New Ford F150 Diesel

[sourdough]

For those that might not have seen;

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/auto...cid=spartanntp

[Slowdown]

with a 6,500-pound boat and trailer on the bumper. The little diesel definitely showed the strain
This line from the article doesn't inspire confidence if you're looking to tow regularly.

[chuckster57]

You forgot the rest of the sentence: it accelerated confidently and maintained highway speed on the hills.
I think it will do the job very nicely for those that tow smaller trailers with an SUV.

[Slowdown]

No, I saw it all. If it had any issues with a 6500 pound boat, something a lot more aerodynamic than a big box, then I would recommend pass on it for RV towing. Not saying it can't do it, just saying in this half ton case I would recommend the much cheaper gas burner.

[JRTJH]

I'd have to wonder if the author of that article was "comparing diesels to diesels" when he made that statement. Comparing the "mini-diesel V-6" rated at 250 hp/440 lb-ft to the "behemoths" found in HD trucks rated at 450HP+/900 lb-ft+...

I well remember the days when a "full size diesel" was rated at 185HP/360 Lb-ft and we towed 35' travel trailers with no complaints. Given the 3 speed/4speed transmissions of those days and the 10 speed in this new F150, I wouldn't be surprised it if outperforms any of the HD diesels from 20 years ago. It certainly has more HP/torque than they did with double/triple the transmission gears.

Given the payload of the F150, it'll never compete with a HD truck in terms of towing a "heavy trailer tongue or pin", but I'd make an "educated guess" that Ford never intended it to compete with the HD towing platforms. It's going to be an excellent alternative to the EcoBoost 3.5L V6 and offer significantly better economy when towing compared to the "sort of comparable" gas engine that Ford has. It will probably become a "best seller" for people looking to tow travel trailers in the 20-27' under 7500 pound range.

That said, I'd never buy a "first year vehicle" even those advertised to have "millions of miles of proven performance" on the test track.

[chuckster57]

I get regular Emails from RVDA and the smaller units and the 1/2 ton trucks are seeing a huge increase. I’m seeing more and more models made specifically for this niche.
The author did this test in Colorado, wonder how it would do on the flat lands of the Midwest?

[Hodgy]

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IMO, Ford is trying to fill a niche market with this engine. They already have the 250, 350, 450 & 550 with the bigger diesels.

Still a lot of money more than a gasser and up here for the last few years, diesel costs more per litre than gasoline.

.

[chuckster57]

Diesel fuel has been more than unleaded here on the Left Coast since the late 70’s.

[Hodgy]

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The Left Coast leads in lots of areas . . . . . . .


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[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Diesel fuel has been more than unleaded here on the Left Coast since the late 70’s.

Along with EVERYTHING else!
Bought my 1st diesel tow vehicle in '05 & diesel was about 20+ cents per gallon cheaper, then 3-4 months later bought our 1st bigger 5th wheel & almost the same moment diesel jumped to 20+ cents more than gasoline.
Now another 1/2 ton 6 banger that folks will think they can tow anything!!

[bobbecky]

Something else that needs to be taken into account, is the rear axle. The half ton axles are no where near as heavy duty as the 3/4 ton and up, and they will heat up due to the load being towed because the gears are much lighter. I didn't realize this was a problem until a relative who is an automotive instructor at a college told me this could be a problem. Short distance tows or lighter trailers shouldn't be too much of a problem, but the rear end gears will see a lot more wear than the heavier axles on the 250/2500 and up trucks. This is just another reason for the heavier trucks, besides the engine choice.

[MarcS]

As a Ford Service Manager, I'm torn in a lot of reasons why they would come out with a diesel F150. The 3.5l ecoboost is a beast. The 5.0l is a great motor. Customers are already asking if it will replace there F250s or F350s diesels. No. It is meant as a baby diesel, I tell them. Not what they ,the customer, intends to use it for. Ford is in the works for a hybrid F150 also. Interesting directions Ford is going in the next few years (all rumors at this point from very good sources).

[goducks]

So far the diesel is only available to fleet users in the XL and XLT models. If the general public wants one you have to get the Lariate, Platinum, etc models.

Per PickupTrucks.com article when tested it for towing.

"How It Tows
Where the 3.0-liter Power Stroke engine works less well is — surprisingly — towing. I sampled two different setups: An F-150 with a 3.31:1 axle gears (which is what you get when you specify the FX4 Off-Road Package) that towed a 6,240-pound box trailer and a second half ton with an optional 3.55:1 axle ratio hauling a 5,500-pound horse trailer. Off the line, the new Power Stroke exhibits excellent initial low-end grunt and has absolutely no problem moving these loads up hills at speeds below 40 mph. But once the speed and rpm begin to climb, the transmission starts to behave in a way that keeps this engine from shining like it should.

Towing up a hill with a 3 to 4 percent grade at 55-60 mph, I routinely slowly lost speed despite having my foot to the floor. Even with Tow/Haul mode selected, the transmission refused to kick down from 6th gear, despite having another 1,000 rpm before redlining. The struggle was most noticeable in the 3.31-equipped truck, with the 3.55-equipped truck only slightly less out of breath, but until I slipped the transmission selector into manual and dropped a gear myself, no more oomph was to be found. Once I took over shifting duties, performance felt a little better."


Me thinks it's a dog with heavy trailers.


I pity the guy that gets one thinking he's going to tow 7000-8000 lbs as well as the big brother diesels simply because it's a diesel motor. He'd be much better off with the Eco for towing.
However for overall mpg and with some weekend warrior towing the PS will shine.

[notanlines]

Originally Posted by MarcS

As a Ford Service Manager, I'm torn in a lot of reasons why they would come out with a diesel F150. The 3.5l ecoboost is a beast. The 5.0l is a great motor. Customers are already asking if it will replace there F250s or F350s diesels. No. It is meant as a baby diesel, I tell them. Not what they ,the customer, intends to use it for. Ford is in the works for a hybrid F150 also. Interesting directions Ford is going in the next few years (all rumors at this point from very good sources).

Marc, they aren't rumors anymore. Ford released any number of announcements about the line of cars of which they are stopping production. And you are correct; it WILL be interesting to watch what direction they go.

[MarcS]

Originally Posted by notanlines

Marc, they aren't rumors anymore. Ford released any number of announcements about the line of cars of which they are stopping production. And you are correct; it WILL be interesting to watch what direction they go.

I know about the car line being cut drastically! Rumor has it more vehicles are going hybrid or electric!

[Ductape]

They lost me at 'The engine's auto- start/stop feature......'

[66joej]

Yah I'm with you. That apparently is a feature that shuts the engine off at a stop light and restarts when you step on the accelerator. Fuel saver as long as it works. Not the best for the stoplight drags.

[sourdough]

The engine start/stop feature, if like the one's I've experienced, needs to go away as far as I'm concerned.

A fellow I know has a Prius and when he would stop to visit you could always hear it quit then he would just hit the gas, it cranked and he went. Weird, but he liked it. I rented a Grand Cherokee for about 10 days, and a different vehicle before that and it drove me crazy. It's a little strange to have the engine stop when you stop at a red light, but, no matter what you do, there is going to be a lag when you try to go. Not only is it distracting, it's dangerous IMO. It would be different if you were going to get 40 mpg instead of 30 but it makes little to no difference that I could tell. I finally figured out how to disable it and my life was so much nicer.

[JRTJH]

This report is from a "Ford Enthusiast" site, so it's likely slanted toward positive remarks, but it does give some specifics, like fuel economy of 29MPG for solo use, no turbo lag on acceleration and easy towing of a 5000 pound trailer in the Denver area. Overall noise was reported to be quieter than the EcoBoost engines and the V-8 option, although it "sounded different" than the gas engine trucks. https://www.ford-trucks.com/articles...-power-stroke/