When it came time to pick up Associate Editor Jason Sands' '71 Nova drag car, we knew that not just any truck would do. Not only would we need a reliable diesel that could tow a car trailer, we'd need something cool to ride in while we made the long haul. For this task, we acquired a brand-new '08 Ford F-250 Harley-Davidson Edition, which of course had to be a diesel. Not only would we get the looks of the Harley package, we'd get the tow capacity and fuel economy of a diesel.
The first thing that struck us was that the bad-in-black Harley-Davidson Edition looked really sharp with 20-inch chrome wheels, chrome exhaust, and a trick leather interior. We showed the truck to a few non-diesel people in our circle of friends, and they all agreed that the interior was one of the nicest they had ever seen. It has four big comfy seats that are perfect for road trips, and plenty of storage room and cupholders.
As for power, the Harley pushes out 350 flywheel horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque-more than enough power to tow our little Nova. The truck also is in the 3/4-ton weight class, which means it is rated to tow 12,500 pounds. The Nova we towed weighed in at about 2,800 pounds, while the trailer was around 2,000 pounds, so the big diesel wasn't even breathing hard.
On the Road
Once we were on the road, we were impressed by how quiet the 6.4L Power Stroke diesel was. As we cruised along at 75 mph, we noticed our fuel economy meter telling us it wasn't looking too good. The Harley is a big, heavy truck, and with 3.73 gears and a tow package, it was turning over 2,000 rpm on the tachometer. When we pulled over and filled up, our unloaded fuel mileage checked in at 15.3 mpg. Not great, but not bad either. Once the Nova was loaded onto the trailer, the Ford's 8,000-pound curb weight combined with 3.73 rear gears and a five-speed automatic made it an awesome tow vehicle. It towed our 5,000-pound load like a small utility trailer, and climbed 20 miles up a six-percent grade with ease. We never dropped below 60 mph when towing, and ended up with an average speed of 64 miles per hour for the 500-mile return trip. When we did the math, the fuel economy was a respectable 12.9 mpg, just a few miles per gallon short of the unladen figures. The interior stayed comfortable for the entire ride thanks to the two-tone, fully adjustable, power leather seats and the dual-zone climate control, and the navigation system proved to be very easy to use.
 The heart of the F-250 is...  The heart of the F-250 is the 6.4L Power Stroke engine. With 350 horsepower and the capacity for 40 pounds of boost, the truck never got caught between gears or under the turbos thanks to Ford's compound-turbo setup. |  The leather interior of these...  The leather interior of these trucks is definitely one of the nicest we have encountered. |  Aside from the diesel's torque,...  Aside from the diesel's torque, we were most impressed by the Harley's plush interior. Chrome air vents, simple analog gauges, a navigation system, and a premium stereo system was an interesting blend of old and new that seemed to work quite well. |