July 19, 2019 – Ford of Canada’s F-Series has been the top-selling pickup truck in the country for 53 years—and even the top-selling vehicle overall for the past nine years. Over the past few generations of the series, Ford has invested in EcoBoost turbocharged engines when the norm was powerful V-8s, military-grade aluminum bodies when the norm was steel and a plethora of safety and convenience features usually only seen on luxury vehicles. And for the 2018 and now 2019 model years, a 3-L Power Stroke V-6 diesel engine was added to the light-duty F-150 truck.

The engine offers 250 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The light-duty diesel F-150 offers towing capacity up to 11,400 lb and payload up to 1,940 lb, when properly equipped.

It is important to note while today’s diesel engines still offer advantages in areas like fuel economy and torque, they are also more advanced than those in the past. Indeed, Ford has continued to innovate with the Power Stroke engine.

“We know competing diesels with electric cooling fans have had to dial back on power under extreme heat and altitude, so we decided on a viscous-controlled mechanical fan that has the capacity to move much more air across the radiator and intercooler,” explains David Ives, diesel engine technical specialist for Ford. “This gives more power in harsh conditions.”

The 2019 F-150 has also achieved ‘good’ ratings in all tests for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

“The F-150’s engineering, high-strength steel frame and military-grade aluminum-alloy body continues to demonstrate class-leading crash test performance,” says Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice-president (EVP) of product development and purchasing.

The diesel engine is available on a wide variety of F-150 trim levels and package options, three cab sizes (regular, supercab and supercrew) and three truck bed lengths (5.5, 6.5 and 8 ft).

Mario Cywinski is editor of Machinery and Equipment MRO magazine, a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and a judge for the Canadian Truck King Challenge.