Road Test: 1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty Trucks

They Might Be Made for Giants

"Holy crap, that thing is big." Those were my first words upon catching sight of the bright red Ford F-250 Super Duty behemoth that sat impatiently in the parking lot, as if it were annoyed at being forced to wait too long. The truck appeared to be wedged between two other vehicles, but I soon found out that such an appearance is normal when you're attempting to park a vehicle as big as this.

The writer who took delivery of this monster is only 5'2", and she had a difficult time describing the truck when it sat in her driveway over the weekend.

I pumped her for information over the phone. "How's the ride?" I asked.

"I dunno, I'm afraid to drive it."

"What? Well, describe it, at least. I have some stuff to haul. Does it have a bedliner?"

"I dunno, I can't see into the bed. It's just really big."

Our writer was finally brave enough to take the Super Duty out for a spin on a Monday, because the work week meant that her parking lot had emptied and she could safely navigate around without fear of killing anyone. The running boards met her at the knees, meaning that to climb in required full use of the interior door jamb, and quite a bit of flexibility. But she succeeded and was rewarded with a driving experience unlike that had with most other vehicles.

For its 1999 line of F-Series Super Duty trucks, Ford went back to the drawing board. Instead of trying to get heavy duty performance out of their light duty F-150 and F-250 models, Ford created an entirely new platform for the previously-named Heavy Duty lineup. Mostly, this platform is bigger in every dimension: width, height and length. The new Super Duty trucks are not made for personal everyday driving, but are intended rather for commercial use, or for hauling heavy things like fifth wheel trailers, horses and cement mixers.

From inside, the F-250 Super Duty looks even bigger than its exterior would indicate. It's big enough for six people with the optional Extended Cab configuration, though rear seat legroom (32 inches) is comfortable only for short-legged folk. There was more than enough legroom up front, which was appreciated by this writer, whose inseam measures 36 inches. Our bet is that even Shaquille O'Neal would be perfectly comfortable in a Ford Super Duty.

An altimeter would be a handy option; not to check the surrounding elevation, but just for the visual effect of flying. Driving the F-250 Super Duty is akin to piloting a small aircraft; everything on the road is far below, including other vehicles. Pull up next to a Dodge Durango or an Isuzu Rodeo, and you'd swear they were miniaturized. Sit straight up in the driver's seat, and you have a clear view of the roofracks on Chevy Suburbans.

All 1999 Super Duty Extended Cabs are available with four doors. The rear doors are hinged aft, "suicide" style, but can only be opened when the corresponding front door is opened. That's because the B-pillar is simply the joined front and rear door jambs. We were impressed by the truck's lack of noise and vibration that most pickups seem to create, especially those with more than two doors. The Extended Cab model we drove was as tight as any sedan in recent memory, even without the help of permanent and secure door frames.

Visibility to the side is diminished in the Extended Cab due to wide B- and C- pillars. Even if visibility were unobstructed, most cars could not be seen without the use of side mirrors; the truck is simply too high off the pavement. Now we know how big rig truck drivers feel: like the King of the Road. This worldview is aided by the Super Duty's new big rig styling up front, not unlike the styling of full-size Dodge pickups, which feature an enormous blunt-nosed front end with square headlights and an aggressive-looking, power-bulge hood.

Dodge's styling is meaner and more in-your-face, but Ford has done an acceptable imitation that's sure to attract macho men who want an intimidating truck to match their rough-and-tumble lifestyle. As far as appearances go, we don't have any complaints.

The ride is not so smooth, however. Hit a bump, and you'll know it immediately. Turn into a corner too fast, and you'll feel and hear the rear tires quickly lose their grip. But this is, first and foremost, a pickup truck. It's made for towing trailers, not for speeding along twisty two-lane roads. The revised chassis gives the Super Duty line a 19,000-lb. maximum GVWR, which is 4,000 pounds more capable than the 1997 model. And that's good enough for anything we could think to tow.

Both of our test vehicles were powered by Ford's 6.8-liter 265-horsepower, 410 foot-pounds of torque V10 engine. This energy pump is the first-ever use of a V10 in a Ford pickup truck (though its first appearance was in full-size vans for 1997). The Super Duty line can also be equipped with a smaller 5.4-liter V8 or a 7.3-liter diesel-powered V8 which provides the most torque of all with 500 foot-pounds. During our tests, the V10 sucked gas like it was going out of style. The 2WD averaged 13.0 miles per gallon in mostly highway use, and the 4WD averaged 10.7 mpg, again mostly on the freeway.

In 2WD form, the engine can be more than enough to handle, and we frequently found the rear end sliding out during hard acceleration and cornering. Our 4WD Extended Cab performed with less flamboyance, thanks in part to a more balanced front-to-rear weight distribution and a heavier curb weight. Four-wheel drive models can also be equipped with dual rear wheels, which of course offer twice as much traction. And for 1999, unlike previous.