Ford confirms that the Ford F-150 Diesel engine option is being discontinued. It appears that the EcoBoost and the new hybrid Powerboost engine offerings have outshined the older turbo-diesel engine in the eyes of F-150 customers.
Here is a statement from a Ford representative:
“Yes. The 3.0-liter V6 Power Stroke diesel engine is being removed from the F-150 lineup. Our customers overwhelmingly order our EcoBoost V6 gasoline engines. For customers who need maximum towing torque, we now offer the F-150 PowerBoost as the ideal combination of capability, power, and fuel efficiency, which wasn’t available when Power Stroke was introduced.”
As we reported before, this decision is not very surprising. Ford’s turbocharged gasoline engines and gas/electric hybrid technology has outpaced the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 in towing, payload, speed, and efficiency (in the case of the Hybrid).
If you are looking to get a new half-ton truck with a turbo-diesel engine, the Ram 1500 3.0L V6 EcoDiesel and the Chevy/GMC 1500 3.0L I6 Duramax engine options are available.
Does this mean the end of all diesel trucks from Ford? No. Large and powerful turbo-diesel engines still make a lot of sense for heavy-duty trucks, medium-duty commercial vehicles, and large big rigs. The latest 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 in the Ford Super Duty trucks brings tremendous capability, power, speed, and efficiency. If you want to move large trailers and heavy loads over a long distance, the big turbo-diesel engines are currently unmatched by any other technology.
There has been a lot of talk about electric pickup trucks recently, but consider the sheer energy capacity of a new 2021 Ford F-350 dually diesel truck that has a 48-gallon fuel tank. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, one gallon of low-sulfur diesel fuel contains about 37.63 times more energy than 1 kWh of electricity. This means a diesel F-350 with a 48-gallon tank is carrying approximately 1,806 kWh worth of energy. Even if this truck is getting 8 MPG while towing its maximum load, it can still go nearly 380 miles on a full tank. It can then replenish this 48-gallon diesel tank in minutes and keep going.
The story is much different when talking about lighter (half-ton) trucks and other smaller vehicles.
