2005 Truck of the Year Testing

Ford F-250/F-350 Super Duty
What with the F-150 receiving a major makeover last year, it's the Super Duty's turn for 2005. And as befitting the purposeful nature of a truck designed for hauling truly hefty loads, the most significant changes are under the skin (although the skin and interior have been nicely repolished as well).

Underhood is now the category's most powerful gasoline engine, a 6.8-liter Triton V-10 aspirated by three valves per cylinder; joining it is a 5.4-liter V-8 version otherwise employed in the F-150. If diesel runs in your veins (as it seems to among most F-350 owners), the mighty Power Stroke has added 10 pound-feet of torque, raising its grunt number to 570. Beneath 4x4 versions, coil springs now suspend the live front axle, at least somewhat lessening the gargantuan turning radius. And amid all this bridge building-scale engineering is an exquisite new gem of a detail, the dash-mounted TowCommand that integrates the electronic management of your trailer's brakes (including a new stopping strategy when the truck's ABS senses slippery surfaces).

On the road, it all adds up to a behind-the-wheel experience more akin to operating a luxurious megabuck yacht (particularly if trimmed like ours in Harley-Davidson regalia). Perfect for a thin sliver of the market, a fantasy truck for most of the rest of us.