Info on Ford 1/2 ton diesel

[Denis4x4]

Source: SEMA member E-letter...SEMA used to stand for Speed Equipment Manufacturer's Association. Now it's PC and called the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association.


"We're expecting one, or maybe both, of Ford's new 5.8L and 6.2L BOSS V8s will make its way into the F-150. Eventually Ford's new 4.4L Lion diesel motor will also show up under the hood, a first for the F-150 lineup. The new F-150's styling will be more evolutionary than revolutionary, with bolder fender flares and a 'power dome' hood. Some may even refer to it as a 'Super Duty Lite,' with a smaller version of the Super Duty's bold three-bar grille with vents on the side."

[Jim & Susan]

I like those mirrors. Is the 4.4L Lion diesel a proven engine? I'm not familiar with it. Given Ford's problems with F-series diesels, I would hope they would stick with a proven power plant.

Jim

[Streamer1]

It does have a Super-Duty type grille in what looks like an F-150 body. Possible compromise for not buying a 3/4 ton truck?

[wahoonc]

I am all for a lighter weight diesel truck...I abhor having to drive a Crew Cab dually every where I go, just to keep the benefits of a diesel. I used to have an Isuzu P'up with the little 2.2l in it. Great truck until the body rotted off the frame.

Aaron

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I am all for a lighter weight diesel truck...I abhor having to drive a Crew Cab dually every where I go, just to keep the benefits of a diesel. I used to have an Isuzu P'up with the little 2.2l in it. Great truck until the body rotted off the frame.

Aaron

You don't have to have a dually to have a diesel. My F-250 is a diesel and it's no dually.

BTW, a couple of months ago I posted a thread about Ford's rumored plans to put its new Range Rover diesel V-8 in the F-150 for the '09 model year, possibly a late '08 model intro, and hopefully in the Expedition in time.

This front end looks more like my wife's '07 Expedition under all that padding and netting than a scaled down Super Duty. I bet they are keeping with the Expedition/F-150 cosmetics on the front end to keep the relationship between them since the Expedition is supposed to be the Ford 1/2 ton equivalent in the SUV. Ford is also rumored to be looking at bringing back something on the order of a 3/4 ton SUV only not as big as the Excursion was, but slightly larger than the Expedition EL.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

I like those mirrors. Is the 4.4L Lion diesel a proven engine? I'm not familiar with it. Given Ford's problems with F-series diesels, I would hope they would stick with a proven power plant.

Jim

Lion engine is a new platform out of Europe.
I did some development work on it 3 years ago.
It can only be good to see more diesel powerplants in the US. The new common rail diesels are a huge improvement over the diesels of old...Europeans figured this out some time ago. ~ 50% of Euro auto are diesel.

Remember, regardless of what is running on the treadmill; a 1/2 ton is a 1/2 ton is a 1/2 ton...
It may be more efficient than gas, and may produce more torque ("may") but it will most likely be sized appropriately for a 1/2 ton platform.

Who said you need a CC Dually for a diesel? That is way overkill for anything AS builds...

Having said that; all 3/4 ton pickups ride like crap...but they tow like a dream!

Bill

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I abhor having to drive a Crew Cab dually every where I go,
Aaron

I wish mine was a crew cab instead of the extended cab. Be nice for when I can talk my mom in to going somewhere, like when I took her and her husband to Yellowstone a couple years ago.

[craftsman]

Having said that; all 3/4 ton pickups ride like crap...but they tow like a dream!

Bill



Bill, I don't know what you'e driving but I drive a 4X4 350 Crew Cab Ford Diesel and It rides just fine. It is a truck ...and I don't expect a Lincoln Town car ride. When people complain about the way a 3/4 or 1 Ton truck rides I just wonder what their expectations are.

[slowmover]

One of the reasons I went for a 3/4T Dodge was that it is IFS. That, along with rack & pinion steering makes up for some of the "truckness". But there is no getting around parking a long-bed crew-cab truck.

That said, it looks as though MOR-RYDE has a nice solution to a rough riding rear end.

The 1/2T trucks may be ideal as to power in the future. But I'd be leery of getting a lot of miles out of a semi-floating rear axle arrangement if towing
heavy (properly calculated).

I do not tow an Airstream, but if I did then the 1/2T would be my choice if full-timing if I read ANDY/Inland RV Ctr correctly. I'd mod the rear suspension accordingly and add a rear anti-roll bar if not so equipped.

My Dodge may get some of this anyway as this Silver Streak (full-frame, recall) is not as roadworthy with such a stiff rear suspension on the TV.

15 mpg towing and well over 20 mpg otherwise make diesel an easy choice.

[ScottW]

My F350, crew cab, 4wd, long bed, diesel.....rides GREAT! Just my two cents worth.

[safari 28]

It will be interesting to see what tow capacity will be. I think from what I see in our new 08 f150 Ford has Toyota on the radar and will do anything make the Tundra look bad. The new 150 is an outstanding truck. As tow vehicle with a 5.4 and properly set up it has little competition.

[Tarheel]

I love the ride in my 4x4 mega cab dodge cummins its a far cry from the 92 standard cab cummins 4x4. The chevy 4 door is a good riding 2500 truck as well.