Top-Rated Heavy Duty Pickup Truck Autobytel & AutoPacific Consumer Award

by Charles Krome

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February 1, 2012

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2 min. Reading Time

AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) are based on over 75,000 surveys completed by owners of new cars and light trucks in the United States in the first quarter of 2012—and only their input. AutoPacific doesn’t rely on the subjective opinions of journalists, and it doesn’t focus on just one small facet of a vehicle’s performance, like fuel-efficiency or reliability.

Instead, vehicle satisfaction is derived from the overall ownership experience.

And this year, plenty of satisfaction was delivered by the 2012 Ford F-Series Super Duty—AutoPacific’s highest-rated heavy duty pickup. It provides everything drivers expect in the segment, which usually caters to commercial customers, including serious truck capabilities at a number of different weight classes along with satisfyingly comfortable cabins.

Top-Rated Heavy Duty Pickup Truck: 2012 Ford F-250, F-350 & F-450

The Ford F-Series Super Duty garnered the crown for highest-rated heavy duty pickup truck by featuring a 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel—worth 400 hp and 800 lb.-ft. of torque—along with the ability to tow 24,500 lbs. and a payload rating that reaches 7,110 lbs. At the same time, that engine also gives this year’s top-rated heavy duty pickup truck the best fuel-efficiency marks in its class, thanks in part to the segment’s only single-sequential turbocharger. The Super Duty’s 6.2-liter gas engine, making 385 hp and 405 lb.-ft. of torque, is a fuel-economy leader in its class, too.

Other benefits available on the big truck include a configurable LCD productivity screen to help owners keep tabs on key vehicle systems, Trailer Sway Control technology, an electronic locking rear differential, hill-start assist and hill-descent control, a durable spray-in bed liner, and quite a few cab and bed configurations.

But the F-Series Super Duty had to step up its game even further to become the best-rated heavy duty pickup truck in this year’s VSAs, and it does so with a wealth of convenience features that range from Ford SYNC with SYNC AppLink to the only integrated tailgate step in its class.

Top-Rated Heavy Duty Pickup Truck: 2012 Ford F-250, F-350 & F-450 Competitors

Although the competition to become the highest-rated heavy duty pickup truck in the 2012 VSAs was fierce, since all players offer very stout capabilities, it wasn’t exactly extensive, as the Ford’s only competition comes from the other domestic automakers. The bottom line this year: second place, Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD; third place, GMC Sierra 2500HD; and fourth place, Ram 2500HD.