Who said it doesn’t pay to drive a 1/2 ton diesel Ford.

It all depends on how you drive it, and what you do with it. My truck is my daily driver, it has the 3.5EB, and it tows very well, about on par with how my 99 7.3 did. It gets just under 18 MPG, my 14 3.5EB was in the 20 MPG range, but it was RWD with 3.15 gears.

The 2.7EB rates about 23 MPG real world, and is $4K lower than the Lion, and doesn't tow as well. Now if it does net real world 25 MPG, and you do a lot of driving like me, 33k a year and use Premium, which is now 30-50 cents a gallon more than diesel, the payout is much sooner. Now if you don't care about giddy up and towing of the 3.5EB, and just want a daily driver, the payoff is less than 1 year. The difference is roughly $2400 between the Diesel and the 3.5EB. Premium is $3.60 a gallon right now, Diesel $2.99, fuel used over 33K miles at 18 MPG is 1833 gallons, which comes out to $6599, while at 25 MPG, Diesel would use 1320 gallons, which comes out at $3946, a difference of $2653. Maintenance costs will be a little higher, it uses 6 quarts of oil, and the filters are more expensive, but will more than likely even out to what the 5.0 costs with full synthetic oil.

This is speculation in such that the engine does achieve the 25 MPG rating. If it gets higher then the payoff of course will be sooner. If it doesn't then it is a bust.

This of course mirrors the Hybrid premium vs regular car debates that have been ongoing for well over 10 years now, but you also have to remember that the premium is reflected in the resale as well, provided of course the engine does well.

While I would love the 25 MPG Diesel, I don't think I would be happy with the lower power and lack of towing, and would be much better off with a Superduty instead.

Not all of the OEM's 'option's' are stellar nor made it past just a few years offers to be removed...

Quadra Steer anyone?


A few on this forum touted that highly...

Many, many more to list

Crude is projected to be over $90 bucks a barrel in two to three years...Europe is banning high sulfur diesel in urban areas and soon their whole country...

Gasoline based ICE's are making more headway in MPG and HP (am still hopeful of GDICI). There is work on a diesel/gasoline ICE that has the good attributes of both with little of their down sides (Japanese)...ETC

spoon059 wrote:
I am so thankful that the narrow minded people on this forum aren't the ones making and selling vehicles. Having options is wonderful. I am grateful that we live in a time where we have those options. While I have no current want/need for a sports car or a luxury car or a minivan or a convertible etc... its nice to know that they exist so if I want/need one in the future I will have options.

One could argue that everybody on this planet is narrow minded, after all do you agree with everything?

Dan

I am so thankful that the narrow minded people on this forum aren't the ones making and selling vehicles. Having options is wonderful. I am grateful that we live in a time where we have those options. While I have no current want/need for a sports car or a luxury car or a minivan or a convertible etc... its nice to know that they exist so if I want/need one in the future I will have options.

This whole business is a hole to throw money in..

For me, I’m interested in these little motors because they are fuel efficient and have great low end tq.

We have an EcoBoost in the wife’s MKC... I have nearly 250 hp in that 4cyl turbo...very fun to drive...I can’t get it much over 22 MPG in mixed driving. Still nice compared to the 17-19 we got with her Town & Country. Plus it’s fun to drive.

It is True...you can have Eco or you can have Boost...but it’s hard to have both.

When I was looking at Ram 1500’s I compared the EcoDiesel vs the Pentastar V6 with the 3.55 rear axle ratio. The tow rating on both trucks was about 7,000 lbs. The Pentastar flat smoked the ED in acceleration...while being nearly $5k cheaper.... but which would you want to hang 7,000 lbs worth of trailer off of?

Paper says both will do the Job...I would be more comfortable with the higher torque at the lower RPM range the diesel offers. Never mind the ED will return double digit fuel economy with a TT vs single digit for gas. Yes, that’s splitting hairs but it is what it is and people attach intrinsic value to MPG while towing. Even though it may not really matter in the grand scheme of things.

I am sure that Ford and GM will sell every Diesel Half-Ton they produce. The 3.0 size seems to be the sweet spot right now. The 5.0 on the Nissan seems to have missed the mark.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I just love my EcoBoost.. Little V6 with 365hp and some 420tq at only 2500 rpms..

Sure, I'm not towing a "house" with it, but it works for me.. :)

I would not buy a 1/2 ton diesel for what I tow.. Which is not a whole lot..

Mitch

spoon059 wrote:

Hammerboy wrote:
This^^ It makes no sense to me to buy a 1/2 ton diesel, no sense at all.

Dan

Did you ever consider that some people don't tow heavy and need a fuel efficient vehicle for daily driving? I mean, you are aware that there are other people in the world besides you... right?

No reason to be testy, did you buy one? I am very aware different people means different choices. People here argue gas vs diesel all the time in the HD market, at least there one has the argument that diesel has a clear power advantage over their gas counterparts. I'm just saying what is the advantage of paying for a diesel in a half ton that does not have a power advantage over gas and the fuel efficiency is eaten up by higher fuel and matainence cost? Rather than being snarky educate me. I love my diesel but it needs to make sense for me to own one.

Dan

FishOnOne wrote:

ScottG wrote:

mkirsch wrote:

KD4UPL wrote:
Why does everybody always act like diesel 1/2 tons are something new? GM had diesel 1/2 ton trucks, Blazers, and Suburbans from about 1982 until about 1999 I think it was. They didn't sell that great then (maybe that's why nobody knows about them). Why does everyone want one now?

They didn't sell great because the 6.2 and 6.5 diesels were gutless, garbage engines.

Bingo.
I had a 82 6.2 - it was well into its second set of injectors and pump at 100K and mostly worn out by 150.
And OMG was it a pig.
I only bought back in the day because it was the cheapest way into a used 3/4T truck.

Man does that bring back some bad memories.

:B Don't it?

And the 6.2 wasn't just weak for the time, any small block V8 would out tow or out perform it in any way except perhaps fuel efficiency.
To make it even worse, someone had put 16.5" truck wheels on mine which could not have helped the gearing any.

Isn't the RAM 1/2 ton diesel selling well? I see a lot of them on the road. Same class as the Ford but only better.