F-150 XLT Available with Diesel Engine Option
 

Until now, the diesel was only available for the Lariat, Platinum and King Ranch trims. What do you think? Does that make you want to look at a diesel? More info here.

Neat!

I doubt it makes any difference. You're still throwing almost 50 grand at an XLT and not many people are really stupid enough to put that kind of money into any vehicle that's just going to get beat to death in a mall parking lot. That's the reason I drive an STX and not a Limited. There's zero protection on the sides of the trucks. The old trucks, the ones made of steel, real steel, had body side mouldings that would catch an errant door from beating the body up. But it seems any chrome on a truck these days is a major no-no. Screw function, it's all about form these days. If you REALLY need a diesel to pull a trailer, you obviously need an F250 at minimum. Usually, in my experience with pulling HEAVY trailers, moving it is not the problem. Stopping it is paramount and a half ton truck just is not equipped to stop a heavy trailer. At one time I pulled a 24ft gooseneck all over Texas using a Dodge 500 (2 ton) with a 318-3 engine. I could throw 20,000lbs on the trailer that weighed empty 2 lbs short of 10,000 lbs and drive off. You hardly knew it was there. Stopping was not an issue either. What was interesting, gas mileage was far better than the F350 that I have. I often got over 11 mpgs with that Dodge rig. The F350 is a dually with a 410 engine complete with headers and all of the goodies to make it pull. The truck will either pull the trailer or pull the tongue off of it. Stopping it, that's where it's iffy at best.

But if a diesel is yer thang, might look at the testing done by Boating Mag. They tested all of the brands, GM, Ford, Ram, Titan, Tundra. The F150 was by far the most expensive and the only diesel tested but it also had enough electronics on it that you'd need to be a computer whiz just to get in it. It ranked at the top of the heap with the 3.0 Diesel and the 10 speed auto for pulling. The truck tested was over $70,000 and a 4x4. AS I recall though, even though they had lots of good to say about the F150 diesel, the Ram was their favorite although not perfect. The Ram did not have all of the "gadgets" but was $20,000 cheaper. The Ram 1500 tested was a V8 "hemi" with an 8 speed auto. The GM was a near fail, the Titan aged, the Tundra ancient.

If I'm going to spend $50k, might as well get the SD with a real oil burner..

Thanks man! I'm going to check out that test out.

I never had a problem with door dings because the running boards always protected the door panels from getting dinged

??? I'd like to know how. I have a FX-4 (stock BTW) with the running boards but nearly all vehicle doors bulge outward the most up near the door handles and that part of the door hits an adjacent vehicle first. My running boards don't stick out anywhere nearly far enough to catch most doors before then can hit my truck door.

Things like shopping carts are even worse. Since they have an empty area below the basket they there nothing to hit the running boards at all. Doors on large trucks or lifted doors and trucks are also frequently higher than my running boards and will hit my doors without hitting the running boards.

I suggest that you go out and OPEN a few car and truck doors and then look at how far they extend outwards and at what height.

Only way to prevent door dings is to get lift the truck high enough.

Or buy a semi truck. LOL

Then again, the latter of that option isn't nearly as suitable, because I've seen some ID10TS ram their door into a semi's fuel tank causing a big ol'e dent.

I think anyone that spends 50k on an F150 is nuts... no matter what engine it's got. It's the yuppie version of "corvette guy"

considering diesel
 

I'm considering diesel for the fuel mileage. Here in Alaska diesel is at least 20 cent cheaper a gallon . I do have a new 7000 LB Travel trailer that I may tow once a year a cpl hundred miles, that's it. The 3.5 ecoboost has slightly more towing power but the mileage isn't as good as the diesel from what I have read. Priced out a decent F250 and price jumped to over 70 grand. beats 58K for a well equipped F150 Diesel Lariat. I'm old and this may be my last truck I'll ever buy,. Currently driving a 05 F150 XLT with 150K I've had since new, that still looks like it came off the showroom floor.