Ford’s Super Duty series isn’t entirely well-known for being luxury-focused vehicles, but the luxury options are there. In fact, the options have already been there for years, and the newest 2024 Ford Super Duty series continues to roll out the red carpet for those who enjoy towing and hauling in style. It’s often the F-250 and F-350 that get the spotlight, due to being the more consumer-focused three-quarter-ton and one-ton Ford pickups, so there’s an easy built-in audience available for shoppers looking for a heavy-duty full-size pickup truck. But what about the 2024 Ford Super Duty F-450?
The F-450 is often discussed for its amazing towing and hauling capabilities, but it rarely gets a lot of love for its luxury and comfort features. It’s a strange thing to skip over, but the F-450 offers some interesting trim line-ups that come packed with many features that make it well worth pursuing for those who want more than just a utility truck. What, exactly, does the F-450 have to offer compared to other full-size trucks like the GMC Sierra Denali and Denali Ultimate? It all starts with the trims.
Luxury Trims: King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited
Even though the F-450 is a medium-duty, full-size pickup truck, three of the six trims are upscale trims. Instead of just being utilitarian-oriented like the F-450 Chassis Cab, which is a medium-duty truck designed specifically for upfitting into a box truck, RV, etc., the standard pickup bed version of the F-450 is designed to accommodate both utilitarian functionality and daily driving.
Among the six trims, the bottom three offer the basic work truck and economical driving facilities, starting with the XL followed by the slightly more feature-rich XLT. The basic trims round out with the Lariat, which is a highly popular and quite versatile trim thanks to the available packages and optional configurations. Where the F-450 starts getting into the rarefied air is with the King Ranch, the Platinum, and the Limited trims.
These three trims start at an approximate 35% markup over the base trim. Meaning, you’re paying a pretty penny for anything at the King Ranch level or above. There are a number of features that come with these trims that attempt to justify the price beyond the powertrain, drivetrain, cab, and bed configurations. Sure, having a crew cab in a long bed format configured in dual-rear-wheel drive will run you more than going with a standard bed in regular cab format, but the trim selection is what increases the cost, and this is because of what comes both inside and out.
High-Quality Interiors
When it comes to the interior, there are some varied options from the King Ranch up to the Limited that change the level of luxury. The King Ranch and the Platinum both feature color-coordinated cloth headliners, while the Limited sports Miko Suede for that extra layer of panache. You also have a leather-wrapped steering wheel on the Platinum, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a Kingsville antique affectation for the steering wheel on the King Ranch trim. The Limited tops out its steering with a uniquely colored Admiral Blue premium luxury-leather wrapped steering wheel for the ultimate showcase in luxury trucking.
Both the King Ranch and Platinum come with an eight-way power driver and front passenger seats with power lumbar support. The Platinum is available with a ten-way power driver seat and an eight-way power front passenger seat. The King Ranch sports Kingsville leather seating upholstery, while the Platinum comes with a unique platinum Black Onyx leather seating surface. Both the King Ranch and Platinum also feature heated and ventilated seats. The Limited, however, goes all-out with a ten-way power adjustable driver seat and an eight-way power passenger seat with lumbar support, multi-contour seats, heated and ventilated front seats with rear heated seats, and unique two-tone Admiral Blue with Light Slate leather seats. This isn’t quite up to the level of the 16-way power front massage seats in the GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate, but it comes pretty close, especially for a medium-duty truck.
All three of these luxury trim levels also come with high-quality carpeted floor mats with optional all-weather mats. Interestingly, the King Ranch comes with its own unique floor mats with a King Ranch logo. All three also feature power-adjustable pedals with driver memory settings, an accompanying universal garage door opener so you don’t have to get out of the truck to open the garage, a multi-function message center, and a complete infotainment suite featuring trailering apps and Ford Co-Pilot360 support. This is all in addition to multiple storage compartments around the cabin, including under the seat, the center console, and the side door pockets.
Exquisite Exterior Features
The 2024 Ford Super Duty F-450 is still a truck at heart, so there are still many utilitarian features you can expect on even the luxury-oriented trims. These include a power locking and remote release tailgate with a built-in tailgate step to easily access cargo in the bed. Beyond the tie-down hooks and parking aid sensors, the Platinum and Limited feature chrome tow hooks on the front, while the King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited feature a chrome tailgate applique to add that extra bit of pizzazz to the exterior.
Other exterior features to add to the value of the F-450 are chrome door handles on the Platinum and King Ranch. The Limited, however, comes with satin chrome door handles with body-color surround. Interestingly enough, only the King Ranch is available with front and rear chrome bumpers, which gives the truck its own unique look. All three trims also feature a complete LED lighting array, including LED cargo box lighting.
The King Ranch features a chrome grille with caribou inserts, while the Platinum features a satin aluminum grille. Even though the satin aluminum isn’t quite as spiffy as a chrome grille, it’s still a cool feature. All three truck trims also come with an available power moonroof for the crew cab configuration, so you can take a peek out and enjoy the sky above as you tow 40,000 lbs or haul up to 6,457 lbs worth of cargo. However, one big bonus for the Limited is that the power moonroof comes standard, so you don’t have to spend extra for that extra bit of lavishness.
Which F-450 Luxury Trim Speaks To You?
The medium-duty Ford Super Duty F-450 doesn’t have to be all work and no opulence. There is a sizable amount of luxury-focused features available for the top-end trims of the 2024 Super Duty F-450, showing that Ford is keeping classy truck drivers in mind with this high-end hauler. Of course, the cost of those trims and being able to afford one is a whole other story, but you don’t always have to think about financing a big truck to appreciate what it brings to the table.
The options are somewhat varied between the three trims, providing a specific theme for each of the variants. If you were interested in a luxury-focused medium-duty pickup, which of the three F-450 trims speaks to you? Is it the rebellious King Ranch with its two-tone lower cladding and bold logo, the chrome-clad and classy Platinum, or the richly extravagant features of the Limited? Sound off and let us know which of the 2024 F-450 luxury trims appeal most to you.
