Ford’s Light-Duty Diesel Pickup Claims MPG Leadership

Ford says EPA fuel-economy testing confirms its expectation that the F-150 fullsize pickup powered by an all-new turbodiesel V-6 achieves a best-in-class 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km).

The Power Stroke diesel also is rated at 22 mpg city (10.7 L/100 km) and 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) combined, both tops for a fullsize truck. The diesel F-150 arrives in dealers in May.

The 3.0L Power Stroke produces 250 hp and 440 lb.-ft. (597 Nm) of torque, enabling up to 11,400 lbs. (5,171 kg) of towing capability and as much as 2,020 lbs. (916 kg) of payload capacity. The engine is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and stop/start is standard.

“Even a few years ago, customers wouldn’t have imagined an EPA-estimated rating of 30 mpg

highway would be possible in a fullsize pickup, but our team of crazy-smart engineers rose to

the challenge,” says Hau Thai-Tang, Ford executive vice president-product development and

purchasing.

The engine is a variant of the 3.0L turbodiesel sold in Jaguar and Land Rover models and is built at Ford’s Dagenham Engine Plant in the U.K. The diesel will add between $2,400 and $4,000 to the sticker price, depending on trim level.

The F-150 Power Stroke’s lone competition in fullsize light-duty pickups is the 2-wheel-drive ’18 Ram 1500 equipped with a 3.0L V-6 EcoDiesel and an 8-speed automatic transmission, rated at 20/27/23 mpg (11.7-8.7-10.2 L/100 km) city/highway/combined. The EcoDiesel produces 240 hp and 420 lb.-ft. (569 Nm) of torque.

The EcoDiesel’s rating is up 2 mpg (0.87 km/L) city and down 2 mpg on the highway rating due to a change in the EPA testing methodology since the engine was introduced in the ’14 model year. The variance is unrelated to software changes implemented to resolve an EPA emissions violation, FCA spokesman Eric Mayne says. Those changes did not affect fuel efficiency or engine performance, the company says.

The ’18 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups equipped with 2.8L 4-cyl. turbodiesels and 6-speed automatic gearboxes and 2-wheel drive match the F-150 Power Stroke.

Ford’s closest competitor from its own stable is the 2-wheel-drive F-150 equipped with a turbocharged 2.7L gasoline V-6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission rated at 20/26/22 mpg (11.7-9.0-10.7 L/100 km).

General Motors joins the fullsize light-duty diesel wars in earnest later this year when it introduces a 3.0L inline 6-cyl. Duramax engine in the Silverado pickup.

[email protected] @bobgritzinger