2018 Ford F-150 Debuts with New Diesel Engine, More Tech

by Bennett  Oghifo

Just ahead of its hometown auto show in Detroit, the refreshed 2018 Ford F-150 was revealed with more technology, a new diesel engine, and a segment-first 10-speed transmission.

The biggest news with the 2018 Ford F-150 is the availability of an all-new 3.0-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel engine, which marks the first time the popular pickup is offered with a diesel. Although output for this new engine has not been fully revealed, expect it to be both fuel-efficient and well-suited for towing.

The refreshed truck also replaces the base 3.5-liter V6 with a more efficient 3.3L unit that is expected to offer the same 282 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque as the engine it replaces. The second-generation 2.7L EcoBoost also gets tweaked for better efficiency, more output, and better durability and will be paired with the new 10-speed transmission. Not to be left out, the 5.0L V8 also gets upgraded for higher output and will also be hooked up to the new 10-speed. Ford has not yet announced specific output for the upgraded engines but has confirmed that stop/start will be standard on all F-150s.

A hybrid F-150 has also been confirmed to arrive in 2020.

In the looks department, the F-150 gets some tweaks to the front and rear styling with a new grille, new headlights, tail lights, and revised bumpers that combine to give the truck a wider, more planted stance. The tailgate also gets a new look and the truck gets six new wheel designs.

Bringing the truck up to speed on the safety front, the 2018 Ford F-150 finally gets available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring optimized for trailering, a 360-degree camera (sure to help with parking and hooking up a trailer), and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.

A 4G LTE wifi hotspot that can connect up to 10 devices is also available, and SYNC and SYNC3 also enable Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

The 2018 Ford F-150 goes on sale this fall, which is when pricing will also be announced.

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