DETROIT -- The first diesel version of the Ford F-150 will be rated at 30 mpg in highway driving, making it the most fuel-efficient full-size pickup on the market when it hits showrooms next month.
Ford Motor Co. had targeted 30 mpg and announced the official EPA estimates for the pickup Thursday. It will labeled as 22 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg combined.
"Even a few years ago, customers wouldn't have imagined an EPA-estimated rating of 30 mpg highway would be possible in a full-size pickup, but our team of crazy-smart engineers rose to the challenge," Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's executive vice president for product development and purchasing, said in a statement.
The 3.0-liter Power Stroke engine is part of the F-150's midcycle freshening. It's meant to appeal to customers who tow and haul more than usual.
The diesel engine will have 250 hp and 440 pound-feet of torque, besting the only other diesel offering in the full-size segment, the Ram 1500. It also will have best-in-class payload capacity among diesel offerings: 2,020 pounds for XL and XLT fleet applications and 1,940 pounds for retail applications.
It can tow up to 11,400 pounds, which also is best among full-size diesel light-duty pickups.
The diesel engine will be mated to Ford's 10-speed transmission, which was introduced on the 2017 F-150.