A pickup truck with high owner satisfaction rates is kind of the whole ball game if you think about it. Take the Jeep Wrangle, for instance; it has the same four problems it’s had since day one, and no one seems to care. All that matters is people are happy owning Jeeps. So if that’s all that matters, then the 2022 Ford F-350 is the best full-size pickup truck on the market. Believe it or not, the Ford F-350 is the only pickup truck on Consumer Reports with a perfect predicted owner satisfaction score. 

Is the 2022 Ford F-350 really the best full-size pickup truck? 

That is hard to say. On the one hand, owner satisfaction is one of the most important ways to judge a car. At the end of the day, if customers are satisfied with their purchase, then the vehicle has done its job. On the other hand, the Ford F-350 is kind of a special case. 

Despite the F-350 being a part of the most popular pickup truck lineup, the F-350 falls into a specialized category that isn’t for everyone; heavy-duty pickup trucks. Unlike a Ford F-150, which can do heavy labor but doesn’t have to, to still be useful, the F-350 is a major size and weight difference. 

The Ford F-150 is a half-ton truck, whereas the F-350 is a full-size 1-ton pickup truck. Because of the Super Duty designation, the F-350 has a beefy, heavy-duty suspension that can get a little stiff and bouncy without a load in tow. Like the Jeep Wrangler, the Ford F-350 isn’t a truck that anyone buys. The perfect owner satisfaction is kind of more nuanced than some other satisfying cars and trucks. 

What makes the Ford F-350 the most satisfying full-size pickup truck? 

Despite Consumer Reports not testing the Ford F-350, customer satisfaction surveys named it the most satisfying pickup truck. I suspect the reason for this dark horse winner is the people who buy these HD work trucks are qualified buyers. By that, we mean customers know what they need before they buy. A customer base like this leads to more satisfied customers. 

If you buy the F-350 to haul horse trailers, tow a boat, or carry a county’s worth of dirt, chances are the Ford F-350 will satisfy you. So, while it is the only full-size pickup truck with a perfect 5/5 for predicted owner satisfaction, that doesn’t mean it’s the best pickup truck for most truck buyers. 

How much can the 2022 Ford F-350 tow? 

Since towing is likely the most common reason people buy heavy-duty trucks, let’s see what the F-350 can do. 

The 2022 Ford F-350 includes a heavy lineup of monster engines options: a 7.3-liter gasoline engine mated to a 10-speed automatic, a 6.2-liter gas V8, and a 6.7-liter V8 turbodiesel which get a six-speed automatic transmission. 

All those beefy engine options aren’t just for doing burnouts. The 2022 Ford F-350 can pull up to 20,000 pounds when properly equipped. 

Customer satisfaction is a strange metric

The definition of satisfaction is the “fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.” What does this mean for full-size pickup trucks? It means that if you are expecting it to meet your needs, chances are your needs will be satisfied, or you’ll at least feel like they are. 

Again, this is the Jeep Wrangler paradox. The Wrangler scored worse than almost any other vehicle rated by Consumer Reports. Wranglers are loud, uncomfortable, somewhat unreliable, inefficient, and expensive. However, people love them, myself included. There are very few objectively good aspects to the Wrangler other than how they make owners feel. That’s the magic. 

The Ford F-350 has a far more practical application than a Wrangler, but the same principle is at play; if you expect to like your truck, you probably will. This idea, paired with the more limited customer base for HD trucks, is the perfect storm that makes the F-350  the only full-size pickup truck on Consumer Reports with a perfect customer satisfaction score.