Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
The 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty is available as a regular cab, SuperCab (extended cab) or crew cab body style.
SuperCab and crew cab models are available with either a short (6.75-foot) or long (8-foot) bed, but the regular cab model is only available with the long bed.
Buyers may choose among four trim levels: the base XL, XLT, Lariat and King Ranch. The Lariat trim level adds foglights, power-telescoping mirrors, rear parking sensors, 18-inch wheels, a power rear sliding window, chrome tubular step bars, dual-zone automatic climate control and upgraded interior upholstery.
Also standard is a 4.2-inch LCD multifunction screen, wood grain trim, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, power-adjustable pedals, leather seats, a middle front seat that converts into a center console, 10-way power-adjustable front seats, the Ford Sync voice activation system and an eight-speaker audio system with satellite radio.
Some features on the Lariat and King Ranch trims are available on the XL and XLT models. Buyers of the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty are given the choice of either a 6.2-liter gasoline V8 or an optional 6.7-liter diesel-fueled V8. Properly equipped, the F-250 Super Duty can tow up to 14,000 pounds with a conventional trailer setup. When configured for fifth-wheel towing, that figure jumps to 16,500 pounds. The 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes, stability control, trailer sway control, hill launch assist, side and side curtain airbags and an SOS post-crash alert system. An integrated trailer brake controller is standard on XLT and higher models, while the Lariat trim level adds rear parking sensors and power-adjustable pedals. Most of the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty's interior carries over from the previous model, featuring a blocky, industrial theme.
It’s big iron with a big curbside presence. The Power Play
The two new engines are a 6.2-liter gasoline V-8 and a 6.7-liter turbo-diesel V-8. Ford’s SOHC 6.8-liter V-10—362 hp, 457 lb-ft of torque—carries over but is limited to chassis-cab applications.
The bigger news is the new turbocharged and intercooled 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8. After a long and sometimes rancorous relationship with Navistar, Ford’s previous diesel-engine partner, the automaker elected to develop the next generation of its Power Stroke diesel in-house. Bosch worked with the Ford team to develop the turbo system, which entails an innovative variable turbo: one turbine wheel (supplied by Honeywell) with vanes on both sides, operating sequentially. Another intriguing design element is the absence of external exhaust headers. This allows for shorter plumbing and improves turbo response time and cooling.
Prodigious Performance
Developed for the higher output of the new turbo-diesel, Ford’s heavy-duty 6R140 TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission is equally new, replacing the previous five-speed automatic as well as the six-speed manual, which has been dropped. The 6R140 serves gas and diesel trucks. The most impressive part of a day-long preview staged by Ford involved hitching an F-250 Super Duty crew cab to a 10,000-pound trailer and then towing it up and down a mountain loop. The Power Stroke diesel handled the job easily and with astonishingly little racket.
Maximum payloads range from 2350 pounds to as high 6520, and Ford claims best-in-class in both categories across its broad range of heavy-duty offerings.
Beyond that, Ford says the new turbo-diesel, in addition to its increased muscle, will deliver up to 18 percent better fuel economy (15 percent for the new gasoline V-8). Aside from heftier crossmembers and beefed-up steering gear, the trestle-like underpinnings of the Super Duty trucks are unchanged.
Perhaps the biggest physical update to the inner Super Duty is up front, where the seats from the latest F-150 have been carried into the bigger trucks. When the 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks go on sale in April, pricing for a base two-wheel-drive standard-cab F-250 with the 6.2-liter V-8 will start at $28,975, a noticeable increase over its predecessor, which based at $26,850.
Ford currently owns 46 percent of this total market, 65 percent of which is diesel