Ford F-250 Super Duty: A work truck that acts like a Tremor

One thing that was surprising about the Ford F-250 Super Duty XL was that it didn't have a regular power outlet, which was noticed on the way back because my occupant needed to charge their laptop. As a work truck with a stowable work surface, shown in the image to the right, having a regular 115V AC outlet to charge laptops would have been a no-brainer.

While driving, I noticed how well the truck handled throughout the trip: first through the tight streets of my neighborhood, then along the crowded Interstate highways, and then through the winding state routes. Even though it appears to be a Plain Jane work truck, its suspension is tuned perfectly. It also handled well because—unlike your typical off-road truck with beefy tires—its smaller wheels keep the truck nimble and feeling lighter. 

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The real test: The Ford F-250 Super Duty XL as a dune crawler 

Before I took the truck out on the dunes, I parked in a nearby lot to lower the air pressure in the tires, which is recommended for all vehicle types as it increases traction on the sand. While in the lot, I met a man on Ford’s design team who’s currently working on the next generation of the F-250 (kismet!). I shared with him that I was told this truck could handle any off-roading just as well as the Tremor. He seemed surprised at first but asked a few questions and looked at the suspension under the wheel well.  

“You won’t have any trouble out there,” he told me. 

While I’ve driven many OEM test tracks, taken OEM off-roading trips, plowed snow with heavy-duty pickups, and spent many Saturdays in a Jeep on Alabama trails, I was nervous to take this truck out on the dunes. Surrounded by Jeep Wranglers and dune buggies, the sheer size of the F-250 Super Duty made it seem totally out of place. To make matters worse, Silver Lake Sand Dunes consist mostly of “scramble” areas, which basically means there are NO RULES.

Friends who’d been there before had already told us their horror stories about nearly being hit, both when they were inside and outside their vehicles, taking photos. One friend experienced a broken back window when another vehicle kicked up a rock. Another friend damaged his front bumper. As far as I’m concerned, Silver Lake Sand Dunes is Michigan’s Wild West. 

All of those worries eventually subsided once I got the truck out on the dunes. The regular weekend crowd had mostly gone home by Sunday afternoon when we got there, and those still there were busy scaling the “test hill,” which a friend warned us not to attempt (only because of the truck’s wheelbase, not its capability), leaving the rest of the park available for my test drive. 

The first hill I tried to tackle was a no-go—but that’s likely because of me. The F-250 scaled the first half well, but just before reaching the top, I saw the flag of a buggy coming up the other side and opted to slow down and let it pass. By the time it passed, the truck had sunk too low into the sand, and the only way out was to reverse downhill. 

Taking another angle, I got it up the hill the second time. I stopped on the ridge to take a few photos and then headed back down.  

That first hill wasn’t much to write home about, though it was steep (see the photo to the right). Really, it was the hills that the buggies were gliding over that had my interest. 

I had never driven over sand dunes, but I discovered that in a vehicle of this size, navigating sand requires a perfect dance between speed and control. Speed is required to scale the steep hills without sinking too far into the sand. Yet once you get over the hill, control is required to master all the bumps going down. I’ll admit that there were moments when the hills and dips were closer together than I anticipated, and I crossed them with too much speed. In those moments, I just thanked God for seat belts. 

Regardless of the inexperienced driver behind the wheel, the increased weight from the diesel engine, and its long wheelbase, the Ford F-250 XL handled the sand as if it were designed for it. 

The verdict 

While I do not expect drivers of this work truck to venture onto sand dunes, it was refreshing to know that my friends at Ford don’t mince words when touting their vehicles’ capabilities. 

After this experience, I believe this F-250 Super Duty XL can go anywhere the job requires—from the suburbs to the sand dunes.