To fully comprehend all the interior features of the F-Series SuperCab
you'll have to make a trip to your Ford dealer and check one over. But
we'll give you some of the high points.
With the 40/60 split-bench front seat, driver and passenger have individually
reclining backrests. What can serve as the center backrest is also a folding
armrest; when folded forward, it provides a large cupholder and spacious
bin. Inside this storage bin are places for coins, tapes and so forth,
and a divider for organizing odds and ends.
The driver is faced with comprehensive, clearly-legible instrumentation,
and everything that needs to be is close and easy to operate. There are
two cupholders in the instrument panel, and a goodly number of the storage
compartments and map pockets here and there. Appreciated by one woman passenger
were two grab handles which aided climbing in and, once in, pulling the
door shut.
The view outward is superb, as the new styling job has included a low
beltline and big windows all around. The only gripe we had was a vertically-narrow
inside rear-view mirror.
All SuperCabs include a third door as standard equipment, on the passenger's
side, for access to the back seat. It's operable once the main passenger's
door is open, and it can be opened from inside or out. Once in, back-seat
passengers will find things tolerably comfortable for three adults, and
probably not too bad for trips of some distance with only two adults in
back. As another very handy feature, ours had a 40/60 split seat in back,
whose cushions could be folded forward to provide a flat, sturdy steel
surface, great for carrying toolboxes or large amounts of luggage.
People familiar with trucks, and most particularly those familiar with
previous Ford trucks, will find a surprisingly enhanced driving experience
in the new F-Series. For some time, partly due to the Twin I-Beam, partly
due to over-assisted power steering, Ford trucks had a numb feel through
the steering and would wander when encountering large dips or road irregularities,
and were very susceptible to being blown around by crosswinds. That's all
pretty much a thing of the past.
Our F-250 had genuine steering feel, either when traveling straight
ahead or negotiating twists and turns. And it had a high degree of directional
stability, which helps to keep the vehicle headed down its intended path.
Ride, too, was remarkably good. One big problem with pickup trucks has
always been how poorly they tend to ride when empty; this can become really
annoying on fairly long trips on concrete interstate highways, where the
truck will bounce ceaselessly. We ran our F-250 through exactly such a
situation for several hours, and the ride was relatively car-like and comfortable,
mile after mile.
Another part of the driving pleasure quotient is due to the smooth,
quiet overhead cam engine. There's no truck-like roar or rumble, no feeling
that it's overworked at higher speeds. Again, driving around the city,
or taking an extended highway cruise, the 5.4-liter Triton engine was probably
the most velvety full-size pickup truck engine we've encountered. The 4.6-liter
version is equally smooth, but less powerful, and we highly recommend the
stronger 5.4-liter V8. It's $555 more, but you'll probably get most, if
not all, of it back at trade-in time.