Tested: Ford's 2023 F-Series Super Duty Is One Quick Work Truck

1/8/24 UPDATE: This review has been updated with test results for a F-250 Platinum Tremor model with the high-output diesel engine.

Ford's 2023 F-series Super Duty has become the Porsche 911 of heavy-duty pickups. Each offers no fewer than 18 models, has at least three engine options and four power outputs, sends torque to either the rear or all four tires, and is arguably the best at serving its overall mission. But unlike the 911, the Super Duty is about as common as an Apple iPhone. They're on construction sites, farms, and oil fields, towing boats and RVs, and parked in your neighbor's driveway.

Though Ford is quick to throw the "all-new" stamp at its fifth-generation F-series Super Duty, the truck is more of an evolution than a completely new big rig. Underneath, the frame, underpinnings, brakes, and driveline components (aside from a newly available 11.6-inch rear axle) go largely unchanged. The exterior, however, features edgier aluminum sheetmetal, and each trim can be identified by its specific fascia and design elements.

Tech’d Up

Within the spacious cabin, the F-series enters the modern era of tech-laden pickups by appropriating elements from the F-150. The XL now comes standard with an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, while a bigger 12.0-inch unit is reserved for the XLT (as an option) and beyond (as standard). A high-speed 5G data connection enables quick streaming to keep young ones occupied with YouTube Kids or when it's time to utilize the available Interior Work Surface and tether into the office. An available head-up display is a Super Duty first, as is a digital instrument cluster that can be customized to show more data than one might ever need.

Ford's 2.0-kW Pro Power Onboard is newly available on the Super Duty to provide power to the job site or camper. Driver-assist systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are offered, but the most welcome upgrades are found in the tailgate, which can be had with power opening and closing capabilities. It also cleverly applies existing technology to solve an old problem. If you've ever tried backing up with the tailgate down, chances are you've run into something because the backup camera faces the ground, and the sonar sensors can't compensate for the extra length of the lowered gate. The tailgate now can be had with sensors and a camera in the top rail, thus eliminating backing into that mound of dirt or loading dock.

Power Up

The Power Stroke turbocharged 6.7-liter diesel V-8 remains the bread-and-butter engine in the lineup. Its 475 horsepower and 1050 pound-feet of torque already had the bragging rights in terms of output and in our testing propelled a 2020 F-250 Tremor to the top of the podium in terms of acceleration. To handle higher temperatures, stainless-steel manifolds and piping feed a single turbo with a liquid-cooled compressor housing to allow more boost. With greater intake pressure, the Power Stroke High Output now generates a monstrous 500 horsepower and 1200 pound-feet.

A 10-speed automatic is the only transmission offered, albeit in two versions. The 6.8-liter gasser features a different gearset from the one hooked to Godzilla and the turbo-diesel. On all but the XL, four-wheel drive is now standard.

So far, we've only run the High Output diesel version through its paces, and at the test track it did nothing but impress us. With the transfer case switched to 4Hi, the 10-speed automatic shifted to second gear, and a big boost-building brake torque, the 8100-pound F-250 Platinum Tremor leaps off the line. Right after the launch, move the column shifter back to automatic mode, and 60 mph arrives in a speedy 5.5 seconds. We cross the quarter-mile mark in 14.1 seconds at 97 mph, besting the 2020's record by 0.6 and 0.5 second, respectively.

Trailering for Dummies

Heavy-duty pickups are all about doing work, and that often means hauling insane amounts of weight. By Ford's estimate, 90 percent of Super Duty owners use their trucks to tow. Depending on how it's configured, the Super Duty can tug a measly 13,700 pounds with a conventional hitch behind a crew-cab, long-bed 4x4 with the 6.8-liter gasoline V-8 or a whopping 40,000 pounds with a gooseneck-equipped, single-cab, rear-wheel-drive F-450 with diesel power. It's the tech that surrounds towing that makes the task so easy.

Ford's Pro Trailer Backup Assist remains and is arguably the least useful tech of all the trailering tools. During Ford's brief exercise, we backed a massive, enclosed trailer into a coned-off area on the first attempt using only the mirrors and looking back out the window. In two attempts with Backup Assist, which steers automatically, we never got it into the spot.

Ford, however, has made hitching up the trailer easy. With Pro Trailer Hitch Assist activated, the truck will lock on the hitch ball and automatically reverse, turn, and brake the truck once the hitch is aligned with the ball. The days of guessing and multiple in-and-outs to check the alignment are history.