Ford F-150 EcoBoost v. Ram 1500 EcoDiesel: Which Engine Should You Pick?

- The Ford F-150 is America’s best selling vehicle, and has been for years. Ram Trucks (don’t call them Dodge) have been clawing their way up from the bottom of the truck sales list. To stay competitive, both manufacturers offer a fuel efficient alternative to a traditional V8 engine that also offers good towing capacity.

Ford calls their turbocharged V6 an EcoBoost engine. This engine makes more power and torque than the 5.0L V8 engine that comes standard with many F-150s.

Ram introduced a V6 diesel engine to their 1500 lineup. Called EcoDiesel, the engine makes more torque than the Hemi V8 that comes with many 1500s.

Both engines are turbo, but they run on different types of fuel. Both are also a unique way each brand is trying to capture new customers from the rest of the competition.

If you are looking at a new truck, which engine option should you look at? If you aren’t already sold on the particular brand, these economical engine options might sway you one way or the other. We take a look at both company’s offerings and recommend what we think is best. Read on to find out.

Ford F-150 EcoBoost

The Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost engine.

Ford’s approach to providing better fuel economy while not sacrificing capability comes in the form of an EcoBoost V6 engine. It makes 365 hp and 420 lbs/ft of torque. Aside from the gas guzzling 6.2L V8 that Ford offers, the EcoBoost V6 makes the most torque in the F-150 line of vehicles. The EcoBoost is a $2,395 option on the Ford F-150.

The turbo V6 gets 22 highway mpg. The mileage is decent, but where the EcoBoost engine shines is with towing capacity. An EcoBoost equipped F-150 has a towing capacity of 11,300 lbs.

Turbo engines are fuel efficient when the driver isn’t working the engine hard. Towing, or rapid acceleration, can dramatically lower the fuel economy of a turbo. When Car and Driver reviewed an EcoBoost F-150, they got 12 mpg.

Turbo engines make a lot of torque, which helps with the towing capacity. Since trucks are usually work tools, extra towing capacity outweighs fuel economy in many buyers’ minds.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

 

Ram’s approach to getting better fuel economy is to utilize a modern, clean-burning diesel engine. The EcoDiesel option for the Ram 1500 adds $2,850 to the cost of the truck over the V8 option. The EcoDiesel makes 10 more lbs/ft of torque than the Hemi V8.

On the road, the EcoDiesel’s 28 mpg highway fuel economy rating bests every other half-ton truck sold. From our experience with diesel engines, getting a higher miles-per-gallon number is easy on long highway trips.

In addition to getting best-in-class fuel economy, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel can still tow 9,200 lbs of stuff. Buyers have to sacrifice very little in the Ram 1500 to get good towing and fuel economy.

Nick Cappa, head of Ram Truck’s media relations, sums up the EcoDiesel’s success. “The No. 1 unmet need in half-ton trucks is fuel economy,” he says. “Combine that with the long-time request for a diesel engine in the segment and along comes the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. It not only answers both customer demands, it achieves a best-in-class 28 MPG.”

Diesels aren’t what they used to be. We drove the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel both on and off road last fall and couldn’t really tell we were in a diesel truck.

Verdict

We prefer the EcoDiesel option over the EcoBoost in this comparison.

The EcoBoost in the Ford’s towing capacity of 11,300 lbs is over one ton more than the 9,200 lbs the Ram’s EcoDiesel can muster. The EcoBoost also costs less to equip to a F-150 than the EcoDiesel in the Ram 1500.

We can’t argue with the 28 mpg rating of the EcoDiesel. For someone who drives their truck longer distances, the fuel economy of the EcoDiesel will pay off faster than the EcoBoost’s in the F-150. Diesel engines also behave like normal engines, handling towing without significantly lowering fuel economy.

Both engines make 420 lbs/ft of torque and will meet the needs of many truck buyers. We believe that if towing large loads is the primary consideration, the buyer is probably looking at a Super Duty F-Series or Ram 2500.

Diesel engines make sense in trucks. They’re available in Chevy, Ram and Ford’s heavy duty trucks. Ram is the first company to bring diesel to the half ton pickup truck. If we were looking for an everyday pickup truck that gets good gas mileage, we’d opt for the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel every time.

News Source: http://motorreview.com/ford-f-150-ecoboost-v-ram-1500-ecodiesel-engine-pick