jvencius
Full Access Member
I went by the dealer to ask when they would be getting an '08 in stock and the sales guy said they had one out on a test drive that would be coming back in 15 mins or so and I stuck around. When they got it back, they guy who was most likely going to be buying it drove, I rode shotgun, and the salesman in back went out for a ~40 mile test drive and here are my initial impressions:
1) In person, the grille isn't as offensive-looking as the pics I've seen, but I still don't care for that large expanse of chrome at the top of the grille.
2) That engine compartment is a crowded NIGHTMARE and, with cab-off repairs being the order of the day for any major work, this'll make things tough for the DIY guys. I could definitely see myself whacking my head on the grille since it's attached to the hood and not the front clip.
3) At idle, the 6.4 sounds like a gasser and on the interstate, at steady speed, it's dang-near silent. The wind noise at 75-80 mph is far louder than any engine or drivetrain noise.
4) Acceleration is alright, but not snap-your-head-back quick. My lightly modded 7.3 does just about as well as the 6.4 (by my butt-dyno measurements) from 60-80. I don't know about 0-60, but the twin turbo setup wasn't as impressive as I would have thought.
5) The new SD rides smoooooooth on the highway. You can still tell you're in a truck, but it's nicer than my '02 by a fair margin.
6) The interior setup is pretty slick. We were in a Lariat F350 LWB and it had the fake-wood and chrome trim on the dash. That I didn't care for, since the chrome trim aroudn the gauges/HVAC vents was too flashy in the sunlight and that was somewhat distracting, but otherwise the dash and controls were sensibly laid out and seemed like they'd be useful. It's still a little edgy for my taste (I like the nearly angle-free dash layout of my '02 much more) and I dont' care at all for the pushbutton-controlled HVAC (much prefer the knobs to control heat and AC since you can work them with gloves on) but the dual-zone climate control would be a nice feature.
7) The power telescope/power fold mirrors were NICE. The fisheye lens at the bottom of the mirror housing was larger than the '99-'07 SD and that will most likely be a genuinely useful feature.
8) I don't know how good of an idea that having the washer nozzles mounted to the hood and not the cowl will be. If the hood is covered with snow, I don't want to go dragging my brush or ice scraper over them to get them cleared off but since mine are on the cowl, who cares if a plastic part gets a little scratched up?
Pics to follow: I took them at high-resolution and have to downscale them a little so I can post them.
1) In person, the grille isn't as offensive-looking as the pics I've seen, but I still don't care for that large expanse of chrome at the top of the grille.
2) That engine compartment is a crowded NIGHTMARE and, with cab-off repairs being the order of the day for any major work, this'll make things tough for the DIY guys. I could definitely see myself whacking my head on the grille since it's attached to the hood and not the front clip.
3) At idle, the 6.4 sounds like a gasser and on the interstate, at steady speed, it's dang-near silent. The wind noise at 75-80 mph is far louder than any engine or drivetrain noise.
4) Acceleration is alright, but not snap-your-head-back quick. My lightly modded 7.3 does just about as well as the 6.4 (by my butt-dyno measurements) from 60-80. I don't know about 0-60, but the twin turbo setup wasn't as impressive as I would have thought.
5) The new SD rides smoooooooth on the highway. You can still tell you're in a truck, but it's nicer than my '02 by a fair margin.
6) The interior setup is pretty slick. We were in a Lariat F350 LWB and it had the fake-wood and chrome trim on the dash. That I didn't care for, since the chrome trim aroudn the gauges/HVAC vents was too flashy in the sunlight and that was somewhat distracting, but otherwise the dash and controls were sensibly laid out and seemed like they'd be useful. It's still a little edgy for my taste (I like the nearly angle-free dash layout of my '02 much more) and I dont' care at all for the pushbutton-controlled HVAC (much prefer the knobs to control heat and AC since you can work them with gloves on) but the dual-zone climate control would be a nice feature.
7) The power telescope/power fold mirrors were NICE. The fisheye lens at the bottom of the mirror housing was larger than the '99-'07 SD and that will most likely be a genuinely useful feature.
8) I don't know how good of an idea that having the washer nozzles mounted to the hood and not the cowl will be. If the hood is covered with snow, I don't want to go dragging my brush or ice scraper over them to get them cleared off but since mine are on the cowl, who cares if a plastic part gets a little scratched up?
Pics to follow: I took them at high-resolution and have to downscale them a little so I can post them.
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