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F-150 Power Stroke Diesel vs. Silverado Diesel vs. Ram Diesel: Compared

The Ford 3.0L Power Stroke V6 launched in the 2018 Ford F-150 to much fanfare, as quite a few truck buyers had been pining for a diesel version of the popular pickup for some time. However, the F-150 Power Stroke didn’t stick around for long due to poor sales and was subsequently discontinued, as Ford Authority exclusively reported last year. Regardless, there are still likely some folks in the market for an F-150 Power Stroke, or perhaps its electrified counterpart, the PowerBoost hybrid, which is why we’ve assembled a comparison between those powerplants and the Chevy Silverado and Ram diesel pickups, as well as the new Toyota Tundra i-Force Max hybrid, to see how they stack up.

GM Duramax LM2 engine vs Ford Power Stroke and PowerBoost vs Ram EcoDiesel vs Toyota i-Force Max
GM Duramax LM2 GM Duramax LM2 Ford Power Stroke Ram EcoDiesel Ford PowerBoost Toyota i-Force Max
Vehicles 2021 Silverado 1500 2022 Silverado 1500 2021 Ford F-150 2022 Ram 1500 2022 Ford F-150 2022 Toyota Tundra
Engine Type I6 I6 V6 V6 Hybrid V6 Hybrid V6
Displacement 3.0L 3.0L 3.0L 3.0L 3.5L 3.4L
Aspiration Turbocharged Turbocharged Turbocharged Turbocharged Twin-turbocharged Twin-turbocharged
Fuel Type Diesel Diesel Diesel Diesel Regular gasoline Regular gasoline
Horsepower (hp @ rpm) 277 @ 3,750 277 @ 3,750 250 @ 3,250 260 @ 3,600 430 @ 6,000 437 @ 5,200
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 460 @ 1,500 460 @ 1,500 440 @ 1,750 480 @ 1,600 570 @ 3,000 583 @ 2,400
City Fuel Economy RWD/4WD (mpg) 23/22 23/22 -/20 23/21 25/23 20/19
Highway Fuel Economy RWD/4WD (mpg) 31/26 31/26 -/27 33/29 25/23 24/22
Combined Fuel Economy RWD/4WD (mpg) 26/24 26/24 -/23 26/24 25/23 22/20
Max Payload Capacity (pounds) 1,870 1,930 1,840 2,090 2,120 1,665
Max Towing Capacity (pounds) 9,500 13,300 12,100 10,010 12,700 11,450

The F-150 Power Stroke is the underdog in this comparison in terms of output, as its ratings of 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque place it squarely in last place in that regard. The hybrid choices, on the other hand, offer far superior ratings, with Toyota’s new i-Force Max barely edging out Ford’s 3.5L PowerBoost V6 (which is rather quick) with a class-leading 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. The Silverado’s Duramax LM2 cranks out 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, while the Ram’s EcoDiesel is rated at 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque.

In spite of this power advantage, the hybrids can’t quite match the max towing capacity of the 2022 Silverado Duramax, which tops all comers with 13,300 pounds. However, both Ford’s PowerBoost and Toyota’s i-Force max beat out the F-150 and Ram diesels in that regard, though the Power Stroke is impressive with 12,100 pounds of max towing capacity. In terms of payload, the PowerBoost takes home the win with 2,120 pounds.

The final measure of these powerplants – fuel economy – produces some mixed results. Both the GM diesels and the Ram tie for first place with a best combined rating of 26 miles-per-gallon, while the PowerBoost falls just short with 25. Meanwhile, the Tundra hybrid surprisingly finishes last with a mere 22 combined miles-per-gallon.

Full-Size Pickup Truck Sales - 2021 - USA

MODEL YTD 21 / YTD 20 YTD 21 YTD 20 YTD 21 SHARE YTD 20 SHARE
FORD F-SERIES -7.80% 726,004 787,422 33% 34%
RAM RAM PICKUP +1.01% 569,388 563,676 26% 24%
CHEVROLET SILVERADO -10.83% 529,765 594,094 24% 25%
GMC SIERRA -1.62% 248,924 253,016 11% 11%
TOYOTA TUNDRA -24.95% 81,959 109,203 4% 5%
NISSAN TITAN +3.66% 27,406 26,439 1% 1%
TOTAL -6.44% 2,183,446 2,333,850

In terms of sales figures, the F-150 still reigns supreme above all of its competition, however, posting a commanding lead last year even as sales fell by nearly eight percent. Regardless, these results are undoubtedly interesting, and should prove helpful for those weighing a diesel and hybrid pickup, particularly with gas prices reaching new heights in recent months.

We’ll have more comparisons like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series newsFord F-150 news, and non-stop Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. philip tilley

    I’m not surprised asking a small engine to pull all that weight, should have stuck with the 4.5 litre power stroke.

    Reply
  2. Kyle

    Ford doesn’t have a “cousin” like GM does with Chevy. The GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado are essentially the same truck. Add their combined sales and they are ahead of Ford in total sales. To say Ford is #1 is a bit disingenuous.

    Reply
  3. martin Scott

    unless your pulling the absolute maximum load, All three Diesels are more or less the same and are more or less adequate for the job at hand. I would not be able to pick a winner. The ram does achieve a higher miles per gallon figure

    Reply
  4. Christopher James Stanley

    This a very interesting market analysis if your just in the market for a pickup. Me personally being a truck driver for over 20 years. I would buy a F450 Limited offroad pickup do to the fact that GVWR is 3.25 tons more than any other pickup on the market. That being said why with supply chain issues, fuel, economy and driver shortages the transportation industry would do great reducing these pressures on the economy, cause not a lot of individuals are interested in CDL A the big rigs. With the right kind of communication between shippers, receivers and the transportation industry the F450, F550 can carry a lot of weight especially with equipment costs and inflation. Theres one run i was doing a pickup in Broadview IL, Bremen IN and delivered to Borgwarner Seneca SC which with a pickup and enclosed car trailer one could benefit greatly compared to using a semi truck. Hydrogen is the future especially if individuals wanna go off the grid camping.

    Reply
  5. Skete

    All three of these small diesels are cheaply built with things like belt driven oil pumps and have major failures early in life well before any gas v8, and replacements are essentially unavailable. That’s the sad part here. Throw away models

    Reply
  6. Josh

    There’s no way the EcoBoost gets 25/23 in the city. Looks like a typo there as that’s what it gets in the city.

    Reply
  7. Geelboy Jim

    I like matrix car tracker bakkie Ford,, it’s look as it very safe in terms of hijacking,, it can course how much if i order to overseas with rand of South Africa,,, i like this bakkie red in color..

    Reply

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