2012 Super Duty Review

05/21/2012

I definitely wouldn’t call myself a truck person, but overall, I have enjoyed driving the various Ford trucks over the last year.  I found them fast, roomy (the backseats are HUGE and very convenient for car seats and kids) easy to maneuver in the city and they all come with all the usual creature features we all know and love.  Unfortunately, I have to say that the Super Duty gets the lowest score I have yet to give on a Ford.

The Super Duty was redesigned in 2011, so there isn’t a lot of difference in the 2012 model.  Some of the models received a slight boost in towing capacity, which is most likely the case in the model I was driving as it had the fifth-wheel hitch addition in the 8 foot long bed.  The truck market is so tight, especially for towing vehicles, that this slight boost in torque and towing capacity definitely separates this Super Duty from other brands.  I found the hitch an eye sore, but I would imagine that most buyers of this vehicle would buy it to tow a commercial trailer or a fifth wheel holiday trailer.  The hitch takes up a ton of space, so it makes the bed difficult to use the rear end of the bed nearest to the tailgate because there just isn’t much room between the two.  So, if you weren’t towing, the bed is definitely more difficult to use than your average truck when the hitch is in place in the bed.

I normally give Ford trucks glowing reviews on their back seat space because of the full size doors, 40/20/40 split rear seats and the amazing amount of leg room (ie – room for mom to kneel down and change diapers, buckle car seats, feed children etc) which was the case in this one, however, car seat installation was a nightmare!  We couldn’t locate the child anchor seats, which should be standard.  (Sidenote: it may be because this was a test vehicle that they were perhaps missing?) Also, we found the seats difficult to maneuver for a car seat such as tilting the seat forward, using a rear anchor and removing the head rest to feed through car seat straps.  This is definitely something to keep in mind if a family is looking at purchasing this vehicle!

For the first time driving any of the Ford Trucks, I found the Super Duty more cumbersome to drive in the city and more difficult to manage.  I was also surprised by the fact that there weren’t any pedal adjustments on this model (there is on the Lariat model).  If this vehicle was purchased to pull a recreational trailer, there is certainly a change that mom might be driving the truck.  I am 5’9” and I felt like I was getting a right leg work out physically lifting my foot and leg from the gas to the break.  I couldn’t lower the seat any more to be closer to the pedals as I felt like the truck was so big that I needed to see more of the front end.  The fuel economy was better than I expected.  After driving it anywhere and everywhere around Edmonton for a week, I think I was barely down by half a tank, which I thought was very impressive for such a large vehicle.  The Super Duty is a diesel and I found it to be surprisingly quiet – both the sound of the engine running and the outside noise when the vehicle was in motion.

As with all the Ford vehicles, the Super Duty has the awesome LCD screen, navigation, back up camera, satellite radio and the Sync technology for handsfree and other uses, which I believe is the best on the market and most user friendly.  Most of the new Ford vehicles also have the display on the panel behind the steering wheel that show fuel economy and in the Super Duty’s case, also towing and off-road driving details, which is a nice touch.  A few other neat optional features include a lockable bin under an available front center 40/20/40-split bench seat, which also folds to serve as an armrest. Another lockable bin that can easily accommodate longer items (like a hunting rifle) is located under the rear seats and also features a 12-volt power point to charge computers or cell phones. The available 40/console/40 seat can be configured to accommodate a laptop, hanging files and other office-style items. It also offers a 12-volt power point and 110-volt inverter for portable printers or other electronic accessories.  Many of these options would certainly support the commercial buyer, as opposed to the family buyer.

Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend the Super Duty for a family towing vehicle.  I just think there are other better options out there.  If you search reviews on commercial, construction-type tow vehicles, the Super Duty scores very well and is generally highly recommended.  The competitive market cost, extra towing capacity and long list of packages definitely make it a winner in certain industries.