[mstewart44]

Hello All,

Looking for some recommendations from the veterans on this forum for advice on a new truck. I am currently driving a 2003 F150 FX4 with the 5.4L Triton engine that just turned 200,000 miles. Have been thinking that my next truck would be a diesel largely on the comparison that my truck has never even seen over 15 mpg on the hwy and normally get 11-12 mpg in town and my brother in law averages about 24 mpg hwy with his 7.3L Excursion with a performance chip.

I will grant you that the 7.3 to 6.7 comparison is not fair but the mpg gains to me for diesel to gas are significant. I haven't done much homework on the new eco-boost so perhaps that engine should be considered?

My daily commute is 8 miles each way thru 2 school zones and residential areas. On weekends I pull my ATV or motorcycle on a 5x 10 trailer about 2 hours to the area where I ride. I'm sure my Monday to Friday demands do not warrant an F250 but pulling my trailer I average about 12 mpg hwy. I want better fuel economy in my next truck.

Suggestions from the forum? Is an F250 right for me? Or will the truck demand regens all the time due to my short daily commute?

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[Hockeylover86]

Truthfully?

The right truck for you would be a new F150 2.7 Eco.

You don't drive far enough to heat up the diesel, and its really too much truck for your needs anyway.

SD's are primarily needed for payload.

 

[ArcticDriver]

I have never heard of a 7.3 PSD getting 24 mpg.
20-21...maybe.

Are you sure your Bro-In-Law is not messing with you ?

 

[mstewart44]

I have never heard of a 7.3 PSD getting 24 mpg.
20-21...maybe.

Are you sure your Bro-In-Law is not messing with you ?

I've seen it up close and personal. I've driven many a mile with him and calculated the mpg myself. Remember, he uses a performance chip! That's the key to his mpg!

 

[ArcticDriver]

I've seen it up close and personal. I've driven many a mile with him and calculated the mpg myself.

I drive every mile like Miss Daisy is my passenger and I get 20 mpg.

When factoeing the savings on fuel economy between an F150 gasser and a diesel it is probably best to use 15/20 as your comparison.

Plus the operating costs are much much higher with a diesel.

 

[jvgviper]

I would get what you want a "diesel" the power is great and you drive long enough on weekends to regen. As time goes on you will get a travel trailer and this truck will last a very long time. You will be disappointed later if you dont get what you are wanting. Just my 2 cents.

 

[mstewart44]

jvgviper, thanks for the reply. "WANT" is definitely the way to describe it! Would LOVE the power and I'm sure the mpg.

Would there be any negatives to my short weekly commute with a PSD?

 

[Squidboi]

I think the F250 is a lot more truck than you will need for your commute or towing needs.
The F150 with the 2.7L ecoboost will get the job done, and have the best fuel economy. If you are planning to tow something over 7,000 pounds in the future you could step up to the 3.5L ecoboost F150.

The maintenance costs for a diesel are not worth it when towing a light load.

 

[2015_PSD]

Would there be any negatives to my short weekly commute with a PSD?

I am a new PSD owner myself--absolutely glad I bought it and with the incentives Ford was giving last September, I bought my 2015 PSD for about $1000 more than a comparatively equipped (interior/exterior but not the power train except both were 4x4) 2015 F-150. I traded a 2010 F-150 FX4 that had 160K miles on it and about 50% of those towing about 8K-9K pounds. While it is definitely more maintenance than a gasoline engine, I am more than happy with the PSD thus far. The best MPG I ever managed in the 2010 was 19.2 and I have made 23.2 in my PSD. The HP/Torque in the PSD is light years ahead of the 5.4L it replaced and while I do not need an F-250 "all the time", it is there when I do. My advice is that if you are familiar with the increased maintenance and it is non-issue for you, then by all means, if you want one--go for it. There is nothing worse than climbing into the cab of a new truck that you do not like and wishing that you had done something else.

To your question about short commutes, there are a couple of things that I see to think about:

1. It takes my PSD about 20-25 miles at 70ish for all of the fluids to come up to temperature. The engine oil usually takes about 7-10 miles and the transmission nearly 20 miles. Depending on how short your commute is, the fluids will likely not come up to temp and thus you **may** need to change them more frequently as this would likely be considered severe service.

2. Regens are going to be an issue because (from the sounds of it) they would not have enough time to complete (depending on when they start) and you would probably see more of them since you are not driving many highway miles. You may also see the "drive to clean" message more often due to the regens not completing.

3. Frequent regens are going to kill your MPG and so this is something to consider as well. If, on the other hand, you are able to allow them to complete and you end up driving more highway miles than what I read in your post, then it will be less of an issue.

I hope this helps and good luck with your choice!

 

[jvgviper]

This is my first diesel, don't need it but always wanted one and you only live once so be it. As long as you take a long ride once every two weeks the regens will be fine with short commutes. Be aware that maintenance can be very expensive but as long as you learn how to take care of your diesel you should be fine. The care is more extensive then a regular gas engine, getting good quality diesel fuel is critical.

 

[yan7gin]

I've seen it up close and personal. I've driven many a mile with him and calculated the mpg myself.

I agree with ArticDriver. a big vehicle like a X getting 24 MPG only ith a chip... I wouldn't count on that "experience" to get the idea that 7.3 are all that economic on fuel.

7.3 will average around 15 mpg. if you throw a couple part at it you can get 18-19 mpg and if your lucky 20 mpg.

whit the commute you have and no big load to transport, i would go with a F150. like its been said, Diesel are more expensive to maintain and even more when you used them like a smart car LOL

 

[NOSPARKPLUGZ]

Heck if you Want one buy one, will it be a good choice no, but it will keep you smiling


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[badbart]

Hello All,

Looking for some recommendations from the veterans on this forum for advice on a new truck. I am currently driving a 2003 F150 FX4 with the 5.4L Triton engine that just turned 200,000 miles. Have been thinking that my next truck would be a diesel largely on the comparison that my truck has never even seen over 15 mpg on the hwy and normally get 11-12 mpg in town and my brother in law averages about 24 mpg hwy with his 7.3L Excursion with a performance chip.

I will grant you that the 7.3 to 6.7 comparison is not fair but the mpg gains to me for diesel to gas are significant. I haven't done much homework on the new eco-boost so perhaps that engine should be considered?

My daily commute is 8 miles each way thru 2 school zones and residential areas. On weekends I pull my ATV or motorcycle on a 5x 10 trailer about 2 hours to the area where I ride. I'm sure my Monday to Friday demands do not warrant an F250 but pulling my trailer I average about 12 mpg hwy. I want better fuel economy in my next truck.

Suggestions from the forum? Is an F250 right for me? Or will the truck demand regens all the time due to my short daily commute?

Thanks in advance for the info!

You don't say which Powerstroke diesel you are considering. 7.3, 6.0, 6.4, or 6.7? The old tried and true 7.3 Powerstroke is an easy maintenance, very forgiving engine that would probably serve your purposes better than the others. I can get 20.7 mpg with mine if I set the cruise at 55 mph. Usually more like 18-19 but mine does have 4:11 gears.

24 mpg in a 7.3 Excursion seems a bit high but under the right conditions I suppose that could happen. The Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins powered trucks could hit that but I don't know anyone with a Ford that could personally.

My mileage towing campers averaged between 10-13 mpg so I can understand you wanting an improvement over the gasser. But fuel is so cheap right now who really cares?

If you're wanting to go to a 6.7 for the mileage it will be the luck of the draw. Many on this forum are complaining of 13-15 mpg average while others claim to get 20 mpg or more. I'm skeptical since many claim they get this kind of mileage at 80 mph. City driving with short runs seem to be trouble for the DEF engines. Even if you do get reasonable mileage it will drop to 13 or so when it goes into a regen so the gains are minimal IMHO.

Plus the new trucks don't have that rumble or turbo whistle that the old 7.3's have! Good luck with your decision. Bottom line.....get what will make you happy and KEEP you happy! :surprise:

 

[DilbertFord]

I have a 2014 PSD and do a short commute every day (about 6.5 miles each way maybe 18 one way if I drop the kids at school). Most of this is highway (US-1) and city. With this I a regen happens around every 140 miles. With that I have a longer drive home that lets me run at 45 to 50 mph for the whole regen. With is I have only 1 "drive to clean" message on the the truck and that was before I started using the long way home. With this I usually average 14 to 15 MPG with this city driving per tank.

Now when I hook up my travel trailer (about 7000 lbs) and go "camping" i get about 10 to 12 MPG on the highway and regens stretch out to about every 250 to 300 miles.

With that I am very happy with the truck. We, like most RVers, are planning up upgrade the trailer at some point and with the F250 we can pull about anything we want.

 

[Sportscraft]

Your dilemma is the exact reason Ford needs to come out with a half ton diesel! Really the ram Eco diesel would suit your needs great (sorry I know it's blasphemous) so hopefully it'll give Ford a kick in the ass to get moving on it.

 

[DilbertFord]

Kind of true, we already plan to upgrade at some point to a large 5th wheel that a half ton wouldn't be enough truck. So instead of having to buy a new truck I went ahead a got the larger truck now. We do take the truck on trips without the trailer and it will get 17 to 18 MPG on the highway unloaded so over all the little extra driving to do a regen every week or so isn't that bad. I am very happy with the truck.

But I do agree, a nice F150 with a Eco diesel in it would have been a nice option when we were looking.

Have heard rumors that they might put the Range Rover Diesel into the F150. Would be nice.

 

[SCREW]

The F250 is a darned nice truck! If I would've gotten the F150, I'd still want the F250 and always wonder what that would have been like. Since I got the F250, I have no ragrets.

 

[crashz]

Nothing like plunking down money or signing your life away for 5 years on a truck, just to drive off the lot and regret it. Assuming you bought your old truck new, it lasted 13 years and 200K miles. Imagine the next 13 years waiting to justify the next truck.

I mentioned in another thread that I drove a 6.7L F250 for about a week at my old company. It was either a 2012 or 2013 and had the engine replaced (driver never changed the oil, for 97K miles!). With the new engine, it was so smooth, powerful and quiet! It was also a loaded CC shortbed. I wanted one of my own instantly. Three reasons I didn't look at a new one:

- I'm nearing the end of payments on my Chevy 2500HD and I'd like to go a few years without a car payment.
- The repair prices for some things on the 6.7L are scary.
- That F250 was so big that it hung over the edges of my driveway! My Chevy is an extended cab HD, so I knew there was a little length difference, but I had to park the front wheels it the grass to get it in our normal parking scheme! And the big diesel is heavy, so it made ruts. Not a major issue, but be mindful that these things are big! Yeah - this is coming from the guy with a F450 dump!

 

[Will16]

I would upgrade your F150. There isn't good use for a 250 from what I read in your post. If you need to pull 7k or more on a regular basis or need the payload for tools or equipment etc then you can justify living with the harsh ride and increase in maintenance. Btw, the city mpg isn't any better than a half ton. If it wasn't for business demands I would still be driving my Tundra. Good luck!