Ford pulled the plug on the diesel F-150 due to the Ecoboost 3.5L making plenty of power, getting great mileage, and being over 400 pounds lighter, thus the lighter weight truck will save fuel too.
And Ford can certify the F-150 Ecoboost for much less money than a diesel engine.
I was actually surprised to see a inline 5 coming out in the Transit van. Probably the same engine they had worked on for the F-150.
Basically the test subjects when asked what they wanted in a 2018 truck said
1. Power and torque of a diesel
2. Quiet of a gas engine, and easy to start at -15F.
3. Low cost oil changes.
4. Low cost per mile - meaning higher MPG and low cost oil changes.
5. Comfortable cab and seating.
So the Ranger is out, because it is smaller and only costs about $40 a month less than a base model F-150. Now the new Aluminum F-150 should get similar MPG to the much smaller Ranger, while only costing about $40 more per month to buy, with a higher resale value.
Fred.
On Edit! 6-19-14
I got to see a new Transit at my local Ford Dealer in Portland Oregon. It has the 3.5L Ecoboost engine, and from what I can see, the inline 5 diesel is available in the dual rear wheel vans right now! Click on Ford.com and then check out their vans. Click "Build and price" and you can see what vans are at the local Ford dealerships.
I have not seen any of the window vans yet at a dealership, but they are showing up on the "Inventory" as "Dealer Ordered".
