Truck for truck the Diesel MSRP is $3500-4K more.

Look at 2 identical trucks, 1st one V10 and the other Diesel. The Diesel will be more. No with negotiations at the sales table, There really is no cost difference. In the F series trucks diesels out sell gas 3 to 1.


Don

 

Diesels pollute less, assuming that you count CO2, unburned hydrocarbons, CO. NOx may be higher because of higher combustion temps.

Diesel pollution is mainly in particulates. This is coming under more scrutiny and will be closely regulated beginning in 2007. Cleaner fuel at the same time should also minimize this affect.

 

Hi All......

FTE newbie here.....I just splurged. Wife has the V-10 in her 2000 X, I just had to do one better and get one for me (same year, a 2000 X as well) but with the PSD in it!

Anyway, the previous owner of my PSD truck put in a K&N air filter and a 3-way selectable performance chip that allows economy, power and towing settings. I only leave it on economy all the time (when I am not towing) and get about 16MPG in the city and 20+ on the interstate if I stay below 77MPH. I also have slightly larger tires - Michelin 275's on it as well. When I put it in tow mode, and stay around 60-65, I get about the same on the highway and the pull from a start is incredible. If I want, I can outrun most passenger cars and get just as good MPG even while towing.......kinda makes everyone sick when I tell them!

Truck runs great......wife's jealous.........just as she sould be!
Her truck gets 10MPG in town, 15MPH on the highway with the same tires.
I LOVE my PSD!

 

My diesel consumption:


16 mpg city
22 mpg highway

 

I keep records.

13.5 - 14.5 in town. 10 mile commute with 50% highway.
18.0 - 20.0 on the highway, related to speed and wind direction. With no wind, I can get an honest 19.5 mpg while cruising at 70 mph. 75 mph cuts it to 18.5 mpg.

Towing. I tow a big 9000 lb travel trailer with lots of frontal area (8 feet wide X 10.5 feet tall). With no wind, I get 9.5 mpg at 65 mph. With a tail wind, I can get over 11 mpg.

 

The 6.0 is considered and rated as a ULEV by the epa...
Ultra Low Emission Vehicle...

 

I keep records and check the MPG at every refill. And I try to keep the 'refills' separate, so as to not corrupt the data. i.e., Prior to pulling one of our trailers on a trip, I'll fill up. After the trip, I'll fill up again, regardless of the tank gauge reading. And my results mimic those stated in the above postings.

Without a trailer:
Running around town (50/50 driving), I'll get 14.5-15.5 MPG. If I hit the highway for anything more than 50 miles, and drive the speed limit, I'll get 17-19 MPG. If I think I need to drive faster than 70, fuel consumption goes up, and then I'm getting 15.5-16.5 MPG.

With a trailer (5,000-8,000 lbs):
Running around town, fields, and other sites (50/50 driving), I'll get about 12.5-13.5 MPG. If I'm running down the highway, doing the speed limit or less, I'll get 14-15 MPG. And again, when I decide to run faster on the highway, I'll get only about 13 MPG.

And as stated before in another posting, this is TRUCK. This is not a 4 cylinder Escort. I use this as a truck. It is big. It is heavy. I do NOT expect to set any MPG records with this vehicle. But I also acknowldge that there are few vehicles I can use to haul 8 people, ancilliary gear, and pull a trailer to do the things we do. The records I keep are for business purposes, and they help me to quickly identify when something isn't quite right. I've kept these same records on previous vans and Suburbans.

As large as this vehicle is, I don't know why any knowledgeble person would want the 5.4L engine in this truck. The V-10 is a viable choice. And like the numbers for the sales of Super Dutys indicate, the diesel engine is the better choice (in most circumstances) for this behemoth.

 

Well said SS !

 

Here is some insightful information from the Deiselman's website:

2003/2004 Fuel Economy:
Ford vehicles equiped with the 6.0 PowerStroke diesel are not rated for fuel economy by the EPA. If economy is in question, a boost test should be performed. If boost reaches 22-25 PSI in third gear, wide open throttle under load, then th engine s operating normally and no economy related repairs need to be performed. If not in specs, then the engine will need to be diagnosed--check sensor reading, VGT and EGR operation, fuel pressure and quality, crankcase pressure, intake or exhaust restriction, exhaust or CAC leaks.
Fuel economy will be affected by many factors, including: excessive idle time (one hour equals approxmately 33 miles of driving), fuel quality and blend, ambient temperature, driving habits, vehicle use, towing, loads, add-on accessories. Broadcast Message 1271

 

When it comes to fuel economy, we always want more. In the case of my Excursion, however, I have no real complaint. 14 - 15 mpg while slugging around town in a 8000 lb vehicle is pretty remarkable. Contrast this with our Honda Odyssey minivan (which we bought to improve our overall fuel economy). This minivan only averages about 16.6 mpg in the same around town driving where the X gets 14.5.

The U.S. economy would be well served to have some good small displacement turbodiesels like you find in Europe. I have driven a BMW 320D (turbodiesel) in France. It had phenomenal performance, would cruise with plenty of reserve in 6th gear at 150 km/h (93 mph), and I averaged 38 mpg (corrected units) after a week of urban / highway driving! I notice that Mercedes is now selling a good turbodiesel. We need Ford, GM, and Chrysler (part of Mercedes) to start doing the same--when the 2007 low sulfur rules come into play.

 

Curious what kind of mileage people get pulling a large trailer. The first time out I thought I got about 14 pulling the trailer but this last time out I was down to 8. Overdrive was off the whole time. Is it safe to run in OD on flat land?

Will a Predator help if I retune?