- pick-up trucks 95,413
- Lexington, KY
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- autoshopper.com
Air Conditioning✔ Sport Package✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Leather Seats✔ Aluminum Wheels
2004 Ford F-350 Review This car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. America's most popular heavy hauler. IntroductionThe 2004 Ford Super Duty pickups look like serious big rigs, and they are. The F-250 and F-350 are willing and able to pull their weight. The F-350, with its optional dual rear wheels, competes against the 3500-series models from GM and Dodge. The Super Duty pickups feature first-class powertrains. The standard 5.4-liter V8 gas engine was revised for 2003 for quieter and more refined operation. For 2004, the 6.0-liter turbo-diesel V8 has been recalibrated for lower emissions. A 6.8-liter gasoline V10 is also available. The Super Duty trucks are not the latest in truck design and don't offer the level of chassis sophistication of their counterparts from GM and Dodge. So they don't ride or handle as well. However, Ford continues to update its Super Duty pickups to make them more family-friendly. The base interior was recently upgraded and a power sliding moonroof is available for crew cabs. Several other new interior features further enhance comfort and convenience for 2004. Ford sells more pickups in the over-8500-pound GVWR range than GM or Dodge. LineupLike most domestic pickups, the Ford Super Duty is offered in more configurations than any normal human can count. And nearly 60 iterations are available in the F-350 (or 1-ton size). Any one of them can pull heavy loads. They offer more truck most consumers will ever need. (And when they aren't enough, Ford builds bigger F-450, F-550, F-650, and F-750 trucks for the commercial market.) F-250 and F-350 are available in regular-cab, extended-cab (SuperCab) and Crew Cab configurations. Wheelbase lengths include 137 inches (regular cab), 142 inches (SuperCab short-bed), 158 inches (SuperCab long-bed), 156 inches (Crew Cab short-bed), and 172 inches (Crew Cab long-bed). All F-250 models come with single rear wheels. F-350 models are available with single rear wheels (SRW) or dual rear wheels (DRW). XL models are pretty basic, with only a two-speaker stereo and fixed-interval wipers. Air conditioning ($805) is optional. XLT models are equipped more like the average passenger car, while luxurious Lariats come with an overhead console, leather seats with six-way power, and aluminum wheels. Power telescoping trailer mirrors are available on XLT ($220) and standard on Lariat and King Ranch; they feature heated glass and integral turn signal repeaters. Manually telescoping mirrors are available ($125) on XL. A power sliding rear cab window is available on late-2004 models. A Sport Package ($895) for XLT SuperCabs and Crew Cabs adds chromed tubular step bars; body-color grille, bumpers, and door handles; sliding rear cab window; fog lamps; privacy glass; an exclusive twill cloth 40/20/40 split-bench front seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The FX4 Off-Road Package ($225) adds skid plates, Rancho shock absorbers, and a steering damper. Skid plates ($100) are also available as a stand-alone option. Harley-Davidson Editions of the 4WD SuperCab and Crew Cab are also available. They come with all the King Ranch goodies plus 18-inch aluminum wheels and unique Harley-Davidson design cues inside and out. Color choices consist of black, black and orange, and black and gray. Prices range from $39,340 for a short-wheelbase F-250 SuperCab to $42,800 for a long-wheelbase F-350 Crew Cab. WalkaroundFord Super Duty pickups are arguably the best-looking heavy-duty pickups available. The new heavy-duty Dodge Rams are more stylish, while the GM trucks are conservatively styled. The Fords have a brawny, no-nonsense look that we find very appealing. When the current generation of Ford Super Duty pickups appeared in 1999, they conspicuously avoided the rounder, more aerodynamic look then used by the light-duty F-150. Then and now, the Super Duty trucks looked bluff-nosed and serious, with menacing, square-jawed front ends, brawny raised hoods and aggressive headlamps. Significantly, the all-new 2004 F-150 now looks more like its Super Duty stablemates. Super Duty's dropped sill line gives it a sense of openness and accessibility. It also makes it easier to climb in, a welcome feature when juggling tools, briefcases, or even toddlers. A distinctive dip along the front door side glass improves the driver's view of the exterior mirrors, a big help when towing a trailer or for seeing around cargo boxes or dump-truck bodies. A locking tailgate is standard. King Ranch Crew Cabs are dressed up with body-color mirror housings and door handles, Arizona Beige wheel lip moldings, lighted running boards and special King Ranch aluminum wheels. Three two-tone paint combinations are available: Estate Green, Chestnut Brown, or Oxford White; each with Arizona Beige as the accent color. InteriorFord Super Duty trucks are very roomy, with comfortable and spacious seats and plenty of hip and shoulder room. Truck owners spend a lot of time in their vehicles, so the designers at Ford paid a lot of attention to comfort and convenience. The interior features a fold-down armrest, a floor console that can accommodate a laptop, and a removable hanging storage bin that can attach to the dash. Even the standard bench seats recline. Controls are big and easy to reach and manipulate. The only exception is the instrument panel dimmer, which is a bit hard to reach. Optional power-adjustable pedals ($120) are particularly helpful for smaller drivers, allowing them to sit further away from the airbag in the steering wheel. Two large cupholders are provided. The standard cigar lighter is augmented with a second auxiliary power outlet. The instrument cluster includes a transmission temperature gauge when an automatic transmission is ordered. Passenger-side airbags offer a deactivation switch on regular cab and SuperCab models. The rear doors are 25 inches wide. They hinge on the rear pillars of the cab and swing out a full 90 degrees from the doorsill, a design that eases the loading of gear and passengers. Hidden vertical beams and a cross brace where the front and rear doors meet contribute to occupant safety. The rear seat cushion folds up and forward, and the seatback folds down to create a flat, steel loading surface, a perfect place to put tools and other heavy items that need to stay secure and out of the elements. All Crew Cabs except XL now come with grocery hooks, integrated cup holders and rear-seat head restraints. Driving ImpressionFord Super Duty's standard 5.4-liter V8 is rated 260 horsepower and 350 pounds-feet of torque. Using computer analysis, Ford engineers stiffened the engine block for 2003, reducing radiated noise by as much as 3.1 decibels. The 6.8-liter V10 ($600) is rated 310 horsepower and 425 pounds-feet of torque. Both gas engines are part of Ford's Triton series, and employ overhead cams for valve control. The 6.0-liter Powerstroke turbocharged diesel V8 is an expensive option ($5,085), but it is rated 550 pounds-feet of torque at 2000 rpm, and 325 horsepower at 3300 rpm. That's more peak horsepower and torque than the 7.3-liter turbo-diesel that Ford offered until early last year. The new engine is also cleaner running and more economical. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on all Ford Super Duty models. Its fenders don't seem to fill rural roads ditch to ditch as much as the Dodge trucks do. Steering is precise. Handling is good, though not as good as the newer designs from Dodge and GM. Body roll is noticeably limited when cornering.