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All Hail King Ranch

Ford's new luxury truck -- it can haul 12,500 pounds!

By Patrick J. Sauer | 
 

"The F-250 Super Duty might not mean much in New York City, but we can't keep them on the lots in Texas," said the Ford spokesman with a hint of condescension. Fair enough. There isn't a big call for maneuvering a 6,600-pound four-door four-by-four truck through the narrow streets of Chinatown. But his implication that I wasn't King Ranch material offended my red-state roots. So I loaded up the truck and went out to clear brush, pull stumps, and haul cattle. Okay, technically I went apple picking, but the brawny roar of the diesel engine on the 20-foot-long F-250 King Ranch edition made me feel manlier nonetheless. I started to channel Toby Keith, sneering at the Priuses and Jettas as they moved aside, and reminding myself that this urban cowboy will, if need be, "put a boot in your ass."

Sticker price: $36,400, up to $50,495 for the works, which includes the King Ranch interior package for $2,995.

Available: Now.

Vital stats: Six-liter 325-hp V-8, 156-inch wheelbase, 570-pounds of torque, cargo box length of nearly seven feet, and a towing capability of 12,500 pounds. Ford says 90% of Super Duty owners tow, but I didn't have a horse trailer handy to verify that the electronic trailer braking system, huge side mirrors, and reverse sensor make towing a breeze.

Nice touches: A 10-gallon cabin with mandarin teak accents and large captain's Castano leather chairs.

Drawbacks: The King Ranch edition is for J.R. Ewings at the Petroleum Club, not for working cowboys with dirty boots.

What you think it says about you: "If it's good enough for Toby Keith, it's good enough for me."

What it really says about you: "As they allegedly say in Texas, you're all hat and no cattle."

Second opinion: "Style and power are embodied in the F-250 Super Duty," says Ken Panton, president of eCityofStyle. "Around the ranch or in the city the F-250 is a ride that an overachieving oil mogul would admire."

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