2018 Ford F150 Diesel or Gas EcoBoost F-150? Which Should You Buy?

Truck owners have had to wrestle with the question of gas vs diesel for years when it comes to choosing a heavy duty truck. However, for most lighter duty full size truck owners, most notably the Ford F150 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 that account for a huge chunk of the pickup market, the only option has been gas except in extremely rare cases.

Ford is mixing things up though with the 2018 F150, which will now be available with either a 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 gas engine or a 3.0 liter Powerstroke V6 diesel. While many buyers will make that decision based on nothing more than their personal preference of fuel type, this will leave others to have to make a decision based on stats and specifications.

Luckily, The Fast Lane Truck had the opportunity to put both trucks through their paces to hopefully help answer some of those questions for buyers who are on the fence about which version to buy. At first glance, the numbers along make the EcoBoost look like the more attractive option, but as we all know, there is much more to any vehicle than numbers. TFLTruck’s host for this video, Andre Smirnov, also weighs in with some feedback on the overall feel and driving experience in both the gas and diesel versions.

The EcoBoost V6 does make more power and torque – 375 and 470 respectively – than the diesel, with makes 250 HP and 440 ft/lbs of torque. One other number that makes a big difference, which you also notice if you head to your local dealership and take these trucks for a test drive, is the RPM at which the engines reach peak torque. This will be when the truck “feels” it’s strongest under acceleration, and there is a big difference in the two. The gas burning V6 doesn’t reach peak torque until 3,500 RPM, while the diesel hits it’s sweet spot at just 1,750.

You’ll have to watch the video for the driving experience feedback info, but keep all of those numbers in mind, especially those last ones, if you’re trying to decide between these two.