It’s time to take the 2018 Ford F-150 Diesel on the Ike Gauntlet™ - the World’s Toughest Towing Test. The truck we have here is a crew cab Lariat 4×4 with a long (6.5-foot) bed and an FX4 package. It’s the first time that a turbo-diesel engine has been offered in the half-ton F-150. Under the hood is a 3.0L Power Stroke V6 turbo-diesel that is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. This particular configuration of the truck has at a maximum towing rating of 11,000 lbs and a payload capacity of 1,314 lbs.

We hooked up the CM Trailers Cargo Mate with a total weight of 8,700 lbs and used a weight distribution GenY Hitch. The truck and trailer offered a comfortable and stable ride. We did not experience any trailer sway. We heard back from Ford with an update to the issue we encountered.

The truck you see here is a pre-production unit. The truck performed very well during the first five miles of the downhill, but then went into a “Reduced Engine Power” mode. The transmission went into 9th gear and was unresponsive to further manual gear change requests. Once we safely negotiated the remaining three miles of the downhill, the truck remained in this “limp home” mode. It allowed us to move at a maximum of 6-7 MPH, while we got to the nearest parking lot. All gauges were showing normal temperatures and pressures (coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid, etc).

The DEF tank was at about 75% full. There were no leaks or smells. Once we shut the truck off, waited about 10 minutes, and restarted the truck - there were no more warning messages and the truck behaved normal. After waiting another hour (during lunch) - we were able to drive back up the Ike Gauntlet, and the truck behaved normal. It was not the fastest, but it showed the best MPG result with a trailer of over 7,000 lbs.

It might be a bit deceptive, but how honest are car dealerships with you anyways, Price is always going to be a primary factor when you’re looking at performance enhancing parts and honestly, most of what you’ll receive from a more expensive tuner module is a better UI. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be easier to use, but you can display more in-depth information when your motor is running by investing more money. The update time is something you’ll want to consider as well.

The Smarty options (see a bunch here) boast some of the quickest changes in the industry, with their marketing saying that they’ll update three times faster than their competition. While none of them will take long, being able to completely change the way your motor runs in less than ten minutes is pretty damn cool no matter who you are. These are particularly valuable for those who want to tow with their trucks.

You can get the torque and horsepower adjusted just right to maximize your miles per gallon while hauling a trailer or boat and save a little bit of money without having to do any additional work on the truck. Those who are simply looking for performance enhancement are sure to be pleased with a tuner as well since you’ll have more power and a removed high-end limit right out of the box. Whether you’re racing or just want the hottest truck on the block it’s a remarkably simple way to go about it.

Under the hood is a 3.0-liter engine, combined with a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. It delivers a hefty 250 horsepower at 3,250 rpm and 440 lb-ft. Fleet customers will be able to order the 2018 F-150 Power Stroke Diesel in Ford’s XL and XLT trims. However the retail versions of the truck will only be offered in Limited, King Ranch, and Lariat trims.

Expect to pay a premium of a few thousand dollars over a gas engine, too. Pickup drivers love knowing their trucks can handle heavy towing loads, and the 2018 F-150 diesel certainly delivers there. Indeed, it has a best-in-class diesel towing rating of 11,400 pounds. That puts it roughly on a par with the 5.0-liter V8, with its 11,600 pound towing capacity, and comfortably outperforms the 2.7-liter EcoBoost with its 9,000 pounds. As for payload, that comes in at up to 2,020 pounds for the diesel F-150 configured for fleet customers.

That’s actually fairly low for the line-up: it only beats the entry-level 3.3-liter V6, which manages 1,990 pounds, but every other F-150 engine can handle more. Even so, it’s still enough to be best-in-class, Ford says. Retail customers will get a 1,940 pound version. The big question we had when Ford announced the 2018 F-150 Power Stroke Diesel was just how frugal it would be. With the EPA figures released today, now we know.