- Powerful petrol and turbo-diesel engines
- Towing capacity
- High resale values benefit owners
- Poor standard of interior fit and finish
- 4R100 transmission for turbo-diesel engine susceptible to premature failure
Review: Ford RM F-250 and F-350 cab chassis (2001-03)
Overview
Released in July 2001, the Ford Super Duty cab chassis range consisted of the F-250 and F-350 models, which were no longer part of the F-150-derived F-Series range. The F-250 and F-350 cab chassis was available in single, extended and double cab bodies and with a choice of 4.2- and 7.3-litre turbo-diesel engines or a 5.4-litre petrol V8. The full range is given in the table below.
| Body | Model | Engine | Drive | Variant | Trans. | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single cab | F-250 | 4.2-litre turbo-diesel I6 | RWD, 4WD |
XL | 5sp man. | 132 kW at 3400 rpm | 500 Nm at 1600 rpm |
| 5.4-litre petrol V8 | RWD | XL | 5sp man. | 194 kW at 4500 rpm | 475 Nm at 2500 rpm | ||
| 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm | ||
| 4WD | 6sp man. (2003) | ||||||
| F-350 | 5.4-litre petrol V8 | RWD | XL | 5sp man. | 194 kW at 4500 rpm | 475 Nm at 2500 rpm | |
| 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | RWD | XL | 6sp man. | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm | ||
| RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | |||||
| Extended cab | F-250 | 4.2-litre turbo-diesel I6 | RWD, 4WD |
XL | 5sp man. | 132 kW at 3400 rpm | 500 Nm at 1600 rpm |
| F-350 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | 4WD | XL | 4sp auto, 6sp man. |
175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm | |
| RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | |||||
| Dual cab | F-350 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm |
Safety equipment
Standard safety equipment for the Super Duty XL was limited to ABS for the rear wheels. An exception, however, was the single cab, rear-wheel drive F-250 cab chassis fitted with the 5.4-litre V8 petrol engine and five-speed manual transmission had four-wheel ABS
The Super Duty XLT was equipped with dual front airbags and four-wheel ABS.
Features
Standard features for the Super Duty XL included 16-inch steel wheels, a four speaker sound system with radio and cassette player, air conditioning, power mirrors, a tilt adjustable steering wheel, 12 volt power outlet, tinted glass, trip meter and four-tonne hydraulic jack.
A limited slip differential was also fitted as standard, while four-wheel drive models had a skid plate for the transfer case and fuel tank, front tow hooks and side steps.
The Super Duty XLT was further equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, ‘Premium Cloth’ bucket seats, cruise control, power windows and remote central locking. Visually, the Super Duty XLT could be identified by its chrome front bumper.
Review: Ford RN F-250 and F-350 cab chassis (2003-06)
Overview
Released in October 2003, the RN Super Duty range consisted of a reduced range as the 4.2-litre turbo-diesel engine and 5.4-litre V8 petrol engine were discontinued. In July 2004, the range was expanded with the introduction of four-wheel drive, single and extended cab F-250 XL models.
| Body | Model | Engine | Drive | Variant | Trans. | Peak power | Peak torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single cab |
F-250 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | 4WD | XL, XLT |
6sp man. | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm |
| F-350 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | RWD | XL | 6sp man. | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm | |
| RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | |||||
| Extended cab |
F-250 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | 4WD | XL | 6sp man. | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm |
| F-350 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | 4WD | XL | 4sp auto, 6sp man. |
175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm | |
| RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | |||||
| Dual cab | F-350 | 7.3-litre turbo-diesel V8 | RWD | XLT | 4sp auto | 175 kW at 2600 rpm | 684 Nm at 1800 rpm |
Safety equipment and features
Compared to their RM predecessors, safety equipment and features for the RN F-250 and F-350 cab chassis models were largely unchanged.
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