Ford Reveals All-New F-150 Power Stroke® 3.0-Liter Diesel to Texas

A number of journalists from around the state had the chance to test drive the all new Ford F-150 Power Stroke 3.0-liter Diesel this morning. The meeting point was at one of the newer hot spots in Dallas, The Rustic. If you haven't been yet, it's an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant that uses a lot of local farm fresh ingredients where you can enjoy some of the best live music in Texas.

The last time I drove a Ford diesel was back in the mid 1990's. A family member bought a Ford 350 diesel to pull his Falmouth Cutter 22 sailboat to Houston and back. The boat weighed in at an excess of 10,000 lbs. That 350 diesel pulled it with ease, but the engine was so loud that once, while ordering burgers at a drive through, I was asked to turn the engine off so the drive through person taking my order could hear me.

Originally Built for Jaguar

Before our scheduled drives of the three different trim packages, Ford engine design engineer Ken Pumford discussed the genesis for this engine and how it made it into the F150 lineup.

To say this engine has been a long time coming would be an understatement. It was originally designed for the Jaguar Land Rover when Ford owned Jaguar Land Rover. Ford eventually sold that line of business in 2008, but kept the engine and decided to use it for the F150 truck. The company saw this engine as the answer for their truck customers who tow and haul frequently but also wanted better fuel economy numbers.

Because this diesel engine was originally designed for a daily driver and grocery getter like the Land Rover, and not a sometime grocery getter and full time work or recreational truck, it had to be shipped back to the U.S. for a lots of durability testing.

The engine was torn down and gone through piece by piece by many of the engineers that were responsible for Ford's most recent diesel the 6.7 ltr. There were some parts like the crankshaft that had to be replaced so it could meet the demands of the F-150 pulling a horse trailer up Pikes Peak in the summer time.

The engineers then had to match the variable turbo with the 10-speed transmission that was built in house to give the owner the power and torque needed while still providing class leading MPGs.

Does it Pass the Drive-Through Test?

Ken did a good job of describing what went into this new engine without boring us with too much technical engineering jargon, but the time came to start the truck and turn us loose so we could see for ourselves if this new generation diesel engine was going to live up to all the years of work to get it to this point.

When Ken started the King Ranch that was in front of us, it sounded like he started a gas-powered engine. There was none of the familiar diesel sounds that make you think you need to tighten up the rockers or the heavy diesel fumes. When we were driving the truck by the Winspear Opera house, it was then I realized the versatility of this truck. You could use it as a farm or work truck by day and then drive it to the opera or the kids PTA meeting and not be embarrassed by all the noise.

Later at lunch when I had a chance to talk more with Ken about the truck, I told him my drive through story and he told me there is an actual drive through test that this engine had to pass to move forward.

Our Drive Time

Sherri and I were able to drive the 3 different packages Ford had brought for the drive today. We were in the King Ranch, the Platinum, and the Lariat. Each drive lasted roughly 30 minutes; but in that short time, we were able to get initial impressions on some key issues I wanted to check out.

Important Boxes Checked Off

We were in a downtown urban setting, so I knew my ability to really check the engine out would be limited, but I did get some important boxes checked. I wanted to hear this new diesel engine run. It far exceeded my expectations. I wanted to experience the responsiveness of the new variable turbo paired with the new 10 speed transmission on acceleration as well as deceleration. It was really good nothing to complain about.

There was the torque numbers and what the towing potential would be with the smaller 3.0-liter engine. I was told it has best-in-class diesel towing and payload at roughly 11,000lbs, so my family member could have pulled his sailboat boat and visited a drive through all in the same trip.

The Final Box

The final box I need to check is the fuel economy. Is the new F-150 Power Stroke 3.0-liter Diesel best-in-class for MPG? Ford is stating in press releases the MPG has a targeted EPA-estimate of 30 mpg highway. I won't know if this is actually true until I have it for a week and put it through some real world driving conditions. But after driving the truck today and learning how much testing this engine went through, my initial thought is the engine probably is rated for 30 mpg - if for no other reason you don't take as long as they did to bring it to production and fall short of probably the most important best in class award today. That's why you build a diesel - for MPG's while towing.

So all in all I would have to say it was a really productive day for both us and the new Ford F-150 Power Stroke 3.0-liter Diesel. I was told this engine package was going to be available in the press fleet in the coming months, so I look forward to giving it a more comprehensive drive and checking off the final box.

• Efficient: 2018 F-150 3.0-liter Power Stroke® diesel has a best-in-class EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 30 mpg highway.
• Powerful: First-ever F-150 Power Stroke diesel engine offers best-in-class 250 diesel horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque.
• Capable: Diesel-equipped F-150 brings best-in-class diesel towing and payload capacity.

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