2018 Ford F-150 Diesel For Truck Campers
With the strong popularity of Ford, half-tons, and diesel engines among Truck Camper Magazine’s readership, this is exciting and potentially important news for our industry and community. The new diesel engine is an upgraded variation of the Lion turbo-diesel engine Ford designed in partnership with French car manufacturer Group PSA, producer of the Peugeot and Citroen automotive brands. Ford is restricting the availability of the new 3.0L diesel to its premium Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trims. Ford is then further restricting availability to SuperCrew (5.5-foot super short bed and 6.5-foot short bed) and SuperCab (6.5-foot short bed).
Only fleet customers will be able to order 3.0L diesel F-150 in the XL or XLT trim levels. These restrictions throw two flags for truck campers. First, Ford states the maximum payload capacity of the 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3.0L diesel at 2,020 pounds. Presumably this is the maximum payload possible with the 3.0L diesel and the lightest XL trim build - a fleet only order. Once you add the considerable weight of the Lariat, King Ranch, or Platinum trims, that payload will shrink considerably.
I would not be surprised to see dealer-ordered 2018 Ford F-150 3.0L diesel trucks with payloads well under 1,500 pounds. The dealers always order the features and options customers want, payload capacity be damned. The second flag is price. 2,400 premium over the 3.5L EcoBoost. 50,000 - or more. At those prices, you may as well step up to a Ford Super Duty and get some serious payload. Hopefully, Ford will eliminate the payload-crushing restrictions in the near term and allow buyers to custom order the trucks they want. This is America right,
We don’t like to be told what we can and cannot buy. Give us the trucks we want. Ford has its fingers and toes crossed that the 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3.0L diesel will score 30mpg when the EPA tests the truck. Obviously a 30mpg capable half-ton is a big deal.
Our 2012 VW GTI 2.0L gas barely reached 30mpg and that was a hatchback for crying out loud. Compare 30mpg to Ford’s 2.7L and 3.5L EcoBoost engines and the contrast becomes even more evident. The 2.7L EcoBoost offers 20mpg city and 26 highway. The 3.5L EcoBoost offers 18mpg city and 25 highway.
If the truck camper ball game was won strictly by fuel economy, the game would be over. With anything close to 30mpg highway, Ford’s new 3.0L diesel runs away with it - efficiently. Unfortunately, fuel economy is not the whole truck camper ball game. Payload capacity and price are at least as important, if not more so.
Given the above mentioned retail restrictions, Ford’s 3.5L EcoBoost is the better choice for the majority of truck camper owners. Configured without the currently mandated heavy and expensive packages and options, Ford F-150s with the 150-pound lighter 3.5L EcoBoost will offer significantly more payload at a significantly lower cost. On balance, folks with ultra-light weight pop-up truck campers who tow might be better served by the 3.0L diesel for overall fuel economy.
Although it has not yet been independently verified, it’s likely that the new 3.0L diesel will offer better fuel economy while towing. It has been shown that the EcoBoost 3.5L suffers in this regard when towing a heavy load. Another prospect for the new 3.0L diesel would be anyone who is inclined to get a Lariat, King Ranch, or Platinum trim and plans to also use the F-150 as a daily driver without the camper or towable. Given the popularity of half-tons among the pop-up community, I bet a lot of people just said, “That’s me!
” Just make sure you’re 100-percent square on the payload capacity of the diesel F-150. It’s likely to be lower than you would hope. Whenever we take our truck camper rig up a mountain, we are reminded of the superior torque of diesel engines. As our Ram 6.4L HEMI chugs its way up, we are dusted by diesels triumphantly blasting up the steep grades. Our truck gets the job done, but the diesel truck owners have a lot more fun in the process.
