Ford F250 Super Duty Super Cab Lariat Outlaw 4×4 Review

Jonny Lieberman
by Jonny Lieberman

Ford seems determined to make sure each member of the Village People has a personalized ride. And why not? The cowboy and the leather-daddy already have their own trucks (the King Ranch and the Harley Davidson, respectively). I'm just having trouble deciding if the F250 Outlaw is aimed at the construction worker or the cop. No matter really, as there is plenty of room inside for both of those fabulous men and all their haute couture.

Let's not beat around President Bush’s truck; the Outlaw brings new meaning to the word "huge." It’s so tall the Ford website leaves the spec box blank. So I made my 6’7” friend stand next to it. He was shorter. Yukons, Lexus GX470s and Grand Cherokees look positively diminutive from the F250's high perch. MINIs? Fits? Yari? Like the big Ford lost a wheel.

Intimidation, thy name is Outlaw. I'm scared just imagining the primeval fear other drivers experienced as our seven-foot tall, all-black leviathan bore down on them. Even the boldest drivers wisely “chose” to swing to the right. And check out this apple; I was in the right lane and signaled to indicate I wanted into the fast lane. The BMW in my mirror did not speed up and attempt to pass me. No, he stayed put and let me over. In Los Angeles. It’s like driving Mike Tyson. Sure the Outlaw’s a guilty pleasure, but let’s be honest about this. What other kind of pleasure is there?

Inside, the seats are bright red leather, just like a bordello. I love it. But FoMoCo didn't take it far enough. Everything needs to be red leather, especially the steering wheel. The seats themselves are garbage as is the rest of the interior. However, garbage dressed up to look like the Bunny Ranch would be A-OK in my (degenerate) book. Unfortunately, aside from the seats, the rest of the interior looks (and feels) like a mid-90s Dodge Stratus.

Pay it all no mind, as your eyes will be busy taking in scenic vista after epic sunset. The F250's outward visibility is so good that this uber-truck is easier to park than certain sedans (I’m looking at you, Stratus). The side mirrors may stick out fourteen inches off the body, but they are the most useful I've ever peered into.

I wouldn't have called this truck Outlaw. I would have called it Torqueamada. The 6.0L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel stumps up 570lbs. ft of the good stuff at a laughable 2,000rpm. The turbocharger is the size of a pumpkin. Not that I saw it (At 5'11" I can’t see over the hood) but judging by the two-second lag-time, it must be.

Once it spools however, the forward thrust is, to quote John Wayne, re-god-damn-diculous. Especially considering that the Outlaw is so heavy (6,395lbs) the EPA does not require mileage numbers to be listed on the sticker. So Ford doesn't. However, as it is a burner of oil, I averaged just over 15mpg in mixed, unburdened city/highway use. Which is amazing, as the Outlaw is larger than my old Manhattan apartment.

For a passenger vehicle the ride and handling are atrocious. But for a tugboat? Not bad. Let's not kid a kidder; even baby-butt smooth highways created enough raucous NVH to make me nauseous. I needed a triple bacon-cheeseburger just to settle my stomach. Turning the rudder, er, wheel of this twenty-foot big boy is hilarious. I neglected to count, but let’s assume 22 turns-to-lock. I felt like Sandra Bullock in Speed (and no, not because of the red leather). Eventually you'll get around a corner, and your forearms will be thankful for the workout.

The brake pedal is much more a suggestion that the Outlaw might want to think about slowing down than a direct order to halt. It's like tugging on a St. Bernard's leash. Maybe the big dog will stop? Or maybe it will get tired and lay down? Besides, should someone cross the Super Duty’s path, it's really their problem.

Towing, you want to talk towing? Is 15,000lbs. enough? It's not? Well, you can add a fifth-wheel which bumps the figure up to 18,800lbs. And I imagine for those of you that need to haul the Space Shuttle around your ranch in Montana, this is very exciting news. Plus, with four-wheels driven through a transfer case you'll handily get through whatever presents your Buffalo herd leaves you, no sweat.

If you're left scratching your head as to why I love such a hulking mass of extroverted madness, I am too. Especially since this week top scientists from 113 countries said, "there can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are dominated by human activities." Could it be that one man’s environmental nightmare is another man’s ideal ride? Yippie kay-ay mother******!

[Listen to RF and JL discuss the F250 below.]

Jonny Lieberman
Jonny Lieberman

Cleanup driver for Team Black Metal V8olvo.

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  • CSJohnston CSJohnston on Feb 12, 2007

    Jonny, Gee whiz what happened? I was all ready with my knives and teeth sharpened to defend the honour of the last vehicle that apologizes to no one. Then here you go, liking the vehicle! Bravo, well-played sir! A nice review. I wish you had a shot of the interior as I think the marketing mavens should make "Bordello Red" a standard interior trim choice from now on! Is that an `08 or an `07 you drove? I have only seen the new F350 in the flesh but its front end looks quite different than the F250 you have illustrated. There is also a bigger, badder 6.4 Powerstroke that winds 650 lb-ft to the wheels. Should we call that one "Torqua! Torqua! Torqua!"? If you think the F250 is over the top wait'll you see how big FoMoCo plasters SUPER DUTY across the `08 (both inside and out). It's as big as the word EMERGENCY you see on ambulances! Anyway, I'm glad you liked the SD for what it is and not what it isn't... there may be hope for Cali yet! When's the first Edmunds review coming? CJ

  • Fonetik Fonetik on Mar 06, 2007

    Somewhere there is a forum about Catholicism, global warming, and Galileo where they are arguing over the Ford F250. :)

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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