If there is an automotive writer that has written more myth-busting stories about diesel vehicles I have never met him or her. For a decade I have written comparison stories showing why diesel cars and crossovers really make no sense. Although I still believe that, consider this tester a convert to diesel trucks.

Why You Need A Ford F-150
Let's start with why you, as a homeowner not a contractor, need a truck in the first place. In your lifetime, there are times that even a large SUV just isn't the tool for the job. Your haul is just too big, too awkward, too dangerous, or too messy to put inside your family wagon. We hauled a long list of stuff to a transfer station that would not fit inside a SUV. Or would fit, but would potentially damage the cargo area.

And the handy aspects of Ford's F-150 pickup go beyond the cargo area. The back seat area is enormous. Big enough for a load of cardboard that could choke the compactor. The doors also open super wide. Very handy.

Why Do You Need a Ford F-150 with the Diesel Engine
Ford's F-150 equipped with the 3.0-liter EcoBoost diesel engine is simply more capable. Got to Ford's spec sheet if you want to bust your eyeballs with specifications. We don't care much for engine specs. What do we care for? How about over 600 miles of real-world range? You can drive the F-150 with the diesel engine for hours and hours and still have more range than a typical vehicle does when it is full of fuel.

The F-150 diesel also pulls like a train. Loaded up, pointed at a steep hill, this truck just goes like physics is suspended. The pull is unlike what you will find any non-turbo truck.

And how about a real-world cost per mile for fuel of ten cents? We saw a 25.4 MPG fuel-efficiency number on our long trips. With diesel in our area selling for under $2.50, this truck gets great fuel economy. Better than most SUVs and much better than most sports cars we test.

Ford F-150 Diesel Luxury
Luxury? Yes, luxury. The Ford F-150 diesel we tested was silent inside, comfortable on long highway trips, and had a better sounding stereo than the last $250K vehicle tested. It also had both heated and ventilated cooled seats. Something most luxury vehicles we test lack.

Our tester had a price before discounts of $70,100. While that price may surprise some, truck owners know that Ford's F-150 diesel pickup is a vehicle that fills many roles. And you know you need one.

is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John's focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of a team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of battery thermal control designer. For 20 years he applied his engineering and sales talents in the high tech world and published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career to chase his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

Images by John Goreham