With next month’s launch of the 2018 Ford F-150 Power Stroke Diesel, customers will get get 250 horsepower, 440 lb-ft of torque, and an EPA-estimated 30 miles per gallon highway. The first time ever for a full size pickup truck.
At the 2018 F-150 diesel drive event in Colorado this week, we were able to put the fuel economy estimates to the test, and then some, with a little hyper-mileage competition. Winner took home a fancy trucktastic trophy, and bragging rights that let every other media attendee know that they were able to drive slower and time traffic lights better than anybody else.
The route was a nearly 8-mile loop around a business campus that involved frustrating hills, plenty of traffic lights, and unpredictable traffic that had no patience for ultra efficient (slow) driving. All of these facets made a hyper-efficient driving style incredibly challenging, but at the same time demonstrated what was actually possible when it came to the fuel economy of the 2018 F-150 diesel. It can be nothing short of fantastic.
It took a few tries to memorize the route, hone the proper techniques, and figure out the traffic light patterns. All while hoping for a clear break in the traffic. The first go-round yielded an average of 30.9 miles per gallon. Which, in its own right, is radically impressive. However, when the week’s high score is an unfathomable 40 miles per gallon average, there was some work to do.
We still didn’t win – we didn’t have the patience to drive so unrealistically, so dangerously slow. But, with some luck with the lights, and lots of neutral coasting, we managed to wring out a commendable 36.3 average miles per gallon for the 2018 F-150 diesel. That was third best on the day, behind an obsessive 37.7 miles per gallon and a legendary 38 miles per gallon. Again, this is the average mileage observed during the driving loop. The highway fuel economy would actually be much higher.
No Comments yet