2018 Ford F150 Diesel: Is It Worth The Extra Money? We Do The Math! 

The fuel calculations really should include the cost of DEF as well since the truck can't be driven without it.

Thanks for the honest review. I will hang on to my since new 2002 F150 XLT 4x4 5.4 Triton 4 speed auto with 135,000 miles as long as I can.

For that money you can have a 6.7 Powerstroke

I just bought one and I got a 5.0. I constantly put it in eco mood and average 21mpg. The mileage is negligible compared to bigger ecoboost. Ecoboost has issues with timing chain tensioner in previous models and I’ve heard that carbon buildup in turbos is higher than expected and it can cause dramatic power loss over time. I went with 5.0 for reliability. Motor is amazing and it truly feels like a truck.

You guys did a good thing bringing Stephen on as a reviewer.

Based on watching a lot of videos, including your Channel, I decided to go with a 2.7 liter EcoBoost. However, if I had a business and was pulling a trailer, the diesel would be more cost-efficient. Remember, when pulling a load consistently you can't beat the efficiency of a diesel engine. But just as a commuter truck I love love love the 2.7 EcoBoost. I often put it in sport mode and have a great time in my commute to work. Thanks for your videos. Peace and blessings.

If you must have a diesel and want to spend $50,000 plus...I would buy a heavy duty. I did, and I’m glad I did it at the time. I was prepared in 2011 to buy a max tow F150 ecoboost for around 50grand...I did a lot of towing for our family business so I needed the towing package. Then I took a step back and realized that a f150 class truck won’t hold up over time with the use I planned. I bought a 2011 lariat 6.7 and put 173,xxx miles on it till I traded it for a newer 2014. Sold that used diesel for $25,000. It was in excellent condition and never ever had any problems, and I worked that truck 5 days a week for three years. I can tell you that I would have spent a lot more money on fuel parts and tires if I went with a 150. Do what you want with your money, but these 150 class diesel trucks are for the California soy boys in my opinion.

Very well made video I think it’s great you guys put very specific and descriptive price averages for all the fuel costs and then even converted amazing video love it .

Love this guys reviews. He's my favorite on TFL

At that price point, in Canada, get the F250. I was looking at buying one earlier this year in Ontario and sticker price for a 2018 F250 lariat with many skookum options was in the $82k range. Larger cab, better towing, full 120v sockets, significantly more power for damn near the same price.

I own a F150 diesel in Canada and love it! has tons of power and starts great in the cold winter months. My only complain is the turbo lag is quite noticeable

For most people, no the diesel engine won't make sense, but for people like me who commute most of the time and tow a trailer every other weekend it kinda does. Towing mileage on my 7500 lb trailer with a gas engine is about 7 or 8 mpg, but the 3.0L Powerstroke with a 7000 lb load (as seen on TFL Truck's towing mileage test) does about 13 mpg. My average distance towing is about 500 miles round trip and calculated out I save about $50 per trip which comes out to $1200 a year. Not to mention time saved with fewer fuel stops.

I’m a Ford guy and these prices are atrocious! I just bought a brand new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 4x4 crewcab Bighorn package brand new for $32500 or $36500 with tax out the door. Ford you can’t beat that!

If you tow heavy or often, your probably better off buying a used HD diesel truck for less money and use the extra cash you saved to fill the diesel tank and do some power mods if you don't live in an emissions testing area.

Bring back the 4.9l inline 6 with forced induction and the 10speed.

And this is why I subscribe to FLT, because you do the math, answer the (truck) questions, and a lot of the heart questions.

Great review Stephen!

5.0. Love the hell out of it. On second one. Sounds awesome. Tows good. Great milage. 21.6 liters per 100 pulling 9000 lbs. And the coyote name is just icing on the cake. Little slow on hills with 9000 lb 5th wheel. But its all good

Just completed 550 miles trip pulling 7000lb camper at 70mph. Got 11.3mpg that included 2 mountain passes. Truck is '18 Platinum 3.0L powerstroke. Love it.

Your content makes me happy.

Nice review. Thanks for posting. I'll keep my 2016 xlt sport packaged with a 5.0 v8 and a 36 gallon fuel tank.

Not only did Ford completely shit the bed with the new diesel, but they made it an expensive mistake. 70k for a diesel? Nope. Sorry. I'll buy a Superduty long before I buy a 70k 1/2 ton.

This Canadian dude is awesome he really knows his facts and presents them without coming off like a robot

It would make perfect sense if ford ever decided to offer the diesel in their low end fleet trucks since the average 1/2 ton buyer isn't going to drive more than 10-15k miles a year. Fleet customers would easily get back their investment and they'd sell a lot.

Get a 5.0, that's all you'll ever need. Sounds amazing, has a ton of power, and gets really good mileage. I would know i've driven both the 3.5 ecoboost and the 5.0 for about a year a piece and the 5.0 is superior in every way. It's better to have a big engine barely working rather than a small engine screaming it's head off.

I agree the diesel in a half ton truck is a no go, especially for a $7500 premium! The F250 and F350 make way more sense at this price point. I also hate the DEF extra hassle, higher maintenance later.

You should do an mpg test pulling a load with this, and with the 2.7 and 3.5. Not just contractors, but quite e few people pull a load long distance regularly. Boats, water craft, travel trailers, etc to where they don't need or want to go with a 3/4 or 1 ton.

Good Video. I waited for the release of the 3.0 PowerStroke before purchasing my 2018 F150 and quite honestly, I knew by the end of April that the numbers were not there to justify a diesel engine over the turbo gasoline engine. Yes, I purchased the 3.5L EcoBoost with Max Tow package and my fuel economy is not up to par with the window sticker, but it still cost me less to drive than the price of the diesel option combined with the filters, DEF, and oil changes. Perhaps if I drove 75K/year and kept the truck six years my math would be different but averaging less than 15K per year and trading every 8-10 years means that I could not justify the diesel option. Also not put in those numbers for high mileage drivers is the cost of the timing belt replacement recommended by FoMoCo at 150K miles. That kind of service on a system as complicated as a PowerStroke under the hood is not going to be cheap.

The big thing to consider if buying the diesel is can it save you money over the time frame you are going to own the vehicle. If, and only if, your answer is yes should you ever consider buying a diesel powered light duty truck.

Looking at the numbers (I own a 2-WD Ram EcoDiesel) this Ford seems overly expensive. I can say that the Ram I own does, indeed, get almost 30-31 mpg highway and I am currently averaging 28.5-29.5 mpg overall. IF the Ford can match this, then MAYBE the price is legit. Interesting to see Ford developed their own Power Stroke along similar lines as the ground-breaking Ram EcoDiesel which is also 3.0L. Happy to see Ford get on board. I may own one some day.

In California we have Propel Fuels' High Performance Renewable (HPR) diesel fuel-- usually around the same price as regular diesel, but 98% renewable bio-mass and safe to run in ANY diesel engine without modifications-- This means you can run diesel and be cleaner than any hybrid on the road.

I own one of these Trucks actually. I like the power it puts out to pull with along with the nicer high end package on the interior. I’ve owned diesels my whole life and I prefer them over a gas engine. However, I will admit I’m glad I bought it slightly used because brand new they can be a bit pricy and you could spend about the same amount of money on a 6.7 with the same trim. I love the truck and I love the feel and more than I did the Ecoboost engines. For the first couple years I understand Ford testing the waters on the higher trim levels, but should make it available on the lower levels to make it so much more appealing to more people. In short I love it, but Ford can do better with pricing and availability.

If I had $68k I'd buy a Super Duty. With that said for the F-150 it would be the 3.5 or 5.0 for me, the 2.7 should be in a Ranger not an F-150.

I think depends what your doing with your truck, if you just drive short distant and tow every once in a while, eco boost or coyote and they’ll last, but if your going long distant and towing I guess go with diesel...according to what he put up for mileage save $700 a year on 25k a year. Hitting 200k in a diesel is nothing most gas motors even in trucks are usually getting close to a rebuild..... these trucks aren’t cheap and like anything you have to way what you plan on doing with it and make the best decision.

Wait 2 or 3 years before buying. The 5.4 Triton V8 sparkplug issue spooked me for years.

Good review, the only thing to consider is those turbo engines prefer Premium gas which is a lot of times close or more expensive than diesel.

Thanks for this. Was considering one of these in a couple years but this helped my decision making for sure

Dont forget you are supposed to run premium in the 3.5 that would change the numbers considerably. Here in TN premium is more than diesel.

I don't understand the love affair with diesel engines...unless its something that you NEED because you tow a heavy trailer. I own several RAM and Ford dually's for my business. We haul 6,000 pound gooseneck trailers with 22,000 pounds of freight on them...gotta have a diesel max tow package. My personal truck is a 2015 RAM 2500 with the 6.4 liter HEMI and 4.10 differential. I would never consider any diesel engine for my personal vehicle just for lack of convenience reasons. To begin, diesel fuel is not always readily available at gas stations in and around big cities...you might have to look around or research where you can get diesel. In the country and near interstate highways, no problem. DEF is a pain in the ass too. Plus the nastiness of diesel if you get it on you...you'll want to wear gloves when you fill up. Oil changes are expensive and don't get me started on out of warranty repairs. Like I said, if you tow a heavy load nothing beats a diesel powered truck. If you just want diesel because you think it's cool my advice is think again. It's your money though so get what you want...I'm just adding my two cents.

This guy is one of the best reviewers on TFL

The torque curve itself is worth it. Its big time worth ir if youre idling a lot say pulling trailers across country. Big time worth it.

ford is just flat STUUUUUUUUUUUUPID not offering that engine in a XL work truck. Get a XL 4X4 with that engine out on a farm or construction worksite and it would be awesome. Yup. ford screwed up yet again. Thanks Ford. ( And for those of you who think I am a Ford hater. Nada. I own a old F150 and a nearly new Fusion )

I would get the gas v8 for the awesome sound with a aftermarket exhaust and I don’t have to worry about the boosts going out like they’re known to do. I used to have a 2015 2.7 eco boost 4x4 and since I don’t drive like a grandma I got a combined 17 mpg. The Boost in Ecoboost here means it boosts more gas into the engine without stomping on it, therefore wasting gas and NOT being fuel efficient. I had it 2 years and drove it 41k miles, so I have real world experience day to day driving.

It has a timing belt ppl get a 5.0

I recently bought a 2018 w/ 15k miles trading in a BMW X5 35d (M) for @ $42k. I typically drive @ 500 miles a week and average 23.5 MPG (80% hilly county HWY) & rarely downshifts up steeper hills. Have to say tech & comfort is very comparable if not better than the traded X5. Naturally, can't expect the beefy V8 or ECO-BOOST 3.5 off the line performance but it's a truck and performs with no problem passing or cruising at higher speeds on the Interstates. I pull a small tractor @ 7K#'s (maintains @ 20 MPG loaded) and boat from time to time (Kubota guys used to laugh when I rolled in pulling with my 35D - but don't let the BMW badge fool you) with no problem but so far - love it. Everyone's truck needs are different but given the miles I drive, preferred comfort of the Platinum trim and the need for better MPG as well as pulling - it's a winner in my book, but yes, a new one would be hard to justify the $65k-$70k sticker but then again, I don't buy brand new, let someone else take that hit.

i wish they made trucks like they used to. When you wanted a work horse youd get a bulletproof v8 diesel without fancy features. I loved the ford 7.3L's

I’d get the 2.7 myself. I’ll never forget the drag race between that and the 3.5 that the rest of the guys did when it debuted

My opinion, but for a diesel light duty truck I should get at least one of two things, preferably BOTH, out of it. 1) Better fuel economy all around. 2) When carrying a load or towing something because I'm a weekend warrior with a quad or moderate sized camping trailer I want enough performance to still have the ability to accelerate well under load and get better economy than a corresponding gas engine. So far based on every review I've seen the Ford doesn't really do #1 that well, especially given the expense. As for #2 I guess we need Mr. Truck and TFL to make that video running this thing up the Ike Gauntlet to find out! Thumbs up for the John Denver cover at the end.

Wow! I agree. Silly to pay for a power plant that can’t pay for itself in a fair time.

Great review as always. In my opinion, if you aren’t hauling loads daily, a diesel just doesn’t make sense economically.

What about adding in the exhaust fluid into the mix on the diesel?

What is the song that plays during the milage calculations. I've heard it in a couple other videos. PS. I'm keeping my 5.0 F150 for now. I'm still not on board with having to jump to premium trim just for the Diesel.

Great breakdown, no pun intended. Given the choices in today's market I think I'd opt for the Ram EcoDiesel over the Ford. Ford has its pros but their diesel isn't one of them, you can buy a super duty for the same price or darn close. I really want to see the GMC diesel though. Inline 6 is a great configure for a diesel...

Great singing man! haha

Had to give you a big thumbs up for the John Denver at the end. Not many people Stephen's age have any clue who he was.

can this guy provide a review between the ecoboots options? great review.

Here in Tx I’ve seen lots of this new F-150 Diesel. I’m sure it won’t be long before they start DPF EGR delete, looks nice when all that black smoke comes out the tail pipe 💨💨

I'd like to see how the aftermarket takes to the new diesel platforms such as the powerstroke and new I6 GM.

Thanks for all the honesty man. This trucks makes no sense to me for all these reasons. The nail for me was also the 150k rear fuel pump belt!!! I have a 5.0 with 210k miles I would likely go with that again

Another shining example of Canadians getting screwed over again....

The 3.5L Ecoboost is the only way to go. Higher horsepower and torque numbers, higher towing ratings and less cost. Just lower mpg numbers.

Why is it so hard to allow diesels on base model trucks?

Honestly I just recently bought a 2016 and I'm old school I went with the 5.0. Very much like he said in the video, it's all what appeals to you for me it's the growl that an 8-cylinder makes, as well as the lower maintenance cost of a non-turbo engine oh, I know you all think they are tried and tested by forward but there is always more expensive maintenance with turbocharged engines. that's the simple fact I didn't choose an EcoBoost however they are fantastic engines. If I was going to get a diesel I would go back to a 2500 or 3500. Anymore with the modern emissions on the diesel engines they typically don't last any longer than gas engines so unless you're towing a huge load I do not see the benefit anymore.

Great report. I would have thought the 3.0 D would be more than 3 mpg vs 3.5 EB?

Diesel engines in light duty trucks do not make sense...unless you drive a LOT of miles on the highway. I'll give Ford props for offering multiple engine choices. Does anyone ever test the 3.3 V6 base engine F150?

i would put an asterisk to that "more engine options" while right now that holds true, gm is bound to match ford: currently they offer only the 2 5.3L variants(AFM and DFM are different engine codes) and the 6.2L but they will be releasing the 4.3L and 2.7L then later next year we get the 3L diesel in my mind buying a truck like this with a diesel doesnt make sense unless its you're part of that very niche circle of the people that pretty much lives on the road and has cheaper diesel prices, to me as im a nerd overall about engineering i like seeing all the features and thought process behind this stuff and see what other posibilities are availible and also what is posible to improve

Good job!

Its amazing how much the cost of these truck have increased over the years. Example, the cheapest diesel option here is $45k, that is exactly how much I paid for my Raptor back in 2010...that includes the $4k 6.2L option (you had a choice 5.4L or 62L then). A new Raptor will set you back $75k. The same with regular F150's, they was selling around $25 loaded back then.

Hi Thank you for the video. I am looking at the same truck in my local dealer: 2018 F150 platinum diesel. I wonder what the size of its fuel tank, 23 or 36 L.

Clarification on the math for 25K miles: diesel would save just $140/year, not $700. The 3.0L diesel at 22 MPG and $3.20 per gallon would equate to $3636 annually. That vs. $3776 for the 3.5L EcoBoost is a savings of $140 - which also makes sense compared to the $56 annual savings at an estimated 10K miles. 2.5x the miles = 2.5x the savings ($56 x 2.5 = $140). Of course this is just fuel alone and not all the other associated costs.

If you take those fuel economy numbers off of fuelly which is real life MPG, those numbers will be a lot different. The EPA numbers are highly biased to Gasoline vehicles.

@TFLtruck now that the F-150 is so heavily discounted you should do an update to this video. Have your take this truck on your 100 mile fuel economy loop?

I don't understand why they don't put the diesel in the work truck trims...

I have the F150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost. I love it but right after I got it my needs changed. I really should be in a Super Duty.

My '17 gen II 3.5 boost avgs. 21.5mpg zero problems after 1 year 10k miles, no regrets. my goldilox

We just bought a King Ranch F-150 with the 3.5 and I absolutely love it. great for towing. Great for everyday driving would not recommend the diesel.

Was at the Ford Dealer yesterday getting a few Recalls taken care of. While waiting I wandered the lot. An new XLT 4x4 Crew Cab 2.7 Ecoboost 1/2 ton was $49,000. A XLT 4x4 Crew Cab 6.2 V8 F-250 was $51,000. For my money, I know which one I would be buying. The F-250 will probably run 300,000 miles with just oil changes. It will tow whatever you hook up to it. There is no way the fragile little aluminum F-150 with turbos is going to hit 300,000 without expensive work. I did see the half ton diesels on the lot. All that I saw were $60,000 plus. Have no idea who the target market is at that price.

Usually you get a truck to haul stuff. Heavy stuff. He didnt even mention that. Cause he'll good mileage haulin or not. Thats what a truck is for.

It would be a 3.5 ecoboost or spend far less for a ram 2500 diesel 6.7 for 40k and get 19mpg unhooked or hook up and tow up to and not worry about towing. That 3.0 diesel is a turd for towing... far overpriced its only real usefulness is for those seeking affluence( trying to impress people they dont like with money they dont have)

You are not even factoring in incentives that ford offers on the eco boosts but not on the diesel which make the diesel way more expensive that eco boost motors. More like a 7-9k jump in price. Then they bend you over again by not offering the preferred interest rates. So you take the 7-9k and add tons of extra interest costs . I ended up buying the 19 ram with etorque so I can run 87 and still get the same mileage as the eco boost without having to run premium fuel. With my saving in fuel cost I ended up getting a unlimited warranty for $2750 directly through mopar. . Also ended up with more options and lest cost than the lariat.

That Math seems off. Diesel in Texas is more expensive than gas which is usually a good $0.40- $0.50 cheaper.. plus DEF fluid. Theres no way a diesel is saving you gas money.

I hope one day TFL can do a side by side comparison between this and the Ram Ecodiesel

Does this include the price of def?

68k I just looked at a 67k f250 lariat the other day

I would have preferred this with in the XL or XLT trim and a supercab.

Take that singing on the road! They need you to perform a theme song for TFL

I talked to a guy who owned a construction company and he had 2 F150's one 3.5 Ecoboost and a 5 liter . When he went to Parry sound he took the 5.0 because it got better highway gas mileage at 120 than the 3.5 Ecoboost . At 120 the turbos were open and it sucked back gas . You get Eco or boost but not both .

The 3.5 liter twin turbo won Le Mans in the Ford GT...that is pretty good street cred in my book.

How does it compare to the other half ton diesels?

How did it do towing heavy loads? Did you try to tow with it?

Why not to get the Diesel: - Smaller 26 gal tank required to fit the 5 gal DEF tank - Less than 1500lbs of payload on the Lariat and above - Real world MPG similar to 2.7L - over $7,000 premium - No rebates apply (Increasing premium to over $11,500 for a 2.7L truck) - VG turbo costs more than 3 grand on it's own - If you towed often and heavy enough to get the savings, you would drive a 3/4 ton. Why to get the diesel: - You still think consumer level diesels last longer than gas motors - You're stubborn - You can't read Why to get the 2.7L: - Fuel efficient - Feisty throttle response - Tows anything you would tow with the diesel - Actually has extra rebates over other motors - True gen 2 Ecoboost - Way underrated on torque - Ford actually fudges the GVWR and GCWR numbers after J2807 testing so that it doesn't scavenge from other expensive development motors (I.E. gen 2 Coyote) Citing the 2.7l payload package coming with the 9.75" rear end having a 50lb lower GVWR than a 5.0l with a 8.8" rear end (9.75 true axle rating of 4500 lbs /4800lbs for the HD variant in max payload pkg) (8.8"AWR of 3800lbs) - Will roll with a 6.2l GM at sea level, and feed it it's lunch at altitude. - Dispenses coffee - one of these is a lie

I would really like to see an all out comparison test Between the 5.0L Coyote vs 3.5L Ecoboost vs 3.0L Powerstroke episode. Drag race, Ike gauntlet, MPG loop and Gold Mine Hill. :) Edit: Actually let's throw the 3.3L Syclone and 2.7L Ecoboost. Let's make a full out Ford Showdown!

3.5 eco for me. My dad has one and it’s has all kinds of power. He is getting 25 mpg on the highway.

what about MPG during towing? If I have a 2500 lb truck camper, will I have way worse MPG for a gas engine?

Wow, a video where you do basic math. Super exciting!

Does anyone know yet how this 3.0L Powerstroke overall compares to the 2.7L Duramax?

So just get the 5L and call it a day

The annual maintenance on the diesel is going to be significantly more than a gas engine and much higher probability of significant engine repairs. I know dealers that have been selling them cheaper than 3.5 EcoBoost

Dude driving around an empty pickup talking about his head and his heart. Yeah....okay.

Towing allot can make up those costs much sooner.The 3.0 gets close to 30% better towing economy over the ecoboost motors. 3-4 mpg doesn’t sound like allot but when it’s 12mpg vs 8mpg it’s a much higher percentage.