This is not a review

A few days ago I wrote about the new Ford F-250 truck we were considering purchasing this summer. Right about this time, Ford, GM, and Chrysler shut down all their U.S. manufacturing plants.

Joyce decided we should go ahead and get a truck now because she felt California would soon issue a “stay-in-place” order. With all these uncertainties, especially a stay-in-place order would probably stop all the sales of new cars and trucks, there is a good chance prices would go up once things settled down – definitely prices are not going to go down in the near future. So we went ahead and bought one last Wednesday, a few hours before the governor announced California would implement a stay-in-place order the following day for at least a month.

Today you cannot buy a new vehicle in the state of California.

During my research there wasn’t any good information on the new Super Duty 7.3L gas engine, especially the miles per gallon when towing a trailer. My plan is to start providing feedback on this metric. But first, we need to accumulate 1,000 miles to break in the engine, before we can tow anything. In this post I’ll share some my first impressions of the truck.

I’ll cut to the chase if you just want to know non-towing mpg so far. At the 386 mile mark on the odometer, with combined city and freeway driving (mostly freeway and remote two lane highways) we averaged 14.9 mpg, verified with the actual number of gallons we used (not the fuel average calculator on the dash). I was hoping for 14-15 mpg. During this driving we kept the truck at the legal speed limit. 65 or 70 mph on freeways, 55 or 65 mph on two lane highways.

This post will not be a review, but some first thoughts.

The Non-Review

Ride Quality

It’s a truck. It rides like a truck. But not like the trucks of the past. Telling you that it rides like a truck really isn’t telling you anything useful. So let’s compare it to the two Ford Expeditions we previously owned over the past 17 years (2003 and 2012 models). These were almost identical SUVs and I drove them a combined 270,000 miles, giving me much time in the driver’s seat. The F-250 has a stiffer ride. But it is comparable to the 2012 model after I installed truck tires in October of 2016. We are thrilled with the ride comfort!

The interior noise level is about the same as the Expeditions. That was a pleasant surprise.

Maneuverability

The truck is a crew cab with a long bed (8 feet long) and a wheelbase of 176 inches. Compared to the Expeditions with a 119 inch wheelbase, the wheelbase is 4.75 feet longer and the body is probably a full five feet longer than both of the Expeditions.

Keep in mind that I picked this particular configuration because the gas tank capacity of 48 gallons is 13-19 gallons more than the smaller body options. This was an important consideration, giving us ample range for the trips we make in remote places.

The turning radius is large. I cannot just pull into a parking space in a parking lot. I have to make a couple forward and back maneuvers to get into a space, if I want to park close to a building. Yes, I already parked several times to see how the truck would work out. I’m more than happy to park further away from a building where there are usually plenty of open spaces. Plus, we are just primarily going to use this for towing our trailer. The truck will not be a “daily driver.”

Although I haven’t towed our trailer yet, it will be more difficult to back it into many camping spots and also in our spot where we store the trailer. I’m pretty sure it will be too difficult to park in one of our favorite campgrounds in Joshua Tree National Park; Cottonwood Springs. But we haven’t been there in probably a couple of years. The park has gotten too crowded; to the point you now have to make reservations at Cottonwood. With a few exceptions, we don’t camp where reservations are required because it is an indicator that there are too many people.

Given all this, I’m happy. I already knew the negatives of a long truck and there were no surprises here.

F-250 XL Standard and Optional Features

This is the lowest trim level in the F-250 line-up. Although both our Expeditions were XLT trim levels (next level up from the base XL), there was no need to buy a XLT model for more that $5,000 extra.

One nice thing about the Internet age is one can go online and “build” a truck with the trim levels and options you want, to include the MSRP, then search the inventory of dealers within a defined radius to see if there is a perfect match or something close to exactly what you want. Also with Ford (I’ll assume GM and Chrysler do the same,) once you find a specific vehicle you like, you can view the Factory Window Sticker.

Our Truck’s Window Sticker Showing the Standard Equipment

Let’s take a look at the standard features on our truck, which were all listed on the window sticker:

Almost everything should be self-explanatory exception a couple of items that I’ll briefly comment on.

MyKey

MyKey allows the owner to program the extra keys for other drivers. For example, if you have a teenage who will be driving the vehicle you could set the maximum speed to 65 mph and the radio volume to a max of 45%. Not something we need at all.

FordPass Connect

This is a 4G Wi-Fi modem you can use for Internet connectivity for up to 10 devices. Yep, you can drive down the freeway and stream movies. It requires a subscription with AT&T and obviously there are places in the US where there won’t be any cell service. We don’t need this and we pertaining don’t need another cell phone bill!

However there are some free services with the FordPass App. I really don’t need those either, but they could be useful to use once in a while. When Ford first rolled out FordPass, the free connectivity of the app was for only 5 years. At the end of last year Ford announced the service would be a lifetime free service. So what happens is the App connects to the vehicle using AT&T’s cellular network. You can lock or unlock the vehicle and even start the vehicle with your phone, which would be pretty handy on cold winter mornings. You can’t drive the vehicle if it has been started remotely until the key is inserted into the ignition switch.

 

The App will also give a few of the vehicle’s data such as fuel level, tire pressure, etc.

 

The App can also find your vehicle on a map. I zoomed out on the map to show more of the area, but if I zoom all the way in it will show the actual address.

 

There are a few other things the App can do, but I don’t need them and really didn’t read further about what they can do.

Optional Equipment on the Window Sticker

Because we didn’t order the truck to be built with only the options we wanted, there are a few things I don’t need. If you buy a vehicle that is in a dealer’s stock, then you should be able to negotiate better. That is a conversation I won’t get into.

The standard drivetrain is the 6.2L engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. I wanted the new 7.3L big block engine, which comes with a 10-speed transmission.

The STX Appearance Package includes a bunch of chrome stuff, aluminum wheels, and cruise control. Cruise control was a must have for me, and the stock XL without the STX package is pretty ugly. Joyce much prefers the improved appearance.

The Up Fitter switches are a bunch of switches in the overhead console that can be used to operate addition accessories, should one want to purchase something like off-road lights. It really is the only option I don’t need at all.

Here’s a few Pictures of the Interior

 

Accessorizing the Truck

There are a few things I need.

• I really wanted a Keyless Entry Keypad. My last three vehicles had one. It is a keypad on the door that you can punch in a code to unlock the door. So if you leave your keys in the vehicle (accidentally or on purpose) you can unlock it. To get this I would have had to buy a XLT trim level or higher. The keypad isn’t worth $5,000+ to me. Ford does sell a keypad for $100. I ordered one and will install it myself.
• We need wheel locks, especially after having a tire and wheel stolen back in 2014. I ordered a set of locks from Ford. A warning to those with a F-250: the aftermarket wheel lock kits by McGard and others have a key which is a different size that the wrench that comes with the truck. Supposedly the Ford version will fit the spare tire lug wrench.
• New license plate frames. Ours are cheap plastic ones with the dealership’s name on them and I don’t like advertising free for others. I’ll get an inexpensive set from Amazon.
• Mud flaps – I put a set on our last Expedition and they really helped keep the vehicle clean, especially on muddy dirt roads. I order a set made by the same company, but until I get them I can’t really comment on them.
• Camper shell. This is really important to help keep things secure. I ordered one from a place today that will be colored matched to the truck. It will take 7-8 weeks, assuming Ohio doesn’t issue a stay-in-place order in the near future. This one is made by ARE. I had already decided on this brand before I went out to shop. The other two large camper shell manufacturers, Leer and Snug Top and closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It may seem “wrong” to some readers that in this time of uncertainty and with so many people sick or out of work that we would go out and buy a large purchase like a truck. We cannot sit at home and live in fear, spending our days fretting over the pandemic and following every news story. He had live our lives to the fullest, while at the same time being careful. We know how to protect ourselves, and even that is not guarantee we won’t get sick. We are in our 60s, so getting the virus is more dangerous for people our age. We know all this and we choose to live without fear or panic.