Green Oval? Ford Claims Top MPG Marks for Upcoming F-150 Diesel

Ford Motor Company claims its 3.0-liter Power Stroke diesel V6, due to appear under the hood of the F-150 starting in May, blows the competition out of the water in terms of fuel economy. The automaker now cites an EPA-estimated 30 mpg highway figure for its light-duty diesel pickup, beating Ram’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel in pump-passing power.

The real test, however, comes later this year, when General Motors debuts its own light-duty Duramax mill — a Flint-built diesel inline-six of unannounced power and efficiency.

While the Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t yet added the rating to its website, Ford has happily announced its status as having the highest MPG rating for a full-size truck. In rear-drive guise, the F-150 diesel rates a 22 mpg figure in city driving, and 25 mpg combined. A 2018 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel RWD consumes fuel at a rate of 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined.

The Ford truck sees environmental assistance from a 10-speed automatic transmission, whereas the Ram makes do with a six-speed. Dearborn also tops Auburn Heights in terms of twist, too. The F-150 Power Stroke meters out 220 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque, good for a 11,400-pound towing figure. That’s 20 lb-ft more than what’s on offer from Ram. Retail customers can expect a payload capacity of 1,940 pounds, while fleet operators can boost the number by an extra 80 lbs.

In the Blue Oval stable, a base rear-drive F-150, boasting a dual-injection 3.3-liter V6, carries a rating of 19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. The thriftiest 2.7-liter F-150 has a rating of 20 city/26 highway/22 combined.

“Even a few years ago, customers wouldn’t have imagined an EPA-estimated rating of 30 mpg highway would be possible in a full-size pickup, but our team of crazy-smart engineers rose to the challenge,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president of product development and purchasing, in a statement.

Given that the HFE version of the 2015 Ram EcoDiesel carried a 29 mpg highway rating, it’s safe to say buyers probably felt 30 mpg was within the realm of possibility.

While GM’s 3.0-liter Duramax won’t be available for the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500’s summer launch, it shouldn’t be too long before we see figures for that oil burner. What’s worrying for Ford is that the GM truck also carries a 10-speed automatic. Who wants to place MPG bets?

[Image: Ford Motor Company]