2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty Performance

For an HD truck like the Ford F-250 Super Duty, 0-60 sprint times and top-speed figures are irrelevant because these vehicles are built to work hard and tow heavy rigs, not win drag races. With a minimum of 405 hp available in base XL trim and a slick-shifting ten-speed automatic transmission, the F-250 has the power to get out of its own way and can keep up with fast-moving traffic. The turbocharged diesel engine comes in two states of tune, and both offer immense torque numbers, with up to 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft available. Given a heavy right foot, the big diesel will send the F-250 storming off the line like a buffalo late for a stampede, and performance is hardly affected by the payload (a maximum of 4,269 lbs permissible) or trailering duty. It can tow up to 23,000 lbs and does so with disdain, since this powertrain is designed to cope with as much as 40,000 lbs behind the F-450. Off-road performance benefits from the optional off-road packages, and the Tremor package even has a feature that can brake the inside rear wheel to dramatically reduce the turning radius when off-roading.

The 385-hp 6.2L Boss gas V8 engine from the old Ford F-250 Super Duty is gone, this year replaced by a 6.8L gas V8 with 405 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque. This is only offered on the base XL and is a short-stroke version of the 7.3L Godzilla gas V8 that's standard on the XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum, here delivering 430 hp and 485 lb-ft. The 6.7L PowerStroke V8 turbo-diesel is back for 2023 and develops 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft in standard form and 500 hp/1,200 lb-ft in high-output form; both are optionally available on all five bottom trim, while the HO version of the diesel is standard on the Limited. Only the base XL is offered with standard rear-wheel drive, with electronically activated shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive optional. 4WD is standard on all the other trims. A ten-speed TorqShift automatic transmission is standard on all trims.

There are no EPA gas-mileage ratings for the Ford F-250 Super Duty. Expect the gas V8 models' fuel consumption to be heavy, as is expected. Real-world figures suggest the 6.8L and 7.3L gas V8 should span a range of around 8-14 mpg in the F-250, while the 6.7L diesels should fare better, with the biggest spread of figures being in the region of 12-18 mpg, depending on the type of use.

Fuel capacity varies by body style. The Regular Cab and SuperCab with either of the gas engines have 34-gallon fuel tanks, along with diesels in the SuperCab with the 164-inch wheelbase and the Crew Cab with the 160-inch wheelbase. The diesel engines in the Regular Cab with the 142-inch-wheelbase and SuperCab with the 148-inch wheelbase have 29-gallon tanks, while the diesel mills in Crew Cab configuration with the 176-inch wheelbase have the biggest tanks, at 48 gallons, to maximize range.