Thanks to the recent videos capturing a current generation F-150 test truck that obviously had a diesel engine, it seems more likely than ever that the half ton Ford will be getting a small diesel engine. Ford offers the most fuel efficient gasoline engine with the 2.7L EcoBoost, but the Ram EcoDiesel V6 offers the best overall MPG in the segment – albeit with the expected price hike that comes with a diesel engine.
While FoMoCo is happy to offer the most fuel efficient half ton gas truck, we all know that they surely want to be the top of the half ton class overall, and that is where this diesel F-150 comes into play.
We don’t know anything about the diesel F-150, but we can expect that it will offer slightly better MPG than the Ram EcoDiesel, which has an EPA rating of 21 city, 29 highway and 24 combined. I would expect that the diesel F-150 will beat the Ram in every category (with the help of their new 10-speed automatic transmission), but so it should have numbers in the area of 22 city, 30 highway and 25 combined. Compare those numbers to the 19/26/22 offered by the 2.7L EcoBoost, and you have a far more efficient truck – but it will also have a markup making it far more expensive than the EcoBoost engine.
With that in mind, we come to our Question of the Week.
Would you pay $4,000 more for an F-150 diesel that would offer best-in-class fuel economy, or would you save the money and buy the 2.7L EcoBoost?
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
