Ford F-650 Makes Anyone King of the Road, Says Doug DeMuro
There are millions of F-Series trucks on the road these days, but most of them aren’t as large, loud, and well-lit as this F-650.
YouTuber Doug DeMuro is well known for pointing out the “quirks and features” of various automobiles, from the Aston Martin Lagonda to the Lamborghini LM002. True to form, he does that in this recent review of a 2016 Ford F-650 before he takes it out on the road, but he also makes an astute observation about automobile buyers.
One of the reasons why people have embraced SUVs so much is that they offer an elevated driving position which allows drivers to see over other vehicles. However, there are so many SUVs on the road these days that that advantage is negated. When you’re driving a Ford Explorer, you can’t see over another Ford Explorer. That’s not a problem in the F-650 that DeMuro test out. He can see over every car, truck, and van around him. In fact, it puts him at roughly the same seat height as semi truck drivers.
Not only can DeMuro see out of the massive rig, but he can be seen by every other driver around him (and probably from space). The F-650’s red paint is only one of the reasons why. Its sheer size is a major one. The F-650 is a commercial vehicle that starts out as a chassis cab truck. Many businesses outfit the back end of it with a dump box or a bucket setup. The company that made this particular red F-650, Extreme Supertruck of Augusta, Georgia, gave it a more conventional pickup bed from an F-350 dually.
Up front, there’s a massive bumper that juts out far enough for DeMuro to sit on it. It’s also so beefy it can “push ANYthing out of way,” according to DeMuro (and we believe him). Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide easy access to the 330-horsepower, 725-lb-ft 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel under the massive hood because once DeMuro manually unlatches both sides of the hood, it tilts forward.
The engine draws the massive amounts of diesel fuel it requires from chrome tanks on both sides of the F-650’s cab. Together, they hold more than 100 gallons – and add up to a fuel bill of roughly $500.
The bed on a regular F-350 dually is one of its most key components. On the F-650, it’s almost decorative. It can hold cargo, but it’s so high up (even when the back end is lowered) that putting anything into it would require a Sherpa. The upside (no pun intended) to that sky-high elevation is that it allows the bed’s wheel arches to clear the F-650’s “massive commercial-grade tires you’d see on … a crane or a dump truck.”
As if the F-650 weren’t visible enough, it has enough lighting on it to ensure that even coalminers on a dig can see it. It’s got more wattage than an NFL stadium. There are LED lights up front, on the sides, above the bed, and on the back bumper. There are even LEDs on each of the rear mud flaps.
That’s not all, though. The interior is largely stock, but it does have leather seats, a rear bench that turns into a bed, and parking brake lever that acts as the F-650’s “Park” gear. DeMuro says, “I’ve never seen this in any other vehicle, but it’s in this one.” To the left of the steering wheel, there’s an unlabeled button that gives the F-650 even more presence. DeMuro reluctantly pushes it to sound a train horn.
The F-650’s size and functional limitations as a conventional pickup make it a rare sight on public roads for reasons that are easy to understand. But if you happen to get close to one, you’ll definitely know – from a mile away.
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