One thing you need to consider is not so much payload... who cares if you can't fill the back of your truck with a chopped up sequoia. You can hook up you hitch to a trailer and haul 10k lbs., up hill, getting 20 mpg. The F150 is the longest lasting truck already now the engine will last just as long or longer.

 

If it costs $3,000 more, that's stupid. Diesels are simpler by design than a gasoline. How much gas can you buy for $3,000 anyway? 1,500 gallons? That alone will get you 22,500 miles @ 15mpg for free!!!

If it's as reliable as a 6.0 powerstroke, it will be a piece of ****. My 5.4 has never given me any problems. How much more reliability do you want?! People here are always complaining about trannies going out... Just wait till you put a diesel in front of it! Yeah, sure... Much better..

 

According to the TDR website, dodge is gonna put diesels in their 1500's and jeeps.

 

Lots of people do. Who wants to rent a trailer every time you need some firewood or need to haul 20 sheets of drywall?

They have much higher compression and require higher fuel pressure. They are generally much beefier as a result. But I agree, not worth it in an F150.

Now if we're talking a diesel hybrid with cylinder managment having 50+ miles to the gallon!!!!

 

They're still simpler. They don't require any electronics,(unless you want them to), no ignition, and they are much simpler by design. Look at the picture in my sig. Once you crank it up, it requires no electronics to keep running, or operate normally.

 

I've wondered what has taken Ford so long to put a diesel in their 1/2 ton pickups. I'll definitely take one once they become available.

 

They're simpler in theory, but modern diesels have as much electronic controls as their gasoline equivalents. No way they'd meet emisions otherwise.

In addition to being stouter/heavier, they pressurize fuel beyond 20,000 psi in the rail in many cases, and this requires significant control mechanisms. Not to mention the turbochargers that are used. It all adds up.

Then you add the cost of a particulate trap, urea injection (or complex combustion strategy to make urea, as Honda has just proven)...as well as the cost of stronger driveline components to handle the torque.

Most industry pundits put the cost of a modern diesel drivetrain somewhere between a gasoline engine and a hybrid gas/electric. Somewhat closer to the gasoline engine, but still significantly more expensive.

But big MPG, huge torque and great performance are good selling points. Many diesel sedans currently on sale in Europe perform as well as their gasoline counterparts.

I don't think it's about heavy-weight hauling, as someone noted previously. It's about increased MPG.

Imagine a diesel BMW 5-Series sedan that goes 0 - 60 in under 7 seconds while getting 42 mpg. Or a diesel Chrysler 300C that hits 60 in 7.5 seconds and gets 35 mpg. Both making more torque than the gasoline V8 models...and these cars are already on sale in Europe. I'd pay a premium for that!

 

my next door neighbor has been in on this project since it started and he said that at one time they were thinkn of usin a small cummins engine and now i guess theyve changed their mind and also their gonna put a six speed auto behind that...i believe it will b one of the most solid trucks on the market and when they come out im gonna do a swap in my truck and get the engine from my neighbor....they will be built here in kentucky also

 

For years Massey Feurguson used Perkins diesel engines in their combines and tractrors. I believe they still do. Perkins was a U.K. company. Up until a few years ago we still had some MF 410 combines that were mid 60's models. The engines had never been touched. These combines also went north to Canada every summer on harvest for about 12 or 13 years. I'd say that's a pretty good track record for an engine made in England.

That being said, I'd buy a 2 or 3 year old used F150 diesel, just not the first model year. That way I could avoid alot of bugs even if the engine wasn't a new design.

 

some of the best and most solid engines are foriegn engines some people dont know what theyre talkin bout in here....if toyota and nissan made a diesel engine theyd probably be stronger and more reliable than a cummins those people just know what theyre doin nuthin wrong with a foriegn diesel engine

 

i'm with PACNWblueoval in that unless it will bring very significant fuel economy gains when not pulling, i fail to see the attraction

sure, i'd like a diesel for pulling, but unless i'm pulling the majority of my miles, i wouldn't have a good chance of breaking even before the pickup was worn out, considering the premium on diesel fuel right now--and that's not even factoring the upcharge for the diesel engine

i did a spreadsheet to compare the fuel costs

now, pulling all the time, it makes sense--but imo, it makes better sense to pull with a 3/4 or 1 ton in the first place

what are the realistic expectations for fuel economy with this 1/2 ton diesel?

i do understand that diesel is not as expensive in some parts of the u.s.--it would have a better chance there

 

If they can't get 20 mpg out of a diesel in a half ton, they're wasting their time.

 

I have a JD 4440 tractor with almost 15,000 tach hours on it. It records true time at ~2100rpm Equate that to a vehicle at 75mph = 1,125,000 miles. All while pulling some kind of implement.

I have an JD 8760 with almost 6,000 hours on it, and all it does, is scream wide open all day long while pulling an 8 - 12 row ripper, or a 34 ft harrow. It burns at least 200 gallons of fuel in a day at 5mph.

I have an 8.3 cummins in a Case cotton picker, and it has almost 5,000 hours on it. It runs at WOT all day long at nearly 100% power. Its cast iron exhaust manifold causes the engine compartment to glow red at night.

My truck has almost 200,000 miles on it, I pull a lot of stuff, and I leave it idling all summer long, so there's no telling how many hours are on it.

All of these machines are still running strong, and none have ever had any engine related problems. Every one of them were built in the USA, except for my truck which was built in Canada. So I got ya japanese/ chinese crap.

 

I'll buy one a year or two after they come out. Not necessarily to avoid 1st year bugs, but to avoid 1st year DEALER MARKUPS that will likely double the diesel option.

For me, it's great. My 1/2 ton (and the newer ones) have plenty of payload for my purposes (towing the racecar and other compacts and picking up car parts and Home Depot crap), it's the MPG and torque that I want. I don't want to whip the crapola out of it to drive over passes.

If my friend with his 97 PSD dually with 4.10s can get 22mpg towing his open trailer and racecar, I don't see why this new one can't get even better mileage and maybe as much as 30mpg on the freeway.

The increased diesel costs now are because of the new standard due in 2008 (or was it 2009?) for low sulphur fuel. It will eventually stabilize with regular gasoline. By then, I hope to have my pick between 1/2 ton diesels (Nissan is currently developing a diesel Titan and possibly Frontier and rumor has it so are Dodge and Toyota) that don't have huge dealer markups.

 

He's yanking your chain, buddy!!!