Driving Impressions
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Like all pickups, the Ford F-250 XLT Power Stroke is easy to use, not at all off-putting to the car person once you get accustomed to waiting for the glow-plug light to turn green. The driving position is commanding, there?s lots of glass area and there?s plenty of room in which to maneuver.
Some tall drivers may find the Regular Cab a bit short on headroom - not so much vertically (there?s more than 40 in. of that) but horizontally, where the back of our driver?s head touched the flat rear glass. The Dodge Ram?s standard cab holds the edge in roominess. Other than that, we don?t have any knocks on comfort or accommodation.
The 17:1 ratio power steering communicates directly with the driver but tends to be numb and needs corrections at highway speeds. The power brakes are a hefty 11.72-in. disc, 11.03-in. drum combination, with anti-lock brakes (ABS) standard on the rear axle only, and they can take a lot of punishment.
For 1995, the Ford F-Series offers a new, larger 56mm brake caliper at the front, and lining thicknesses and rotor diameters have been increased to combat premature wear.
With the Power Stroke engine and the 4-speed automatic overdrive, you get outstanding acceleration and pulling power that many large-displacement gasoline engines can?t deliver, as well as fuel economy that?s unequaled in a gasoline engine of this size (7.3 liters equates to a hefty 447 cu. in.). This truck absolutely lunges across intersections when it?s loaded, and will pull a 7000-lb. house trailer without looking back.
The downside? Noise. Direct-injection diesels are noisy. But if you stay inside the cab where you belong, you will note that Ford has done a creditable job of shielding the acceleration clatter. Once at cruise speed, in overdrive fourth, you?ll notice little commotion as you watch all those gas stations and diesel truck stops go by; you?ll get between 16 mpg and 20 mpg with this diesel, even when pulling stout loads.
The other typical diesel issue - smoke - has been addressed new fuel-injection and engine-control systems. It?s not entirely gone, but it has been minimized.
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