Already the biggest pickup in town, the 2008 Ford Super Duty appears even more imposing because of a larger grille, deeper bumper, and stacked lamps with the headlights on the bottom. Dimensions are easily given in yards rather than inches. The sheer vastness of the sheetmetal may overwhelm your car wash guy. The color of the side vent gives away if it is gasoline or diesel-powered.

Given its fender flares and dark snout, the FX4 is the most aggressive trim style, though no Super Duty would be mistaken for anything less than a full-size pickup even with nothing scalable within sight. New towing mirrors include signal repeaters that won't distract the driver; they telescope and fold (manual or powered), and include two large reflective elements for safe rear vision with the widest street-legal trailers.

An optional tailgate step pops a 16.7 x 4.5-inch step with a half-ton load rating out of the tailgate and raises a grab handle rated at 300 pounds to make the climb safer. It also includes an assist so the very heavy tailgate feels less heavy. The handle makes bed access easier but may need to be lowered again to slide a load in, and removing the gate, as is often the case with some trailers, may become a two-person chore.