden tester was a high-zoot King Ranch model with everything from a head-up display to front seats that fully recline for naps in the field. It also had a window sticker of $96,265, including a $1,995 destination charge. It was nearly a $100,000 truck, which is bananas.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Pro: Ford Super Duty rides surpisingly well
This isn’t your father’s heavy duty pickup truck. Super Duty trucks used to ride like a lumber wagon so they were capable of towing up to 12,500 pounds, which is less than the 2024 F-150 is rated to tow at this point. Now a Super Duty can tow up to 40,000 pounds and ride better than it has any right to. Ford in 2023 redesigned and retuned a few key suspension components including the control arms and shocks that make the Super Duty not just tolerable to ride in, but enjoyable. Broken pavement doesn’t send this monster bucking.
Ford F-350 Super Duty
Con: Ford Super Duty features nice enough interior
At $96,265, my King Ranch tester’s interior was still at least a half step below what buyers will find in a Ram heavy duty pickup. The plastic trim that looks like metal is cool to the touch and pretty convincing, the thick leather is sharp with King Ranch logos stitched into the seat backs and front center arm rest, and the metal speaker covers on the doors are a nice touch. But the metal speaker covers in a Ram are nicer, the metal in a Ram is real, and the leather in a Ram is softer. The injection-molded plastic grab handles on the A-pillars stare you in the face in the Ford screaming, “These aren’t leather-wrapped.”
The fact that Ford’s been able to engineer and tune the Super Duty to ride better than old light-duty pickups yet still haul such heavy loads is a feat in itself. The reality that its massive turbodiesel is the fastest-firing diesel engine I’ve ever seen, even in sub-zero weather, impresses me even more. Ford’s HO diesel puts an exclamation point on how old the Cummins turbodiesel is in the Ram.
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2024 Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch
Base price: $48,010, including $1,995 destination
Price as tested: $96,265
Powertrain: 500-hp 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8, 10-speed automatic transmission, 4WD
EPA fuel economy: N/A
The pros: Fastest starting turbodiesel, useful tech, impressive ride quality
The cons: It’s huge, gets crazy expensive, Ram interior’s nicer still
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