Ford drops V6 Powerstroke diesel engine from F150 lineup

According to Ford Authority and later confirmed by a number of other outlets, Ford has decided to stop offering the 3.0-liter V6 Powerstroke diesel engine for the F150.

Why cancel the diesel? Current speculations point out that the engine's 250 horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque is one of the least powerful engines available in the F150–even just compared to the 400 horsepower and 500 lb.-ft. of torque found in the non-hybrid version of the EcoBoost V6.

If you happen to be in the market for a new F150 with the V6 Powerstroke, you better act fast, as Ford is only letting customers order the engine until this Friday, July 16.

So that's a 3-4 year engine run?  That's gonna suck a bit for anyone hoping to hold onto it long term

Internet keyboard warriors screamed for years about a diesel in the F-150, then when it came along, they didn't buy it. Shocking. 

Have any of the small diesels (midsize and half ton trucks) not been riddled with problems or crazy maintenance costs? A friend of mine who is big into diesels, said flat out he wouldnt buy any brand new diesels in a truck, but he had less info on the smaller trucks, beyond the ecodiesel that dodge did

By the time you spec out a F-150 diesel, might as well get a super duty. Pricing is not too different and it'll hold up better

Steve_Jones said:

By the time you spec out a F-150 diesel, might as well get a super duty. Pricing is not too different and it'll hold up better

Honestly, I think that the existence of the 3.5L Ecoboost kind of invalidates the reason for the diesel. The diesel has 250hp and 440 torque and gets 20/25 mpg. It's a $5k option. The 3.5 has 375hp and 470 torque and gets 17/23 mpg. It costs $2500 (more than I thought, actually). And that's not even counting the hybrids.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Shocking as the Lightening is likely killing it. 

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Internet keyboard warriors screamed for years about a diesel in the F-150, then when it came along, they didn't buy it. Shocking. 

It's hard to order anything through the dealers anymore as they don't get the same number of slots as yesteryear. There is a lot of you have to sell what the manufacturer sends you now.

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Steve_Jones said:

By the time you spec out a F-150 diesel, might as well get a super duty. Pricing is not too different and it'll hold up better

Honestly, I think that the existence of the 3.5L Ecoboost kind of invalidates the reason for the diesel. The diesel has 250hp and 440 torque and gets 20/25 mpg. It's a $5k option. The 3.5 has 375hp and 470 torque and gets 17/23 mpg. It costs $2500 (more than I thought, actually). And that's not even counting the hybrids.

And it'll burn $2.90 87 octane or $3.50 93 octane instead of $3.70 Diesel, and it doesn't have a problematic tip to tail level of aftertreatment geegaws in the exhaust to try to get it as clean as a gasoline engine with feedback fuel control and a couple of essentially bulletproof, maintenance-free converters.

My strong suspiscion is that the electric F150 is expected to knock the Diesel out of the park.

I didn't even realize that there was a diesel F-150 available

Uhmmmm....Ford built a diesel F150?

With how much the bigger V6 ecoboost felt like a diesel that learned to rev, I'm not surprised.  The only advantage of the diesel was fuel economy and not needing to rev it as high with a heavy load (which has no performance benefit but makes people feel better).  And the fuel economy wasn't all that much better than some of the other engines (20/27 for a 4wd diesel vs 19/24, 18/24, or 17/24 for the 2.7tt, 3.5tt or 5.0, all 2021 models).  With the lack of power, if you're pulling a heavy load, the diesel is going to run out of steam before any of the other available engines, even the base naturally aspirated 3.3 liter V6.  It's HP that moves things, not torque.  Torque just makes it feel fast with a load and avoids the need for short gearing and revving the snot out of it.  

The hybrid F150 is cheaper, faster, torquier, has better combined fuel economy, goes further on a tank, uses cheaper more available fuel, and is costs less to maintain:

STM317 said:

The hybrid F150 is cheaper, faster, torquier, has better combined fuel economy, costs less to fuel up and is cheaper to maintain:

But aside from those things, what is it good for?  

(Romans, they go the house!)

My father has one, its a really nice truck and a really nice engine. I was saving up and hoping to grab an extended cab short bed, but it looks like that wont happen now.... 

I would put money on this being future litigation avoidance.  This comes from someone dumb enough to have previously owned a 6.0 diesel Ferd . . .

There's that and the simple reality that diesel pickup sales are largely based on figures over performance anymore, and this thing's figures are not exactly pin-up territory.

The issue is that people were clamoring for the good ol stone simple diesels of the late 90s and early 00s (12 valve and 24 valve Cummins, 7.3 Powerstroke, 6.5 TD) in a half-ton, not some VGT, aftertreated, super complicated diesel.  Couple that with the bad rap that the small diesels already had (EcoDiesel Ram and Duramax Colorado) and that by the time you option one up you can buy a Superduty for close to the same amount of money, proven tech, better resale; its no wonder no one bought half ton diesels.

I was very close to pulling the trigger on a Diesel Colorado.  My buddy who worked at a dealer said no way, then I tried to get one optioned they way I wanted it and it was close to $55k.  Thats lightly used Superduty territory, for a whole lot more truck.