News: 2018 Ford F-150 Gets A Diesel Engine, Finally

Best Fuel Economy And Towing Promised

More than 10 years ago, Ford jointly developed a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine with PSA Peugeot Citroën, which is currently used in some Land Rover models. Recently, the same engineering group that brought the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel to the Ford heavy-duty pickup lineup in 2011 upgraded and tweaked the old 3.0-liter diesel and can’t wait to tell us about it.

This morning Ford revealed details about the 2018 Ford F-150 diesel-powered pickup that debuts next week at the Detroit auto show. The new F-150 Power Stroke diesel targets:

• EPA-estimated 30 mpg highway rating,
• Best-in-class 11,400 pounds of towing capacity,
• 2,020 pounds of payload capacity, plus
• Best-in-class (diesel) 250 horsepower and 440 pounds-feet of torque.

“The magic number is the 30-mpg target,” says Dave Felipe, vice president-global powertrain engineering. “The more you tow and the longer you haul, the more you’ll appreciate its class-leading towing and payload capacity and how efficient it is at the pump.”

The company expects about a five percent take rate for the diesel option, with an estimated 85 percent of those buyers towing on a regular basis. Ford sold almost 900,000 F-Series (which includes the heavy-duty models) so even five percent could end up being equal to the total sales of the Nissan Titan, for instance.

Engine Details

The dual-overhead camshaft (DOHC), four-valves-per-cylinder Power Stroke diesel engine features a compacted-graphite iron block, a forged-steel crank, common-rail fuel

injection and a high-efficiency, variable-geometry single-scroll turbocharger. Dual fuel filters are added for improved break-in, while a cast-aluminum oil pan and two-stage oil pump mean reduced parasitic loss and improved fuel efficiency.

The engine features a mechanical engine-driven cooling fan and dual radiator shutters for improved high-temperature and high-altitude driving in harsh performance conditions.

“We know that competing diesels with electric cooling fans have to dial back on power under extreme heat and altitude, so we decided on a viscous-controlled mechanical fan that has the capacity to move much more air across the radiator and intercooler in extreme conditions,” says David Ives, Ford diesel engine technical specialist.

Calibrated specifically for the all-new 3.0-liter Power Stroke diesel’s low-end power and torque curves, a standard 10-speed automatic transmission, jointly developed with General Motors, maximizes shift points and gear ratios to optimize power, low-rpm torque and efficiency. To help reduce fuel consumption and vehicle emissions during city driving, start-stop also comes standard.

Ford says there will be a 150,000-mile service interval on the timing belt, and the 5.4-gallon exhaust after treatment fluid supply should be good for 10,000 miles per fill. Powertrain warranty coverage will match that of the F-150’s other engines: Five years/60,000 miles.

Inside, changes are limited to a Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) gauge, some optional diesel information screens borrowed from the 6.7-liter Power Stroke models, and a water-level warning light for the water-separating fuel filter.

Customer Orders Begin in Mid-January

Customers in the U.S. and Canada will be able to place orders of the 2018 F-150 Power Stroke diesel trucks in a couple of weeks, with delivery this spring. The diesel will add between $2,400 and $4,000 to the sticker price, depending on trim.

Retail customers will be able to order the engine on Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trim levels on SuperCrew cabs with 5.5- or 6.5-foot beds or on Lariat SuperCabs with a 6.5- or 8.0-foot bed. The option will add $4,000 to the Lariat trim price, or $3,000 to the two higher trim levels. In both cases the diesel price represents a $2,400 premium over the optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6.

Fleet customers only will be able to order the engine on XL and XLT SuperCab or SuperCrew cabs with 6.5- or 8.0-foot beds. Fleet pricing was not revealed.

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