Ford F-150 Diesel Built Tough

    You know you are doing something right when you are the top selling anything for over 50 years. For Ford of Canada, they have had the top selling pickup truck in Canada for 53 years, with the F-Series. If that isn’t enough, the F-Series has been the top selling vehicle overall in Canada for the past nine years.

    Having been at the top for so long, one would think, that Ford wouldn’t make a lot of investment in the F-150, however, the opposite is true. Over the past few vehicle generations, Ford has put turbocharged engines (EcoBoost) in the vehicle, when the norm was to have powerful V-8s; it began using military grade aluminum for the body, when steel was the norm; it began to offer a plethora of safety and convenience features usually seen on luxury vehicles; and it continues to add new innovations to the F-150 on a yearly basis.

    “The Ford F-150 lineup continues to delivers on its promise to give full-size truck customers even more value, functionality and smart technology innovations, with best-in-class towing, payload and fuel economy. The F-150 diesel strengthens even further Ford’s Built Ford Tough commitment to its hardworking truck customers and demonstrates how we listen to their demands for their new F-150 to be even tougher, even smarter and even more capable for work and play,” said Christine Hollander, Communication Manager, Ford of Canada.

    Being a big fan of diesel engine, I always wondered why only the Super Duty was offered with a diesel, while its light duty cousin didn’t offer one. Well, for the 2018 model year, the 3.0 liter Power Stroke V-6 diesel engine was added to the lineup. It comes with 250 horsepower and a 440 foot/pounds of torque mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It offers towing of 11,400 pounds and payload of 1,940 pounds for retail, when properly equipped.

It is important to point out that today’s diesel engine are not the same as in generations past. They are a lot more advanced and still offer the main advantages of a diesel engine, torque and fuel economy.

    “We know that competing diesels with electric cooling fans have to dial back on power under extreme heat and altitude, so we decided on a viscous-controlled mechanical fan that has the capacity to move much more air across the radiator and intercooler in extreme conditions,” said David Ives, Ford diesel engine technical specialist. “This gives F-150 Power Stroke owners more power and more passing capability in harsh conditions.”

The 2019 F-150 is also a very safe vehicle, as shown by it achieving ‘good’ ratings in all tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

    “F-150’s smart engineering, plus the innovative combination of its high-strength steel frame and high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy body continues to demonstrate enduring customer benefits – from repeated class-leading crash test performance to best-in-class towing and payload,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford executive vice president, Product Development and Purchasing.

    The diesel engine is available on a wide variety of trim levels and package options. The F-150 is available in XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited. It offers three cab sizes (regular, supercab and supercrew), and three truck bed lengths (5 ?”, 6 ?”, and 8”).