Once shelved engine to be resurrected and shoehorned into new F-150

It seems Ford isn’t willing to put all its eggs in its EcoBoost basket as the Dearborn automaker is planning to equip the F-150 with diesel power during a mid-cycle refresh.

TTAC is reporting a once shelved 3.0-litre diesel V6 is currently being dusted off for use in the 1/2-ton pickup. Development of the diesel engine was put on hold as the recession hit in 2008. However, now that RAM is gearing up its own diesel for their 1500 series line, Ford doesn’t want to be left too far behind and will possibly add the engine – codenamed “Lion” – in 2018.

Also, Ford’s line of pickups and body-on-frame SUVs will soon be the home to 10-speed transmissions. Aluminum bodies are also rumoured to be used on the future Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Ford’s Super Duty pickups will continue on with steel bodies for the time being.

By Mark Stevenson



About Mark Stevenson

Mark Stevenson is a former IT professional turned freelance automotive writer and news editor for Autos.ca. He's a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and former member of the Texas Automotive Writers Association (TAWA). Mark spends an inordinate amount of time on motorcycles and resides in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with his two dogs - Nismo and Maloo. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.