Photo: Ford
Arriving at U.S. dealers in May, the 2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke is the leader of the segment regarding fuel economy. At 30 miles per gallon highway, 22 mpg city, and 25 mpg combined, “these are the highest EPA-estimated ratings available in a full-size pickup truck.” Not bad for a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel, right?
The all-new Ram 1500 has yet to receive the EcoDiesel option. Chevrolet and GMC, on the other hand, rely on the Duramax 3.0-liter inline-6 turbo diesel that has yet to be rated by the Environmental Protection Agency. In other words, the peeps at Ford are right about the best-in-segment fuel economy claim.
Something else Power Stroke-engined F-150 has going for it is best-in-class diesel power. With 250 horsepower on tap and 440 pound-feet of torque (it’s more than the 2019 Ram 1500 with the HEMI V8), the half-tonner also happens to provide best-in-segment diesel towing (11,400 pounds). Payload is also more than what the competition offers, rated at 2,020 pounds for the XL and XLT in fleet specification.
Retail applications of the F-150 Power Stroke claim 1,940 pounds of maximum payload capacity, enough to haul equipment, supplier, and even a slide-in camper. Manufactured in the United Kingdom and related to the Lion V6 introduced in 2004 by Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Groupe PSA, the 3.0-liter turbo diesel shares its commercial-grade technology with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 in the Super Duty.
Connected as standard to the 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission co-developed with General Motors, it’s hard to go wrong with the F-150 Power Stroke. On the other hand, pricing favors the Ram by a long, long margin. While the diesel-fueled F-150 starts at $46,315, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in bare-bones Tradesman specification retails at $28,585. That’s a whopping $17,730 for crying out loud!
There’s also the matter of costs. Compared to the F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, the Power Stroke would need more than 150,000 miles of unladen highway driving at 30 miles per gallon to pay back the premium in price over the EcoBoost. What’s more, the 21-mpg-highway EcoBoost is equally capable in terms of towing.
Something else Power Stroke-engined F-150 has going for it is best-in-class diesel power. With 250 horsepower on tap and 440 pound-feet of torque (it’s more than the 2019 Ram 1500 with the HEMI V8), the half-tonner also happens to provide best-in-segment diesel towing (11,400 pounds). Payload is also more than what the competition offers, rated at 2,020 pounds for the XL and XLT in fleet specification.
Retail applications of the F-150 Power Stroke claim 1,940 pounds of maximum payload capacity, enough to haul equipment, supplier, and even a slide-in camper. Manufactured in the United Kingdom and related to the Lion V6 introduced in 2004 by Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Groupe PSA, the 3.0-liter turbo diesel shares its commercial-grade technology with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 in the Super Duty.
Connected as standard to the 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission co-developed with General Motors, it’s hard to go wrong with the F-150 Power Stroke. On the other hand, pricing favors the Ram by a long, long margin. While the diesel-fueled F-150 starts at $46,315, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in bare-bones Tradesman specification retails at $28,585. That’s a whopping $17,730 for crying out loud!
There’s also the matter of costs. Compared to the F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, the Power Stroke would need more than 150,000 miles of unladen highway driving at 30 miles per gallon to pay back the premium in price over the EcoBoost. What’s more, the 21-mpg-highway EcoBoost is equally capable in terms of towing.
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