Body Language
The CXT is available as either a Crew Cab or a 26-inch extended cab. Either way, the cab is air ride, just like the commercial rigs. It uses two airbags and a shock absorber at the rear of the cab and pivots at the front. An 8-foot dualie bed is standard (it's actually a Ford-sourced bed), but a tilt bed is optional. The cab sports all the big-rig stuff like large heated electric outside rearview mirrors, polished exhaust stack, and an air horn.
Driving The CXT
To prepare yourself for the CXT experience, you must have a clear realization of what it is. Quite simply, it's a four-wheel-drive, four-door semi-tractor with a pickup bed on the back. It easily dwarfs most every other 4x4 on- or off-pavement. Heck, it even stands taller than some semi tractors. The International press kit says that if you live in Illinois or Virginia, you must have a Class C Commercial Drivers License to drive it, and that means an air-brake endorsement as well. Because of what the CXT is, it boasts absolutely astounding towing and payload capacities, 40,000 and 11,400 pounds, respectively.
From the moment you climb up the two steel steps and slide behind the large steering wheel of the CXT, it's clear you've entered the World of the Big Rig. The big DT466 engine comes to life with a turn of the starter key, and in the huge outside rearview mirrors you can see a spurt of dark exhaust from the tall exhaust stack as the cold engine comes to life. At idle, the exhaust note and engine growl are much deeper than light-truck diesel engines, and this too reminds you that this is a serious pulling machine. Depress the brake, push the bright yellow dash-mounted parking brake in to charge the air brakes, and with a hiss of air you're ready to go.
We found that the CXT's size can be a bit overwhelming at first, but we quickly adapted to its 21-foot length, which is only 611/42 inches longer than a Chevy Silverado extended-cab longbed pickup. It's definitely wider than most other trucks on the road at 96 inches, but surprisingly narrower than a Hummer H1, which measures in with a mirror-to-mirror width of 101 inches. Height is where the CXT rules, measuring over 9 feet (not including exhaust stack). Naturally, this tall measurement requires the driver to be aware of what's overhead at all times.
On the highway, the engine loped along at 1,800 rpm when cruising at 60 mph. Without any sort of payload or trailer, the Allison transmission often downshifted from 5th to 4th gear to hold the 14,500-pound rig at speed on inclines. On a run to the Badlands Off Road Park in Attica, Indiana, the CXT averaged 8.5 mpg at 65 mph. The overall ride wasn't too bad, but rough roads sent the air-ride seats, and us, on a roller coaster ride. We're not surprised, considering the complete lack of weight over the rear axle compared to what the chassis was designed to haul. On dry pavement, the air brakes were quite effective, but on snowy or wet roads they weren't so much fun, exhibiting the vague then shockingly grabby feel of a semi-running bobtail. We're not so sure the ABS was working correctly on our tester, because it exhibited a fair amount of wheel lockup on snow, sand, and wet pavement.