2020 Ford F-150 vs 2020 Ford F-250
By Autolist Staff | August 13 2020
2020 Ford F-150 score: 8.0/10
Turbocharged engines provide lots of power with respectable fuel economy.
Plenty of choice among trim levels.
The Raptor boasts credible off-road skills.
Wide availability of safety features.
Strong and capable engine choices aimed at heavy-duty tasks like hauling and towing.
Comfortable ride and confident handling.
High level of customization available.
Ford F-150: 8/10
Most F-150 models now come standard with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of driver assistance technology features. That includes automatic emergency braking with forward-collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high beams. It's also available on XL and XLT models.
Platinum and Limited models can be equipped with adaptive cruise control, as well. While its rivals offer similar technology, the Ford makes it more accessible and standard on more variants. It's also not lumped into expensive option packages with a lot of other unrelated features.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the 2020 F-150 "Good" in all categories except for headlights, which prevented it from being a Top Safety Pick (though the agency didn't name any pickup trucks Top Safety Picks for 2020). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rated four-door 2020 F-150 SuperCrew models five stars overall, its highest rating. However, Regular Cab and Super Cab models earned four stars overall.
The 2020 Ford F-250 has not yet been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 2019 model earned five stars from the organization.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety hasn't yet rated the 2020 Ford F-250.
Available safety equipment includes automatic high-beam headlights, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automated emergency braking, a multi-view camera system, and blind-spot monitoring with trailer coverage. When equipped, the added safety features work as intended and have few "false alarms." Ford has also done a good job of making alerts and warnings friendlier and less frightening, which can be helpful for drivers that aren't used to the new technology.
Base XL models are sparsely equipped and mostly aimed at fleets or as work trucks. XLT and higher models come with an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as power windows and locks, but going for a four-door SuperCrew model pushes the price over $40,000 before options. In fact, it's easy to spend a lot of money on options, such as the turbodiesel V6 that costs as much as $5,000 depending on the trim level.
The top-tier F-150 Limited starts at an eye-watering $70,000 but includes pretty much every option Ford will throw at its truck. It gets the powerful turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 as standard, along with a panoramic moonroof, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, and active park assist. That's competitive with high-end versions of the Ram, Sierra, and Silverado, though.
It's awfully hard to consider a $100,000 truck a good value (that's the price some loaded F250s can hit), but when the F-250's technology and capabilities are in the conversation, that leap gets a little shorter.
The F-250's pricing is in line with the heavy-duty competition, where nearly all models become expensive quickly as trim levels and options are added.
The most basic F-250 is missing key safety and convenience features that would bump the entry-level value factor considerably.
The F-250 has received mixed reviews for its reliability over the years, even as recently as 2017. The fuel system, power equipment, and body integrity have all been cited as problem areas for the trucks.
F-150s with the base 3.3-liter V6 and two-wheel-drive are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 combined. Those figures fall by 1 to 2 mpg when equipped with four-wheel-drive. Popular four-wheel-drive models with the turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 are rated at 18 mpg city, 23 highway, and 20 combined. Models equipped with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 are rated as high as 21 mpg city and 29 highway.
These numbers are competitive for the class. The efficiency of the turbocharged 2.7 and 3.5-liter V6 models, however, pushes the F-150 slightly ahead of the V8s from rivals that offer equivalent performance, however. The turbodiesel model is also highly competitive with rival diesel models from Chevrolet and Ram, even if the Ram slightly edges it on highway economy.
Heavy-duty trucks are not required to advertise fuel economy numbers like the rest of the automotive world, which can make finding accurate gas mileage figures difficult.
Consumer Reports found a recent model year of the F-250 with a diesel engine to average 15 mpg. The publication found that, with a trailer hitched up, the F-250's fuel economy dipped considerably, but by how much will depend on the trailer's weight and size, elevation changes, and even weather.
The F-250's fuel economy, as observed by Consumer Reports, is slightly better than Ram, Chevrolet, or GMC, and match up with the Nissan Titan XD – a less capable truck.
Newer versions of the F-250 are constructed with a mixture of high-strength steel and lightweight aluminum, which make them lighter than older models. This helps them achieve much better fuel economy without sacrificing rigidity or toughness.
The base 3.3-liter V6 isn't quick, but all other F-150 engines have plenty of performance. The turbocharged 2.7-liter Ecoboost V6 is likely best for most conditions and customers, with abundant power off the line and plenty of impressive capabilities. All but that base V6 model get a 10-speed automatic, which is fairly responsive, but no more so than the eight-speed automatic in a Ram 1500.
The high-output turbo 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 found on the Raptor, and Limited models has a vast surplus of power for such a large vehicle, thanks to enormous low-end torque and virtually no turbo lag.
While the F-150 is just as bulky in tight spaces as every other full-size pickup rival, the ride is stiffer and bouncier than the Chevrolet, GMC, and especially the Ram.
Opting for models with FX4 off-road suspension, especially the Raptor, makes the ride on pavement even less settled. It can't compete with the air suspension-equipped Ram 1500 for car-like ride qualities, which is something to consider when spending more than $60,000 on the high-end models.
Heavy-duty trucks can be exceedingly rough and jittery over uneven road surfaces, and the F-250 is no exception, though its ride is more refined and manageable than HD offerings from Chevy and GMC. Still, the smaller F-150 has a more comfortable ride, which is a tradeoff that may be tempting for some buyers.
There's no mistaking the size of the vehicle you're driving in the F-250, but the available camera system and parking sensors make parking and driving in tight spaces slightly less heartburn-inducing.
The 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V8 provides maximum torque for towing and payload capacity but can feel jerky at times in everyday driving situations. Both gas engines feel silky smooth in almost all conditions.
All of the F-250's powertrain options are refined and do their jobs without much in the way of noise and complaint, but they all make enough noise to advertise the truck's muscle when the driver puts a foot down. That noise does not translate to agitation inside the F-250's cabin, as noise insulation is more than adequate to block both mechanical noises and road noise such as wind.
Outward visibility is more than decent for such a large vehicle, as the F-250's windows are large and shaped to allow better lines of sight. This is made even better with the surround-view camera option.
All but the base XL get Ford's Sync 3 infotainment system, which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and a wi-fi hotspot. Most models offer built-in navigation, at least as an option.
Ford's Sync 3 isn't the best system in the class, with some confusing menus. And the F-150's touchscreen is comparatively small against the Ram's available 12-inch portrait-style touchscreen. Ultimately, though, it gets the job done.
The FordPass Connect system is also available on most models, and it monitors basic functions such as fuel levels, locks, and remote start. It can also be used to pay for parking or gas.
The F-150 tries to keep up the competition with features such as a power-sliding rear window and a remote release for the tailgate on uplevel models. Some models also offer power running boards that retract when the doors are closed. These features aren't unheard of among luxury pickup trucks, but they are still welcome on the most expensive versions of the F-150.
Because it's a work truck, tech offerings in the most basic F-250 are quite slim. The F-250 XL comes with an AM/FM stereo, an MP3 player, and either five or seven speakers depending on the cab configuration.
Available features include a FordPass Connect 4G LTE WI-FI hotspot, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, SYNC 3 infotainment software, a Bang & Olufson 10-speaker audio system with subwoofer, an 8-inch LCD screen, a rearview camera, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and navigation.
Ford's SYNC 3 infotainment system is colorful, easy to read, and easy to use in most circumstances. Some vehicle settings and controls are buried too deeply in multiple menus, requiring too much interaction to make a selection.
Each F-150 trim level has a different grille and trim treatment, so there's a wide range of styling differentiation for customers to choose from.
Nevertheless, the 2020 F-150 is a handsome truck that has aged well throughout this generation. The all-new generation that replaces it is an evolution in terms of design, rather than a wholesale reboot, so buyers of this 2020 model year don't have to worry about their truck looking outdated.
Ford's F-250 Super Duty pickup trucks have a straightforward yet bold exterior style relative to their peers, but it's a modern look that has remained up-to-date over the years.
The F-250's interior, even at the highest trim level, is set up to be useful and easy to understand. Controls and buttons are super-sized, as you'd expect inside a large pickup truck. Despite having a multitude of features and functions, the F-250's dash does not feel cluttered.
The front seats are wide, flat, well-padded, and supremely comfortable for long drives. In models with a rear seat, the bench is flat and somewhat under-padded, but headroom and legroom are both abundant. The F-250's added ground clearance might be an issue for shorter owners and passengers, but the available step rail solves that problem.
Ford let a surprising number of low-rent materials slide into the F-250's interior, even in the more expensive models, but overall fit and finish are excellent.
Depending on the model, the F-150 can be had in three different cab styles and three different bed lengths.
The Regular Cab typically has a front bench seat split 40/20/40 and minimal storage space behind the seats.
The Super Cab has small half-doors that allow access to a cramped rear seat.
Most buyers will be best served by the four-door SuperCrew, which offers real back seat space that's competitive with other four-door rivals.
Towing capacity ranges from 7,600 pounds with the base 3.3-liter V6 to 12,200 pounds on models with the turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 and the maximum towing package preparation. Again, these figures are basically tied with the F-150's major competitors.
The F-250 fulfills its purpose in life with ease and relative style, making it one of the more useful and compelling heavy-duty truck options on the market today.
Towing capabilities range from 13,300 pounds all the way up to 22,800 pounds, and payload capacity ranges from 3,040 to 4,290 pounds.
The F-250's interior is packed with clever and useful storage spaces, cubbies, and has more than enough room for a family of four. Fold-up rear seats mean that adding extra interior space doesn't take away the ability to tote around larger items inside the cabin.