Remember when a "work truck" and a luxury car were on opposite ends of the vehicular spectrum? Well, those days are long gone...and the ultimate example of that is right up there above this paragraph...the Ford F-350 Super Duty.When lines get blurred...especially lines that far apart, it's usually because something...often core principles and competencies. But not in this case. Somehow, this is all work truck and all luxury vehicle.
It starts closer to its work roots. At the base price of $49,410 for the 4X4 Crew Cab in Lariat trim, you get a rock-solid truck capable of towing 12,500 pounds. And it comes with a nice, large, but somewhat plain interior:
As trucks go, that's not too shabby. But the tester Ford sent our way was loaded. It had the King Ranch package. Which means the interior looked like this:
They also slid the 6.7 liter V8 diesel engine under the hood...which makes 800 pounds per foot of torque. 800! Between the engine upgrade, the King Ranch leather and chrome, the six-speed automatic transmission, the electronic locking axle, moonroof, navigation, satellite radio, and a few other goodies, the bottom line of this Ford truck was....Ready?
Are you sitting down?
$64,770.
If I'm not mistaken, it's the most expensive factory-built Ford I've ever heard of. Certainly the most expensive I've ever driven.
And the thing is, it really doesn't make any compromises. Okay, sure, there are things you wouldn't do in a $64,770 "work truck" that you might in a less expensive one. But if you're talking about towing horse trailers, or race cars, this is like doing it with a luxury car. And in terms of luxury, no corners are cut because it's a truck. In fact, there hasn't been this kind of room in a luxury sedan in I don't know how long. About the only compromise on luxury is mastering graceful entrances and exits in evening wear.
It's not for everyone. But, contrary to the opinions of people who suggested "no one" needs a truck like this, there is a market. It's a really nice truck, and if you've got a healthy bank account and a half dozen thoroughbreds, this is your ride. The only downside I can think of is parking it (an issue that pops up for me with the HD versions of Ram, Chevy and GMC trucks, too)...but I'm guessing that's something you get used to. There are worse problems to have.
