What’s the Difference Between a Ford F-150 and F-250, Anyway?

It’s a question that doesn’t bear asking if you really know your trucks, but for the masses, it’s one that comes up all the time: What’s the difference between the Ford F-150 and F-250 pickup? At the core the difference is simple, the F-150 is a light-duty, half-ton class truck while the Ford F-250 is a three-quarter ton, heavy-duty truck. More specifically, the F-250 has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 8,500 pounds, while the F-150 is under that government-specified threshold.

Digging deeper, the differences are many. The Ford F-150 is a light-duty truck built primarily to haul lighter loads and cruise effortlessly on the highway. Its engines are more efficient, and its cabin is designed to be quiet at speed. The F-250 by contrast is built for work. With a trio of V-8 engines, efficiency is not a primary concern for F-250 buyers. The F-250 tows and hauls more, and given its dimensions it may not fit easily in a suburban parking garage.

Both are great trucks to be sure, but selecting which one is right for you is totally dependent on the tasks you’ll be performing with it. In the following sections we’ll break down a few of the key differences between the 2020 Ford F-150 and 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty.

2020 Ford F-150 and F-250 Price Difference

The 2020 Ford F-150 starts at $28,745 for a single-cab, two-wheel drive, XL model and runs up to $56,735 for the crew-cab, two-wheel drive Limited. Checking all of the boxes pushes the price up to a high of $69,235.

For 2020 Ford’s F-250 pickup starts at just $33,705 for a two-wheel drive, single-cab, XL with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine. On the high end, the crew-cab, four-wheel drive Limited with a 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine starts at $83,600. Selecting all of the available options pushes the F-250 Limited to top spec price of $91,080.

2020 Ford F-150 and F-250 Size Difference

The 2020 Ford F-150 and F-250 Super Duty both share a common cab structure. Meaning, from the A-pillar to the rear of the cab they are the same. Interior treatments vary a touch to help differentiate between models, however they are dimensionally the same. A-pillar forward, and box lengths are different between the two models.

The shortest F-150 wheelbase is 122.4 inches, while the longest is 163.7. The F-250 has a short wheelbase of 141.6 inches with the longest coming in at 176 inches. For overall length the longest F-150 is 250.5 inches while the F-250 tops out at 266.2 inches. Maximum cab height for the F-150 is 77.3 inches, while the F-250 is 81.5 inches (excluding the Tremor package).

And finally, a base F-250 (single-cab, two-wheel drive, 6.2-liter V-8) weighs 5,677 pounds, while a crew-cab, four-wheel drive, 6.7-liter Power Stroke truck tips the scales at 7,538 pounds. By contrast, a base F-150 weighs about 4,100 pounds. On the top end, a crew-cab, four-wheel drive F-150 weighs about 5,100 pounds (Ford doesn’t publish detailed curb weights for the F-150).

2020 Ford F-150 and F-250 Towing & Payload Difference

Towing and hauling are what Ford’s F-250 Super Duty is built to do. That’s not to say the F-150 is a slouch, but on the high end the F-150 can tow a maximum of 13,200 pounds (crew-cab, two-wheel drive, 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost, long-bed). Maximum conventional towing with a F-250 reaches up to 20,000 pounds on crew-cab, four-wheel drive, Power Stroke diesel models. Swap to a gooseneck hitch and the single-cab, two-wheel drive, Power Stroke F-250 can tow 22,800 pounds. The lowest towing amount for the F-250 is 12,500 pounds for a crew-cab, four-wheel drive, 6.2-liter powered truck, while for the F-150 it’s 5,000 pounds in a 3.3-liter V-6 powered crew-cab, two-wheel drive. Payload rating ranges from 1,270 to 2,890 pounds for F-150, and 3,040 to 4,260 pounds for F-250. The highest payload rating for the F-150 is with the 5.0-liter V-8 and the 6.2-liter V-8 for the F-250.

2020 Ford F-150 and F-250 Engine Differences

Ford’s 2020 F-150 can be had with one of six different engines. Base engine is a 3.3-liter V-6, followed by a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, 5.0-liter V-8, 3.0-liter Power Stroke Diesel V-6, and for Limited and Raptor models, a high-output 3.5-liter V-6. The base 3.3-liter V-6 makes 290 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque. Moving up to the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 nets 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The standard 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 boasts 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, while the high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost makes 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. The only V-8 in the lineup makes 395 hp and 400 lb-ft, while the solo diesel churns out 250 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque.

On the F-250 side, three engines are offered, and all are V-8s. The base engine is a 6.2-liter that produces 385 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. Next up is the all-new 7.3-liter gasoline V-8 engine. This engine churns out 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, which makes it the most powerful gasoline V-8 engine in a heavy-duty pickup. And finally, the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel engine features a best-in-class 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque.

So if you didn’t know before, now you do. While Ford’s two main truck line wear the same Blue Oval badge and share some commonality, they’re quite a bit different, and built for different customers.

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