It's difficult for us to fathom anyone needing more truck than a one-ton pickup like the Ford F-350, but there is a market for such a machine, and Ford's entry in that segment is the F-450 Super Duty.
If you follow the pickup market, you may be aware of the wide range of engines Ford offers in the F-150, but the F-450 benefits from a fair amount of variety, too. Pickup models come with the same 6.2L gas V8 (385 hp/430 lb-ft of torque) and 6.7L Powerstroke turbodiesel (440 hp/925 lb-ft) as the F-350. Chassis cab variants also start out with the 6.2L but can be optioned with a 6.8L gasser (288 hp/424 lb-ft) and a down-rated Powerstroke good for 330 hp and 750 lb-ft.
Shared with the rest of the Super Duty line is a six-speed automatic transmission; drive to the dual-wheel rear axle is standard, but 4WD is an option. Don't even dream of asking for Ford's new 10-speed auto in this truck.
The chassis cab configuration lets you drive away in a truck that looks unfinished: there's a cab that will accommodate up to six people, but behind that is a bare frame through which you can see the truck's exposed rear axle. This is the F-450 to buy if your first stop is an upfitter's shop where you'll have a custom body bolted to the frame.
So, what kind of buyer is the target audience for the F-450? Mostly, this truck is aimed at commercial buyers who tow or haul things around for a living, but you'll also see these beasts pulling horse trailers, yachts and fifth-wheel campers.
Trim levels are all familiar to any F-Series shopper, including XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited. Up at the top end of that range, the F-450 is a legit luxury vehicle with a $100,000 price tag that just happens to be capable of towing just about anything you can hook up to the back of it.
Lariat is a nice middle ground between utilitarian and unattainable, coming with kit like 10-way electric leather seats, 10-speaker sound system, 8.0-inch touchscreen, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors and power-adjustable pedals. Options include heated and cooled front seats, LED box lighting and power-extending side mirrors.
Limited is where the upscale stuff is, like LED headlights, wood interior trim, twin-panel sunroof and a full suite of active safety gear.
Don't look for fuel consumption estimates here: the F-450 is classed as a commercial vehicle, for which Natural Resources Canada doesn't require ratings.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed
