Although the cabin benefits from a re-styled dash and gauge cluster, the staff still felt that our XLT was a little spartan on the inside. The softer colors, wood appliqus, special gauges, and leather of the Lariat package do look more upscale than did our XLT. Testers noted the quietness of the cabin and smoother ride offered by the coil-spring suspension, however, we miss the tightness of the CrewCab, since SuperCab models suffer from a bit of the wiggles and jiggles with the suicide-style doors.
Off-road, our Super Duty had excellent clearance and good tires from the factory, but even on the FX4 Off-Road package, we felt the shocks could use a little better tuning. We would also order ours with the optional limited-slip differential, since we got in a few situations where the extra traction would have been welcomed. However, the Super Duty with its manual hubs and manual transfer case lever, coil springs and solid axles remains a rugged and capable platform for off-road projects.
The Super Duty has always been a great base for aftermarket upgrades, and with the improvements for 2005, it is even better, especially for those who regularly tow or haul. However, if you are looking for a daily driver, make sure your mutual funds accountant has your portfolio invested in oil, as our tester only delivered 10 mpg during its two-week stay with us. For those concerned with such things, the 6.0L Power Stroke diesel is always a good choice.
From The Logbook:The F-250 offers excellent driveability for such a big truck.* Managing Editor Carl Calvert
The Super Duty is a fine truck and tows nicely. However, off-road, the ride was harsh.* Feature Editor Travis Noack
Wow, the V-10 finally sounds like a big-block V-8 and actually pulls strong all the way to redline.* Associate Editor Sean P. Holman