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Most powerful Super Duty yet launches with two new engine offerings including all-new advanced 7.3-liter gasoline V8 and upgraded third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke® diesel V8; all-new heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift® automatic transmission

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Most powerful Super Duty yet launches with two new engine offerings including all-new advanced 7.3-liter gasoline V8 and upgraded third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke® diesel V8; all-new heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift® automatic transmission

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Most powerful Super Duty yet launches with two new engine offerings including all-new advanced 7.3-liter gasoline V8 and upgraded third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke® diesel V8; all-new heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift® automatic transmission.

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Most powerful Super Duty yet launches with two new engine offerings including all-new advanced 7.3-liter gasoline V8 and upgraded third-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke® diesel V8; all-new heavy-duty 10-speed TorqShift® automatic transmission

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There are trucks and then there are trucks, and the new Ford F250 is definitely in the latter category, with a hefty new engine and power that would eat most trucks for lunch. This new Ford with the huge 7.2-liter motor is meant to tow pretty much anything most people would have in mind.

Coupled with this new motor, the Ford will max out at 15,000 pounds of weight behind it. This can be increased to 18,600 pounds with a gooseneck trailer attached to the bed of the F250. How much is 15,000 pounds? Well, that is 7.5 tons, and there have been times when a bush elephant could weigh that much. Or maybe if one added seven giraffes together, they may hit the mark.

That comes down to a lot of weight and should accommodate the most demanding household travel and hauling needs. Putting a toy hauler with four ATVs and even one in the back of the truck would be no problem. Our guess is with that kind of weight, the gas mileage would not even change much for the haul.

Having the F250 as an everyday drive would be great if the commute was short, as we found ourselves sitting above everyone else — except the large semi-trucks traveling through the state, and even then they were way less intimidating while we were sitting high in the F250!

On the gas mileage side, we managed just over 12 mpg for the week, which we had expected with the enormous engine and mostly urban driving we did. We were able to hook up one of Craig’s trailers filled with sound equipment, but it only comes in at 9,550 pounds and the Ford pulled it with ease.

We took a 75 mile drive this way and continued to get the same mileage. It was as if the trailer didn’t even matter, with the truck taking it all in stride. New technology added to the 2020 F250 is what Ford calls Pro Trailer Backup Assist.

In theory, it sounded like a great way to help with the maneuvering of a trailer when backing one up. Over the years, Craig has become very good at backing trailers into very tight spots, especially at events where parking and loading zones are usually at a premium.

So we had to try this new system out to see how good or bad it would be while backing his 18-foot trailer. Up front, we need to point out that when backing a trailer without this system it is very easy to get confused and have the trailer go in the wrong direction, as every turn of the steering wheel has the trailer turning in the opposite direction of the rear of the truck.

This is why backing can be a problem for most folks who have not had to do it many times or in tight circumstances. In fact, Craig’s little sister Marci does all of the backing when they take their long camping trailer out, as her husband has a hard time keeping the trailer going in the right direction. It is only because Craig had her backing trailers from the first time she drove and all throughout her teens and early 20s that she became very proficient at it.

This new system is made for folks just like her husband who need that little extra help when backing in with a trailer on the back. After entering the information about the trailer we were pulling and making sure all the settings were correct, it was time to check out how this new feature works.

It was pretty easy to engage with the push of a button, and waiting for the system to get ready took a few seconds, then it was as easy as turning the knob left or right depending on the direction we wanted the trailer to go — and keeping our hands off of the steering wheel, another important point.

The driver still has to use the gas and brake pedals to keep the truck moving and let off the knob once the trailer’s path is where he wants it to go. We also found that we had to continually make adjustments on the knob to keep the trailer going exactly where we wanted it.

The mirrors are still vitally important when using this system to make sure the trailer dose not hit something. Deanne found it easier to use as she had never backed a trailer before, and with this system it made sense to get the trailer traveling in the direction her brain wanted it to go.

Craig, on the other hand, had to give it a few tries and remap his brain, as it wanted to go in the opposite direction like it always had done for years. All in all, a cool new technology that we found very helpful when backing a trailer.

The F250 Lariat, of course, came compete with many great additions to keep the drive extremely comfortable, making it something we looked forward to getting into every day. The black leather seats were awesome and combined with the heating function made the late March mornings very comfortable.

Standard new features are automatic high beam headlamps, blind spot monitoring with cross traffic alert, lane keep alert and pre-collision assist with emergency braking.

We also enjoyed the wireless charging pad that came standard on the lariat edition. About the only extra we could have asked for would have been the addition of a heated steering wheel to help in the cooler mornings.

We had a fantastic week with the Ford F250 and found it would be a great addition to help with our trailering needs. It also proved to be a very luxurious ride, even if we were just out on a date night!

Base price: $48,930

Price as driven: $66,015