Feature > New Vehicle Reviews
2005 Ford F-Series Super Duty Pickups
Sons of Tonka: 2005 Ford F-Series Super Duty pickupssmoother, stronger, faster
story and photos by Bruce W. Smith
additional photos courtesy Ford Motor Co.
Although significant technological advancements have helped GM and Dodge lay momentary claim to power battles on- and off-road in the last couple of years, Ford has maintained an effortless ability to step right back in the lead.
The 2005 F-Series Super Duty, which went on sale in September, is a case in point. Ford moves the Rams, Silverados and Sierras off the podium when it comes to heavy-duty pickup bragging rights to things like maximum towing capacity, ride quality, and off-road prowess.
“There’s a reason people look up to Super Duty as the benchmark in this class,” says Susan Dehne, F-Series Super Duty chief engineer. “It was a great truck to begin with — and we’ve improved more than 100 individual areas to make [the 2005 model] even better.”
Power King
Many of those areas of change deal directly with improving the F-Series Super Duty specialty: pulling power. On average, payload improves 500 to 1,000 pounds for F-250 and F-350 pickups - and towing capacity sets all-time highs for any pickup.
For example, the 2005 F-250 has a tow rating of 12,500 pounds, with a weight-distribution hitch, and 17,000 pounds in gooseneck or fifth-wheel configurations. The F-350 dualie is even more impressive and is able to tow a 15,000-pound trailer on the bumper and pack nearly three tons around in the bed.
These are major league numbers that place the new F-Series pickups once again as class leaders.
Then there’s the muscle under the hood. The base engine is a revamped 5.4L Triton V-8 — new to the Super Duty. Compared with the 5.4L found in the F-150, the Super Duty version’s sophisticated three-valve technology, variable valve timing, and changes to the intake system adds 40 more ponies, bringing the new ratings to 300 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque.
Some 80 percent of peak torque — nearly 300 pound-feet — is available starting as low as 1,000 rpm. That makes the Super Duty a terrific on- and off-road performer.
But the real muscle comes via the 6.8L 355-horse Triton V-10 and the 325-horse 6.0L Power Stroke turbodiesel. The V-10 gets new three-valve heads, and the diesel gets tweaks in computer mapping of the fuel delivery. The result for both? Best-in-class power and torque.
Because some 95 percent of Super Duty pickups are sold with automatics, Ford now offers a five-speed TorqShift automatic across the board (last year it was only available with the diesel). Shifts are crisp, smooth, and superbly spaced. Of coarse, die-hards can still get the six-speed manual.
Big Suspension Change
Even bigger news is that the new trucks show significant improvements in two other areas: ride and handling. That’s especially true of the 4x4 models.
Ford has done away with the 4x4 front leaf-spring suspension, replacing it with a new monobeam coil-spring design. Such efficient packaging of the new front suspension allows the front wheels to turn 18 percent further, reducing turning diameter by 5.5 feet.
“Going from a leaf-spring to a link-coil front suspension gives us several advantages, including increased roll stiffness and the ability to fine-tune the ride,” says Pete Reyes, F-Series Super Duty vehicle engineering manager. “We can handle a load better, and that’s important for our customers.”
Reyes says the front radius arms on the 4x4s also act as anti-windup bars, improving traction and reducing the chance of wheel-hop under hard acceleration. We saw the effects of this while driving through sand washes; even under hard acceleration and a lot of wheel-spin, there was little wheel-hop.
We also noted the steering is much more precise on-road as well as off-road. The steering pivot points are now farther outboard, which makes a 51-percent improvement in steering feel and reduction in bump steer.
Stopping Power
“We’ve introduced more refinement, luxury, and creature comforts over the years, and Super Duty owners appreciate that,” says Doug Scott, Ford Truck Group marketing manager. “But the bottom line is that customers buy these trucks for their wide range of capability. And that’s the area where we’ve made the greatest improvement for 2005.”
Braking power is one of those areas. Ford upsized the brake rotors by five percent and increased the calipers by 11 percent. Such changes help dissipate heat, especially on long downhill stretches.
But the neatest technological braking advancement comes in the form of an integrated trailer brake controller called the TowCommand System. It’s an option anyone who tows shouldn’t be without.
The TowCommand System, which includes the industry’s first factory-installed and warrantied electronic trailer brake controller, bases braking effort on signals that come from the brake booster — not just an electronic on/off switch like those in aftermarket units.
Because the integrated brake controller operates by monitoring what the pickup’s brake system is doing, it’s also programmed to incorporate ABS safety features. The result is velvet-smooth braking, no herks or jerks whether stopping easy or hard.
New Visual Appeal
From the outside, there’s no mistaking the 2005 Super Duty for anything else. The massive Tonka-esque grille is nothing short of in-your-face boldness. Plus, wheel openings are larger, making room for those who want to run 33-inch tire/wheel packages without any modifications.
Looking for that custom paint right off the showroom floor? The 2005 Ford Harley-Davidson? Super Duty now offers an industry-first flame-paint option, with choice of black-and-red or blue-on-blue. The flames, designed by a Harley-Davidson factory customizer, are painted using Ford’s patented wet-on-wet process, which produces a durable, seamless finish in the factory.
Yes, the King Ranch, with its distinctive Castaño leather seats and special graphics, is still on the menu.
No matter the model or style, the new dash, gauge cluster, and instrument panel treatment set the styling bar just a notch higher than the year prior. Even the barrel-shaped climate-control vents have been reworked.
Owner Connections
One of the items stressed at the preview was Ford’s connection to the owners — and how their suggestions and comments are taken seriously in the Super Duty evolutionary process.
“We’ve been building F-Series trucks for 56 years and have accumulated a tremendous amount of customer knowledge,” says Phil O’Connor, F-Series Super Duty marketing manager, who spends a lot of time on the road at events ranging from horse shows to NASCAR races. “The customers know exactly what they want the truck to do and can explain it to us in great detail. That’s keen insight, and we evaluate every suggestion seriously.”
From our initial drive of the new F-Series Super Duty, the upgrades and wholesale changes from chassis to the gauges are refining an off-road adventurer gem. Load it to the max and drive on without worry.