Compare 2003 Ford F350 to 2003 Ford F250

It used to be that any pickup rated at more than a half-ton of capacity was hopelessly crude and driven only by guys - big guys - who did so for a living. Today there are five-foot tall women who use crew cab dualies to carpool kids during the week and haul their barrel-racing quarter horses on weekends. Back then, diesel pickups sounded like Louisiana shrimp boats and trailed clouds of black smoke. Now theyre almost as quiet as gas engines and at least as clean. The evolution of the big diesel pickup from commercial necessity to consumer status symbol has been both quick and unexpected. Following leaps forward by GM (with its introduction of the Duramax turbodiesel V-8 in 2001) and Dodge (which introduced a thoroughly revised and better Cummins turbodiesel straight six earlier in the 2003 model year), its once again Fords turn to lug diesel heavy-duty pickups another few thousand feet up the steep evolutionary mountain. Theyre doing it with a new version of the Navistar-built Power Stroke turbodiesel V-8 ava Less

Ford Super Duty trucks out-sell the heavy-duty pickups from Chevrolet and Dodge combined. Ford has improved them for 2003. A new 6.0-liter diesel engine brings more power and reduced emissions to the Super Duty line. The standard 5.4-liter V8 gas engine has been revised for quieter and more refined operation. The base interior is nicer, and a power sliding moon roof is available for Crew Cabs. Those changes, plus new option packages make the 2003 F-350 and F-250 models more people-friendly. Still, these trucks arent designed to be family-sedan substitutes that make an occasional run to Home Depot. Fords full-size but lighter-duty F-150 is more than enough truck for that job. The Super Duty pickups look like serious big rigs, and they are. Ford Super Duty trucks dont offer the chassis sophistication of the newer designs from GM and Dodge, but their new and revised powertrains are first-class. Less