The 2009 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4WD three-quarter ton pickup is Ford's entry into the big pickup category. This is possibly the only one still dominated by Americans with entries only by Ford, GMC, Chevy and Dodge.

The F-250 4WD is a sharp looking vehicle, much more so than the F-150, with looks unchanged from the 2008 model year. Every one of the F-250 4WD trims has been upgraded for 2009.

Following somewhat in the tradition of the King Ranch and Harley-Davidson editions, the new F-250 4WD offers a Cabela Package, with two-tone paint in a variety of five colors (Forest Green Metallic, Ebony, Oxford White, Royal Red Metallic and Silver Metallic) with accents of Sterling Gray. This package features the Cabela's logo on either cloth or leather seats, Cabela badges and custom mud flaps.

The F-250 4WD offers 3 engines. Standard is the 5.4 liter, 300 horsepower gasoline powered V8, but there are 2 larger options. One is the 6.4 liter, 350 horsepower turbodiesel V8 with its mammoth 650 pound feet of torque. The final engine is the 6.8 liter, 362 horsepower V10 gasoline engine. Fuel efficiency numbers are not available for the big pickups, but you can bet anything over 10 miles per gallon is wishful thinking.

There are 2 transmissions, either of which is available with any engine. These include the standard 6-speed manual with overdrive and the optional 5-speed automatic with overdrive.

Basic trims include the XL, XLT, FX and Lariat. There are also the specialty King Ranch and Harley-Davidson versions. To this is added a mix of cabs and beds providing an almost bewildering array of combinations. Cabs include the regular (2-door), super (small back seat) and crew (full four-door). There is a choice of either a 6-foot or 8-foot bed on most of the super cab and crew cab versions.

There are no NHTSA crash ratings on any of the large pickups, but the only real concern is for whatever you run into. Safety features include locking tailgate, anti-theft system, antilock brakes with limited slip differential and traction control, airbags and an electronic parking aide.

The basic F-250 4WD is rated above average for its class for maximum payload, fuel capacity (be thankful that gas prices are falling), and Gross Vehicle Weight. However, the standard engine is slightly underpowered for the class, though this can be made up for with the optional engines. At a base price of $28,260, the Ford F-250 Super Duty is priced about average for the class.