The half-ton F-150 is by far America’s best-selling pickup, but Ford’s Super Duty line is a heavier-duty machine with a different chassis. Heavy duty trucks, meaning three-quarter ton and above, make up about 25% of the full-size pickup market and are the brawniest consumer-oriented trucks, meant for pulling big trailers and lugging very heavy loads. The three-quarter ton F-250 that we focus on here is actually the lowest-rung Super Duty, with the even-bigger F-350 and commercial-grade F-450 and F-550 even further up the ladder.

The big F-250 is actually the smallest of Ford’s Super Duty models, which have a heavier-duty chassis than the F-150, among other upgrades. The Super Duty was lightly refreshed in 2020. Mike Hagerty

Buyers in this class have five choices: Ford’s F-250 Super Duty, Chevrolet’s Silverado 2500 HD, the RAM 2500, GMC’s Sierra 2500 HD and Nissan’s Titan XD. Buyers of these trucks are looking for towing capacity, passing power, ground clearance, creature comforts and exterior styling that shouts brawn. 

The distinctive 2021 Ford F-250 Super Duty delivers on all counts, and even in areas where it is not best in class, it is solidly competitive. Changes are modest this year after a significant refresh in 2020.

The F-250 Super Duty XL starts out at $36,895 including destination fees, which is a little lower than Chevrolet, quite a bit lower than Ram and GMC and almost $10,000 below the starting price of the Titan XD. That’s for a basic work truck with a single cab, seating for three and steel wheels. 

Single-cab customers can only buy a work truck (XL) or XLT model. All other F-250s trucks are Super (extended) or Crew cab models. Super cab models have a choice of 6.75 or 8-foot beds in XL, XLT or Lariat models. Crew cabs get both beds, but with a choice of five trims (XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum). The top-of-the-line Limited is available only with the shorter bed.

The available Tremor package brings serious off-road capability to the F-250 Super Duty, with 35-inch tires, skid plates and 10.8 inches of ground clearance. It doesn’t do wonders for on-road handling, however.  Mike Hagerty

That top model begins at a towering $87,030, far and away the highest base price in the field, though it does come with the diesel (a $10,495 option on other F-250s) and most lower-trim options as standard equipment. Still, there are just enough options remaining that checking every box can drive the price past $95,000.

In between the extremes are XLT ($41,620), which adds automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow, forward collision warnings and automatic emergency braking, an upgraded five-speaker AM/FM/MP3 audio system, a trailer brake controller and Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system with an eight-inch screen.

Next comes Lariat ($50,005), which brings fog lamps, 18-inch aluminum wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable pedals, leather seating surfaces, power folding and telescoping tow mirrors, reverse sensing and an upgraded 10-speaker B&O Premium audio system.

King Ranch ($64,995) brings contrasting trim, a remote tailgate release, interior ambient lighting, special leather and wood applique’ interior treatments, adjustable pedals, heated and ventilated front seats, a trailer towing camera and back up assist system, intelligent access with pushbutton start, voice-activated navigation and wireless phone charging.

Even in mid-level Lariat trim, the F-250’s interior appointments are contemporary and attractive.  Mike Hagerty

The next-to-the-top Platinum ($68,310) adds power-retractable running boards, body-color front and rear bumpers, a Platinum-only satin aluminum grille, LED fog and taillamps, a remote tailgate release, a satin chrome tailgate applique, a tailgate step, chrome front tow hooks, 20-inch polished aluminum wheels, easy entry/exit memory driver’s seat, quad beam LED headlamps, adaptive cruise control and enhanced automatic emergency braking.

Three potent powerplants are available. The standard 6.2-liter gasoline V8 returns 385 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque and offers a 12,500-pound conventional tow rating in 4X4 Crew Cab form. The optional 7.3-liter gasoline V8 which we sampled, which offers 430 horsepower, 475 pound-feet of torque and a 14,700-pound tow rating. 

If that’s not enough, an optional 6.7-liter diesel V8 packing 475 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque delivers a 20,000-pound rating. Ford charges more for its diesel than its competitors do for theirs. None of them come cheap, but there’s no substitute if you need to haul that much.

Fuel economy with the optional 7.3-liter gasoline V8 engine is poor, and not helped by the Tremor’s off-road tires. The 10.4 mile per gallon reading shown here didn’t change after another 100 miles of driving.  Mike Hagerty

Strong off-the-line acceleration, a choice of six- or ten-speed automatics for the gasoline engines (the diesel comes only with the latter), a commanding view of the road and decent vehicle dynamics allow novice drivers to acclimate to the Super Duty’s vast size reasonably quickly but the awareness of bulk never completely goes away. That’s probably a good thing, especially in city driving.  

On the open highway, the F-250 Super Duty can cruise all day at 75 miles an hour without missing a beat, especially with either the diesel engine, the optional 48-gallon fuel tank or both.  

We drove a Lariat Crew Cab with the optional Tremor off-road package. On 35-inch tires, it has 10.8-inches of ground clearance, making it a fairly capable off-roader and trailering wizard. We stopped in at a 157-year old tavern a stone’s throw from the eastern entrance to the Sierra Nevadas’ famed Rubicon Trail and several Rubicon vets were openly impressed at the Tremor’s off-road credentials.

The Tremor’s added off-road ability sapped fuel economy, however, which isn’t a strong suit of any heavy-duty truck. We saw actual mileage of 10.4 mpg combined. The EPA doesn’t rate trucks like this, but what data we have suggests the gas-powered F250s are slightly below average for the class, while the diesels are slightly above.

 At the upper end of the trims, the fancy King Ranch and Platinum offer very plush accommodations. The Ram may have a slight edge in interior comforts, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Ford

The Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab’s standard bed has a maximum payload of 3,370 pounds. That’s 390 pounds less than the same configuration of the GMC Sierra 2500 HD. The margins narrow and become broadly competitive in Double Cab and regular cab models. 

At the top trim level for all the manufacturers, the customer gets a crew cab truck with features and amenities once found only in luxury cars. Ford continually invests in upgrades of those top-tier models, with high-def digital gauge clusters and expansive infotainment screens, as well as an abundance of soft-touch materials. Both the F-250 and Ram feel generations ahead of the interiors in the GMC and Chevy.

There’s no such thing as a “small” heavy duty pickup, but inside the crew cab, the F-250 offers more front seat space than Ram and Nissan, but significantly trails the GMC and Chevy. Rear seat space for all five is within a fraction of an inch.

Regular cab models are work-truck only, but Ford offers many F-250 trims with its extended Super Cab configuration. As on other big pickups, these marginally lighter trucks can tow a small amount more than their crew cab equivalents.  Ford

The F-250’s infotainment systems vary greatly. The base XL work truck has an AM-FM radio and a USB port. An upgrade to Ford’s SYNC3 touchscreen, adding phone capability, is available for $450. XLT models get SYNC3 standard along with a five-speaker system with two USB ports and satellite radio capability.  Voice-activated navigation becomes available for $570. Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited models get navigation and a premium audio system.

Even the base XL truck gets lane departure warning standard, but everything else requires steps up the model line to XLT trim or higher. With XLT, Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 package of automatic high beams, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning become standard.  

To get adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support requires Lariat trim, where it’s a $750 option.  In King Ranch, it’s $740.  It’s standard only on Platinum and Limited. Ford is ahead of GMC and Chevy, which don’t offer adaptive cruise control at all and which make many of the systems standard from XLT on up part of expensive option packages, but adaptive cruise control is standard on a $21,000 Honda Civic. Truckmakers can, and should, provide a bit more.