One Week Test Drive: Ford F-150 3.0L Turbo Diesel

Ford’s new 3.0L Power Stroke Diesel

Ford F-150 trucks have four gasoline engines available, but now, they are offering of an optional 3.0 liter Power Stroke turbo diesel engine. For those who tow heavy loads, and desiring a motor with plenty of bottom end torque, this might be a dream come true. Our test vehicle was a loaded Platinum model, with 4x4, and a price tag of $66,880. This brings up some news that will make many potential buyers unhappy. The diesel is only offered in upgraded level trims, starting with the $45k Lariat, $54K Platinum, or King Ranch. If you own a business and qualify for a fleet purchase, only then can you buy this diesel in the lower trim XL series truck. That alone could save you about $20K on the final tab. For more information, contact your Ford dealer. In the meantime, our expensive Platinum was driven for one week, where we put 500 miles on the street, highway, and off-road to get the real world fuel economy. 

Maximum torque at 1750 RPM

The horsepower rating of the 3.0 diesel is only 250. Compare that to the 3.3 V-6 at 290, 2.7 Eco Boost at 325, 3.5 Eco at 375, and 5.0 V-8 at 395. But it is torque that rules in a truck, and the 3.0 cranks out 440 lbs./ft. at a low 1750 rpm. Compare that to the 3.3 at 265, 2.7 at 400, 5.0 V-8 at 400, and 3.5 Eco at 475. But the 3.5 requires a higher 3500 rpm, so at 2,000 rpm highway cruising, the 3.0 still wins. 

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Diesel is a good choice for towing heavy loads

The official fuel economy of the 3.0 is impressive at 22 in the city, 30 highway, and 25 overall. But that is in two-wheel-drive. In a four-door 4x4 offering, it drops to 20/25/22. Compare this to the 5.0 V-8 at 15/21/17. This means after 50,000 miles of driving the diesel will save about $2,100 in fuel costs. The diesel option costs about $2,000 more over the V-8, so that is how long the diesel owner will have to drive to recoup the extra cost driving on an empty bed. Ford says that when towing heavy loads, this could drop to as low as 35,000 miles. The 3.5 Eco engine is rated at 17/23/20, but a test truck we drove last year with that engine got 17 mpg in the real world, not much better than the V-8. With its higher torque rating, it did pull heavy loads better than the V-8 though. 

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Average fuel economy was 22mpg

In city driving with heavy traffic, we averaged 20 mpg, until outside temps reached 110 degrees plus, then it leveled off at 18 mpg. That is still better than the 5.0 V-8 we drove that only got 13 mpg in the same weather. We took two 130 mile highway trips and averaged 22 mpg. Resetting the computer, and going off-road showed 15.6 mpg. Overall mileage in our one week test of 500 miles was 22 mpg average, exactly what the EPA claims. 

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Diesel engine available in expensive trims only

One feature we liked was the new 10-speed automatic gearbox. It gives perfect shifts every time. This engine is very quiet too, making for nice long highway trips. But with only about 5% of F-150 trucks getting this engine, and with price tags over the $50k mark, we won’t be seeing too many of these diesels on the road. It’s too bad that many potential buyers are put off by the price and going to the larger F-250 diesel route. This is a nice engine and a better choice than the 3.5 or 5.0 for serious use.

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