Looking at a 2018 Lariat with the 3.0L diesel, but I’ve never owned one or seen one in action. Does anyone have experience with this powertrain—reliability, drivability, cost of ownership, etc.?
I have one and love it. Picked it up a few months ago. Previously had a ‘14 F-150 3.5L EcoBoost, but it was getting up there in mileage and had some body rust.
Cost of ownership with a diesel is higher, but you can offset that by doing basic maintenance yourself. I handle my own oil and fuel filter changes.
I work at a Ford dealership, and the main complaint was that it felt underpowered.
Vern said:
I work at a Ford dealership, and the main complaint was that it felt underpowered.
Any of them in for major repairs?
Vern said:
I work at a Ford dealership, and the main complaint was that it felt underpowered.
Any of them in for major repairs?
No, but the sample size is small. We only sold one used one at my location.
Gotta be a reason they only made them for a couple of years.
@Vern
From what I can tell, they stopped making them because people weren’t buying them. The extra cost of the diesel option, paired with the lower HP compared to the 3.5L EcoBoost, turned most buyers away.
@Ira
They also only offered them in higher trims. If they had been available in XL trims, I think they would have sold a lot more.
Anecdotal time: I worked at a truck-heavy Ford dealership in Idaho (aka truck land) for two years and only ever saw one come in—for new tires and an oil change.
Meanwhile, we constantly had gas models in for cam phasers and oil consumption issues.
So, anecdotally, they seem reliable, but they were outsold by the EcoBoost and 5.0 by at least 10-to-1.
The biggest issue is that it was a low-production engine. It was only available for a short time in select trims, and now it’s discontinued.
That means parts and labor could be a problem in the long run.
They were awesome, but way overpriced.
Tuned and deleted, they were absolute beasts.
Zorion said:
They were awesome, but way overpriced.
Tuned and deleted, they were absolute beasts.
In the used market, they seem to be priced the same or lower than equivalent gas F-150s.
Maintenance costs more since you have fuel filters and DEF. They’re also a bit gutless at only 250HP, but that’s expected.
Common issues:
- Lots of hot-side CAC pipe replacements
- A dozen or so turbo failures
- Seen a few 2018s snap the crankshaft under 100k miles
MPG is the main advantage when towing. But don’t lift or level it or run oversized tires—you’ll knock the MPGs back to regular truck territory.
Pretty sure these have a timing belt that needs to be changed at 100k miles. Not sure if it’s an interference motor, but I wouldn’t wait on that maintenance.
Noa said:
Pretty sure these have a timing belt that needs to be changed at 100k miles. Not sure if it’s an interference motor, but I wouldn’t wait on that maintenance.
Good advice, especially since the one I’m looking at has 100k miles on it.
@Ira
Might be worth checking if it’s already been done! My dad has one with 55k miles, and it’s been great so far.
He says it’s decently powered for the truck’s size, but he’s never towed with it. He leaves that to his 6.0 and 6.7.
Good engine, drives great with the 10-speed. Best for people who tow/haul regularly.
EcoBoost MPGs tank when towing, while the diesel stays more efficient. If you’re towing heavy often, the fuel savings can help offset higher maintenance costs.
@Aiden
I do all my own maintenance, so that’s not a huge concern. But since this engine was only around for a few years, I do worry about expensive future repairs.
@Aiden
The 3.5 EcoBoost will tow circles around it.
Logan said:
@Aiden
The 3.5 EcoBoost will tow circles around it.
For sure, the 3.5 has more capacity. But for a contractor or landscaper towing a 7,000 lb trailer regularly, the diesel gets significantly better mileage than the 3.5 under load.
@Aiden
Not significantly better. 7,000 lbs is pushing it for that engine. I tow 8,000 lbs with my 3.5 EcoBoost all the time—no problem.