The 2018 F-150 Goes Diesel and Gets Power Boosts

Ford could likely leave the F-150 alone for a decade and still have the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. But that’s just not Ford’s style, as it has released significant updates to the F-150 for the 2018 model year.

The most noticeable of the changes are to its look. Buyers will quickly notice the 2018 F-150 features a wider grille that extends to the headlights and a new front bumper with slight tweaks.

While the style updates are great, the big news comes under the hood. Here, Ford added a new base engine, a 3.3-liter V-6 that produces 290 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. These are improvements of 8 horsepower and 12 pound-feet relative to the 3.5-liter from 2017. Also new is the second-gen 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 with 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque — an improvement of 25 pound-feet. Finally, the 5.0-liter V-8 sees its power jump by 10 horsepower and 13 pound-feet to 395 horses and 400 pound-feet. All these changes also resulted in mild fuel economy bumps by 1 to 2 mpg.

Ford also announced the all-new 3.0-liter Powerstroke diesel for its light-duty pickup, joining RAM as the second automaker to provide a diesel in this class. This V-6 engine will be available in the spring of 2017 and it’ll pair with a 10-speed automatic transmission. More to come on this later.

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines remain unchanged in terms of output in 2018.

Ford also will spread the use of its new 10-speed automatic transmission to the 5.0-liter V-8 and 2.7-liter V-6 models. These previously used the aging six-speed automatic.

The 2018 Ford F-150 also will boast some new technological features. These include an embedded 4G LTE modem with Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices. Also new is the available B&O PLAY audio system with high-end speakers for premium sound quality.

Safety is also taking center stage for the 2018 F-150. Ford will add segment-first equipment, including available enhanced adaptive cruise with stop-and-go functionality, pre-collision assistance with pedestrian detection.

The 2018 Ford F-150 will hit showrooms this fall. More details will come as we near its release date.