2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The styling was updated for 2020 with a more detailed grille and headlights. The new grille moves away from the gaudy chrome-clad bars of the 2019 model, but is still imposing in its own right. The massive headlights are just as large, but thanks to some additional detail and contouring, they look a bit less like a glass-fronted dorm fridge than before. These are all little touches, but the result is a more mature looking heavy-duty pickup.

But it’s still nothing more than just a modest evolution of the design that was introduced for the 2017 model year. Consider the medium-duty Ford F-150, which has been redesigned for the 2021 model year. As these updated trucks hit the road later this year, the Super Duty will continue to look more and more dated. The next major redesign for the Super Duty is not scheduled until 2023.

While the front end received its modest update, the cabin is unchanged. The blocky styling is not particularly inviting. As trucks have grown into the luxury vehicles they are today, rivals like Ram have stepped up, providing far more welcoming cabins. But the interior of the F-350 Super Duty is ideally suited for work use and features plenty of usable space.

Trim levels for the 2020 Ford F-350 Super Duty are XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited. Standard features on the XL trim include 17-inch steel wheels, black front-and-rear bumpers, and black door handles. It gives the XL the ultimate “work truck” look. Inside, the XL comes vinyl seats, manual climate control, a 2.3-inch instrument panel menu screen, and a basic AM/FM/MP3 stereo with Bluetooth and FordPass Connect functionality, including the ability to activate a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Moving up to the XLT adds 18-inch aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers and door handles, black running boards, and bed tie-downs. The XLT also adds a larger 4.2-inch LCD instrument-panel screen, cloth seats, a wall-style power outlet in the centre console and rear seat console, and the SYNC 3 infotainment system. SYNC 3 includes an 8-inch touchscreen and support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Lariat bridges the gap between a work truck and a luxury truck. It adds a chrome step-bar, leather upholstery, an 8-inch LCD screen in the instrument panel, dual-zone climate control, 10-way power front seats, and power-adjustable pedals.

The King Ranch features a unique two-tone exterior design, a remote-release tailgate, and LED bed lighting. The King Ranch also features special saddle-style leather upholstery, ambient cabin lighting, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a memory setting for the seats and power-adjustable pedals.

Moving up to the Platinum adds 20-inch polished aluminum wheels when the V8 turbo diesel engine is equipped plus heated-and-ventilated seats, and Ford’s Multi-Contour front bucket seats with massaging function. The range-topping Limited provides power-retractable running boards, a number of unique visual touches, a panoramic, dual-panel sunroof, and a premium audio system by Bang & Olufsen.

Standard power comes from a 6.2-litre gas V8 engine. It makes 385 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. There is also a 6.7-litre turbodiesel Power Stroke V8. It puts out 475 hp and an astounding 1,050 lb-ft of torque. New for 2020 is a 7.3-litre gas V8, putting out 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque.

The 6.2-litre V8 routes power through a standard 10-speed automatic. Power is routed through the drivetrain as rear-wheel drive or available four-wheel drive with low range.

All engines make more than enough power. Acceleration is swift for such a heavy vehicle. If you have passengers and gear in the truck, any engine will get you up to highway speed quickly. When properly equipped, the F-350 has a conventional towing capacity of 10,977 kilograms (24,200 pounds). It has a fifth-wheel towing capacity of 14,742 kg (32,500 pounds) and a gooseneck trailer capacity of 16,783 kg (37,000 pounds). When properly equipped, it also can provide 3,561 kg (7,850 pounds) in maximum payload capacity.

The F-350’s size and height are felt in corners. Models set up for higher towing capacities will be “chattery” over bumps when not towing or hauling. This is generally expected of heavy-duty trucks, but it should be noted the Ram 3500 has a smoother ride.

For 2020, Ford added the Tremor off-road package to the lineup. The Tremor package is optional on the XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trim levels. This package adds 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires, a lifted suspension, graded off-road shocks and springs, and Trail Control as well as a special rock-crawl drive mode. The 5-centimetre suspension lift and a shorter front air dam provide 27.4 cm of ground clearance, according to Ford. The whole package is set off with black matte-finish wheels, a black grille, and body-colour front-and-rear bumpers.

The F-350 is offered in Regular Cab, Super Cab, and Super Crew configurations. Super Cab is an extended cab with rear-hinged half-doors. It provides a decent amount of space for rear-seat passengers, but requires opening the front door to access it. If you have kids or use the rear doors a lot, this can get old fast. But if you only use the rear seats occasionally, or use them to store gear out of the elements, it’s a good solution.

The Super Crew is a full four-door crew cab with a massive cab. The rear seats have tons of headroom and legroom, and they fold up to provide a large load floor for gear. There are also in-door pockets on all four doors that can hold large water bottles. Meanwhile, the front-seat occupants can take advantage of the massive centre console with multiple deep pockets. The centre console bin is large enough to store most laptops.

Ford offers the F-350 with either a 2,081 mm (6-foot-9-inch) or a 2,492 mm (8-foot) bed. The regular cab comes only with the longer bed, while the Super Cab and Super Crew are available with either bed lengths. The longer bed is also available in a dual-rear-wheel configuration, also called a “dually.” This bed setup is available with all three cab sizes. The bed also features a step that extends from the end of the tailgate when opened. This is helpful for loading items into the bed without having to reach over the bed walls.

The F-350 soldiers on with the current version of Ford’s infotainment technology—SYNC 3. Newer vehicles like the 2021 F-150 have the latest SYNC 4 system, but SYNC 3 is still one of the best infotainment systems on the market today. It gets standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility. It has a very intuitive menu layout, and large icons at the bottom of the screen for Audio, Phone, Navigation, Apps, and Settings. A Home icon ensures you can always jump out of a deep settings menu to the home screen.

SYNC 3 does have the occasional buggy hiccup. This is often experienced when first turning the truck on or jumping back and forth between SYNC 3 and Apple CarPlay. On the subject of CarPlay, SYNC 3's “Home” icon is not available when in CarPlay or Android Auto. That means getting to a SYNC menu from a CarPlay menu requires backing out to Apple’s home screen then finding the “Ford” icon. Both Chevrolet’s and Ram’s infotainment systems make switching between menus easier.

Some of Ford’s most impressive tech comes in the form of towing features. Pro Trailer Backup Assist includes a 360 camera, wide-angle backup camera, and Trailer Reverse Guidance. Backing up a trailer can be quite a chore, and involves a lot of counterintuitive steering inputs. Trailer Reverse Guidance takes the steering wheel out of the driver’s hands as they operate a dial in the dash to “point” the trailer where they need it. The system calculates the steering angle required by the truck to get the trailer where the driver wants it and makes all the steering inputs on its own.

The Ford F-350 Super Duty comes standard with a full array of airbags, automatic high beams, traction control, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Moving up to the XLT trim level adds automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring. The blind-spot monitoring system can even account for trailers, thanks to sensors in the rear corners of the truck. The Lariat adds a reverse-sensing system, while the King Ranch adds lane departure warning and the aforementioned Pro Trailer Backup Assist becomes available as optional equipment. The latter becomes standard on the King Ranch model.

Moving up to the Platinum trim adds adaptive cruise control and adaptive steering, as well as upgraded quad-beam LED headlights. The range-topping Limited provides all the listed features as standard equipment.

Natural Resources Canada does not require fuel-consumption reporting for heavy-duty trucks. The rationale is that these are design for use as commercial vehicles. But contractors and their accountants need to know how much their annual fuel costs will be. Owners report average fuel efficiency of around 20.5 litres per 100 kilometres with the 6.2-litre gas engine. The new 7.3-litre gas engine returns around 17 to 20 L/100 km. The Power Stroke diesel engine has a high of around 20 L/100 km, but it also can return as little as 13 or even 12 L/100 km on the highway.

Base pricing for the 2020 Ford F-350 starts at an MSRP of $44,749 Canadian for the XL trim level. The Super Cab starts at $47,849, while the Super Crew starts at $49,649. A Regular Cab XLT starts at $51,739, a Super Cab short bed Lariat starts at $64,119, while a Super Crew King Ranch starts at $76,379. The F-350 Platinum starts at $80,119, while the range-topping Limited starts at $99,309, though it comes with nearly every option included.

Spend enough time researching full-size, heavy-duty pickups, and you may become numb to how truck prices have skyrocketed—to the point where $90,000 and even $100,000 trucks have become commonplace—but it’s still a shock to many shoppers. Trucks have gotten more and more luxurious to meet the demands and needs of their owners. But if you need a truck for work duty, there is still a place for you and your budget. The specs on the XLT trim level deliver enough content and features, but at a price that will not induce sticker shock. The Ram 3500 is certainly a nicer pickup truck, but Ford offers the features and powertrains for those that need their trucks to get work done…without busting your budget.

Note: Images show a US model.