The American pickup truck is a tool, an icon, a status symbol, a rolling office, a piece of rolling entertainment, a money maker, and about three hundred other things if you wanted to list them all. We have said it before and we’ll continue to say it around here, American car companies have never screwed up trucks. Even in the down days for cars, the trucks have been solid, hard-working, reliable, and capable of doing all the stuff that their owners have asked of them. This trend continues today and it does so in a weirdly reversed fashion. Many of the trucks on the market today, including this 2020 Ford F-250 Power Stroke we spent a week with are capable of so much more than 99% of owners will ever ask it to do they’re the automotive equivalent of killing flies with a bazooka. This truck can tow 20,000 lbs. Ten flipping tons.

That’s not to say SOMEONE and SOMEONES out there are not using this truck to haul 20,000 lbs, because they are. If you are a landscaper, someone with a construction business, someone that has some sort of killer 5th wheel camper, you are likely going to put in lots of miles with lots of load hanging off the back of the truck. This machine came with the 5th wheel prep package which you can see when you look into the bed. Gooseneck trailers and those big campers we just mentioned are much more happily towed in this fashion and the truck is way happier because the trailer is hooked to the rig directly over the rear axle. This helps in ride, helps in control, and certainly helps with cornering and maneuverability. The 6.7L Power Stroke V8 makes 475hp and get this, 1,050 lb-ft of torque. Thats a measly 50 lb-ft more than the Cummins in the Ram but it’s still more. Today’s pickup marketing is akin to what was happening in the muscle car ads of the 1960s. More, more, and more!

What’s it like to drive a pickup truck with 1,050 lb-ft of torque? Well, not all that remarkable which says a lot about the six speed automatic transmission, the calibration of said transmission, and the torque management built into the engine. Romping the throttle results in the truck, which has a curb weight of 7,200 lbs moving like something that is far, far lighter and smaller. This is a very large truck. The configuration of the crew cab and the 6.5″ bed means that you are working with a wheelbase of 160″. It’s not the most friendly thing to weave through what seems to be ever-shrinking modern parking lots and there were more than a couple zillion-point turns to make sure we didn’t back over a Prius or level a Civic on the way into or out of a spot. Acceleration? It’s awesome. The truck can run the quarter in the 16-second zone which is kind of amazing when you figure its size. The most fun is when someone thinks they are going to dust you off at a light and their panicked look when the cruise-ship sized pickup next to them not only is keeping up but is pulling them by a fender. Hell with the torque and horsepower this thing makes you would probably do it with your fifth-wheel camper on the back!

We truly love the 6.7L Power Stroke engine and it’s been a very, very strong platform for the Ford brand for more than a couple of years now. Hot rodders have been able to modify them to make exceptional power and with the 1,050 ft-lb factory rating, the only question surrounds how much more they have to go in terms of factory power that they’re willing to unlock. Would we love to see the 10-speed automatic behind this engine? Sure we would but again, the torque rating keeps the six-speed back there to you are not picking up pieces off of the highway.

The transmission does shift well and at full throttle you can absolutely feel the torque management keeping the gearbox safe. The engine tails just before the shift, the shift gets made, and then all the power comes in like a wave as the truck pulls through the next gear and the rev range again. It is quiet and smooth as a steam train. Peaks? Yeah, about as tall as ant-hills in Nebraska. It’s awesome.

Ahh, the cab. Once the bastion of the hardcore American working guy. It still is in many ways but it’s also now the hotel room sized area where you and your passengers are swaddled in leather, surrounded by luxury, and have more sealing than a typical refrigerator to keep those pesky wind, engine, and road noises out. It’s amazing how quiet it is in there. This is a Lariat trimmed truck so that means you get the nice leather and you get the nice screen, as well as the other interior upgrades like simulated wood panels in the doors. We do love the fact that this truck had a column shifter. Not a dial, not a console, a freaking column shifter like the automotive gods have always intended them to have. It’s basically impossible to overstate the incredible size of these truck cabs. We all grew up around trucks of whatever shape and size, right? Even the old crew cabs would have you knocking your knees on the front bench seat. In this cab? NBA guys could get lost back there. Think I am kidding? Check this out:

This is the back seat of the F-250 crew cab. It’s a shame to call it that because it’s more of a back theater, back arena, the back 40, the stern section, I’m not sure what to officially label it but consider this. You’ll want to have a longer than stock phone charger cord if you want to plug in, sit back, and cruise the internet in comfort back there. Yes there are plugs but there’s so much room you need the extra length of a longer cord to really settle in. This isn’t  a back seat, it’s freaking business class. Yes, there are cup holders as well. I’m not really sure how anyone could hate on this cab for size, comfort, and quietness. It, like everything else to do with this truck, is a lot.

Everyone enjoyed the console of this truck for the fact that you could basically live out of it if you needed to. Power plugs at the ready, cup holders, some storage areas, and a stowage compartment we had inspected at a border crossing to make sure there were no stow-aways hiding inside of. One of my sons tried to camp the night in there but we caught him. Seriously, it’s again, just so much.

The center stack is nicely laid out, easily accessible with the knobs and buttons as well as through the touch screen or by using the controls on the steering wheel. Do you need 50 different ways to adjust the radio? Do you? We’re not sure but we know that there are plenty of options if you want to change the channel by any means necessary. Hands on the wheel, hands on the screen, hands on the buttons and knobs. Hell, use all three methods. Go crazy and live a little. Climate control, heated seats, this Lariat package rig had the works!

The four wheel drive system on the truck was interesting. No more levers on the floor for Ford, at least in this trim and layout. You get the twist knob to pick your four wheel drive range or to leave it in two high like we did. You can see that our truck was equipped with the optional electronic locker in the back. Simply pulling that knob out gets your differential locked and increases your traction as well as your ability to roast both rear tires to the cords with 1,050 lb-ft of torque if your little heart so desires. We brought it back with all (most) of the tread on the tires.

But wait! That knob in the cab is not the only thing you have to twist for four wheel drive! How about the manually locking hubs. That’s right. We didn’t even know that these were still something the factory offered. I prefer them over the auto locking hubs for 100 reasons but when in the unlocked position manually you know that they are not killing your fuel economy or beating up the front end.

This truck is not an F-250 Tremor. The Tremor has a more comprehensive off-road package than the FX4 which is basically the equivalent to the GM “Z71” stuff. Yes, you get a little clearance. Yes, you get some “off-road” shocks, yes, you get a “skid plate” or two but otherwise you are basically buying an image package here. Is anyone going to be doing serious off-roading with a running board equipped, 160″ wheelbase, 7,200lb diesel truck? If they are we’re guessing that it won’t be on the Rubicon or at the King of The Hammers. Just a wild guess.

There’s the 6.5′ bed that was bolted to the frame behind the cab. You can see that this truck has the 5-th wheel prep package. Those rubber knockouts in the floor of the bed have the pre-made holes covered up. You can see the tie downs on the left side as well as the 110v outlet back there as well. Can I complain for a second? You have no choice, I am going to. How is it that we have made shoveling stuff out the back of a truck so damned complicated? Back in the day the only thing you were not wanting to do was to jab the shovel into the side of the thin-ass bed sheetmetal. Now? Heck now you cannot even remove the tailgate without going through an unhooking the backup camera, you have these holes in the bottom of the bed that will be annoying to deal with and OH YEAH, a 110v outlet that is just begging to be cleaned off with an errant scoop. Progress. /OldManRant

A look under the big fellah. Ford engineers have always improved on their trucks and their work here is evident in all of the areas one would assume they needed to be. Ride and handling, comfort, and of course the “work” aspects of the truck are incredible on paper. I have not done a head to head but if we start looking back at what big rig trucks were doing 60 years ago we’re going to likely see way less capability than today’s modern pickup, especially when it comes to towing. It does not start and end with that massive rear axle but that sure is a foundation for a lot of what these trucks, especially the Fords can do.

Not often you see a straight up “MODIFICATIONS” sticker under the hood of a new vehicle but there it is. This not something that is not a huge surprise and it’s not like a secret that a dealer would toss you out on your ear if you came in with a blown up truck that you’d been jacking around with and killed with a bad tune or something. Just seeing right here in black and white is a new one on me. Also, this must happen in a lot of French speaking areas as well, eh?

So you made it this far. Here’s the wrap. This truck is $74,110 as it sits in front of you. Blue Jeans Metallic is the exterior color. Black leather is the interior color. The base price of this truck is $51,000. There are $20,000 in options on this rig about half of which is the $9,100 ticket on the 6.7L Power Stroke diesel engine. The Lariat Sport package is $3,295. The Lariat Ultimate package is another $3,500. Then the smaller stuff like the locker for $400, adaptive cruse control for $700, upgraded infotainment system for $500, and a “technology bundle” for $1,900 among a host of other options. That’s what drives the price to the moon on these trucks and starting at $51,000 means that it grows fast. Damned fast.

So what’s the verdict here? It’s a big, bad ass truck. Most people buy these because they are big, bad-ass trucks. Ford is not stupid for building things that people want to buy. That’s the basis of having a successful business last time I checked. I just question the sanity of a person that plunks down $74,000 for a rig to commute to work in, pick up the kids from school in, hit the Pop Warner football games on the weekend with, and maybe slide a 2×4 into the cargo box a couple times a year.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved all the aspects of this truck. The size, the commanding presence, the endless power, the shockingly awesome performance, and the comfort that comes with driving a cab larger than my first apartment but personally I’d never actually use this truck for anywhere near what it is capable of doing and therefore I couldn’t see myself walking in to spend the money. Many of you might, and apparently many of you do, because they keep building these things as fast as they can and they don’t show any signs of slowing down.