- naturally-aspirated
- pushrod-actuated
- relic
- propulsion
- in retreat
- yards of exhaust plumbing
- frozen slumber
- forced induction
- off the line
- sauropod
- loft
- unladen truck
- interstate
- lope
- lumbering
- trailer bucking
- rig snatching yank
- steamship
- heavy haulers
- sonorous wail
- altitude vs elevation
- medium duty truck
- cowbros
- I have since come to doubt it.
- improbably
- attired in
- tick quicker off the line
- indispensable
- nudging
- lane-filling width
- thump
2024 Ford F-250: A Primitive, Powerful Beast of a Truck
A high-capacity version of America’s favorite pickup, the Ford F-250 is best understood by what it’s not: a diesel. Meet the super-duty 4×4 with a naturally aspirated V8 nicknamed Godzilla.
By Dan Neil March 15, 2024 11:20 am ET Listen (8 min)
BEHOLD, the king of the Monsters. Our guest this week is a 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4×4 Crew Cab, a high-capacity version of America’s favorite pickup, powered by the latest and last of Ford’s old-school V8s—a naturally aspirated, pushrod-actuated relic nicknamed Godzilla.
I realize that to Millennials those words may appear as a series of 1s and 0s. What the hell is a pushrod? Naturally aspirated? So it wants to be a forest ranger?
Ford’s primeval V8 is best understood by what it’s not: a diesel. Since Dieselgate in 2015, diesel propulsion has been in retreat all over the world, pressured by rising fuel costs—in the U.S., currently about 50 cents higher per gallon on average than gasoline—and the expense of emissions compliance. Look under any new turbodiesel pickup and you will see yards of exhaust plumbing, a daisy chain of aftertreatment devices including catalytic converters, particulate filters and diesel fluid (DEF) injectors.
The breathing public wouldn’t want it any other way. Diesel exhaust is rich in nitrous oxide and fine particulates, both hazardous pollutants that kill thousands every year. California is intent on banning all diesel truck sales by 2035.
But, as a consequence, the premium for diesel power has skyrocketed. In the case of our test truck, the cheapest diesel option adds $10,000 to the price. That’s a bitter pill for independent operators, farmers and truck-based businesses. Awakened from its frozen slumber three years ago, Godzilla offers buyers a more affordable gas engine, delivering diesel-like—diesel-light—performance and durability, using the best that 1960s technology has to offer.
Another thing Godzilla isn’t: turbocharged. Turbochargers make huge power and dramatically improve efficiency, which is why they are ubiquitous in the medium- and heavy-duty segment. The trouble with turbos is that they have to be replaced, eventually, obliging owners to make another trip to the dealership or service center. Turbodiesels’ frequent and costly maintenance cycles also make truckers grumpy.
Godzilla breathes without the benefit of turbos, superchargers or other forced induction. The naturally aspirated, 7.3-liter V8 makes power the old-fashioned way, with displacement. In the cast-iron belly of the beast, the forged crankshaft is confined by six-bolt main bearings.
Nor does Godzilla feature variable cam phasing, since the cam-in-block design has only one cam and two valves per cylinder. Nor high-pressure direct fuel injection. DI systems are known to create carbon buildup in intake tracts. Godzilla’s sequential multi-port fuel injectors wash such deposits away in a brisk deluge of 87 octane.
At every turn, Godzilla’s creators rejected newer, cleaner and leaner technologies in favor of older, simpler, dumber but more durable solutions. They named it Godzilla but they should have called it Stallone.
Godzilla has the goods, all right: 430 hp and 485 lb-ft. The test truck, equipped with the optional 4.30:1 rear end, was usually quick off the line for a large tail-dragging sauropod. The 7.3-liter had no trouble lofting the unladen truck (6,480 pounds) to interstate speeds, where it fell into easy lope, rarely stirring from overdrive.
What our lumbering friend lacks by comparison is low-end torque—the kind of trailer-bucking, rig-snatching yank that gets heavy things moving. Modern turbodiesels produce steamship-quality torque—up to 1,200 lb-ft from the 6.7-liter Power Stroke, for example.
Godzilla maxes out at less than half that; and because the torque lives at roaring engine speeds (4,000 rpm), heavy haulers will have to go there to find it. Prepare to bury your right boots, cowboys. Under heavy loads, the V8’s sonorous wail would likely occupy a large part of the driver experience. I expect the 10-speed automatic transmission would also stay busy, going up or down, since the petrol engine doesn’t offer the compression-braking as the turbodiesel.
Note that the naturally aspirated V8 produces less power at higher altitudes where the air is thin. This problem doesn’t affect turbocharged engines. Depending on where you live, elevation could be a deal breaker.
I used to think a lot of medium-duty buyers were just showing off—cowbros. I have since come to doubt it. The flexing costs are unbearably high. The F-250 4×4 is too tall for malls, too long for parking lots and too wide for byways. Every potential parking space appears improbably small. I felt like André the Giant looking at a hotel toilet.
Our Crew Cab was attired in a dignified stone-gray metallic paint and equipped with many of the features I would want in a truck, in the unlikely event I should become an oil-field supervisor. These included the 2 kW of onboard AC power and the tailgate with the ladder-like integrated step. Our truck was also spec’d with a 4.10:1 rear gear, which probably made it a tick quicker off the line. All F-250s use a 10-speed automatic transmission, so there is no shortage of gear multiplication.
The tech I found indispensable was the automated steering assistance that was built into the lane-keeping/centering system. The F-250’s lane-filling width makes lane discipline a challenge. But within a few miles I was able to relax and rely on the system’s nudging interventions to help keep it between the lines. Mostly.
Conclusion: Godzilla has sweeter breath, is cheaper to feed and easier to keep than the turbodiesel alternatives. For those towing anything lighter than 12,000 pounds, sure, it’s probably the right call. Much above that, you don’t need Godzilla; you need Dieselsaurus.
2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4×4 Crew Cab
Base price: $63,740
Price, as tested: $78,610
Powertrain: Naturally aspirated 7.3-liter overhead-valve V8; 10-speed, multi-mode automatic transmission; two-speed transfer case and rear automatic locking rear differential; automatic four-wheel drive.
Power/torque: 430 hp at 5,500 rpm/485 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm
Length/wheelbase/width/height: 250.0/160.0/105.9(w/mirrors)/79.3 inches
Curb weight: 6,480 pounds
Towing/payload capacity: 16,600/3,923 pounds
Cargo: 65.4 cubic feet (6 ¾-foot bed)
Fuel economy: 13-15 mpg (est.)
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