To me, it really comes down to the following:

If you will never tow nor haul a heavy load. (i.e. typical truck use), then the nod goes to the Ecoboost F150.

But...

If you do tow or haul heavy loads (i.e. travel trailer, car hauler, etc..) the Ram Diesel should be strongly considered.

Considerably more?!?! Diesel cost 10% more than regular fuel in the current market.

And for that 10% fuel surcharge, the owner gets 30-50% better fuel economy.

Oil changes are more expensive but longevity is also generally better.

Bingo!

My 7000lb 3/4 ton gets 22 MPH on the highway. Thus 30 MPG from a 1/2 ton is not at all preposterous.

The EB has been amazing, but it still doesn't stand up to a diesel IMO. And the EB hasn't really been out doing a lot of the gas V8 competition. If we lived in a higher elevation and not so close to see level, it would be the EB over any V8 hands down. But here there isn't much of a gap. I still stand behind the thought that Ford could succeed quite well with a small diesel in a light duty or 3/4 ton truck.

However, it appears the 4.5L V6 Powerstroke they were using in the LCF trucks, which is the ones I was referring to, was discontinued in 2010. Oh well.

I think every automaker could benefit from a small diesel in a light duty truck. I think Ram got the size and power output right, vs. what Cummins is going to shove in the the Nissan/Toyota. Virtually, don't improve the towing capabilities or power of the current 1/2 tons, just make them more fuel efficient while keeping costs relatively down.

Inserting a 300HP+ diesel into a light duty truck is going to flirt real close to the prices of a similar trim leveled 3/4 ton which isn't the answer. At that point, just pony the extra couple grand and get the big boy truck. As far as the EB engines, I believe they are great performers, but being fuel efficient...no. Proof is in the numbers and most people are averaging 15-17 which is what V8's get.

The main reason I see someone buying a EB over a normal V8 is for towing because the TQ curve on those motors is insane, and comes in so low in the RPM. Plus if you lived at higher elevation, where the turbos make up for the air density loss.

Well I dont see Ford being to worried about it. Dodge never gets within sniffing distance of their sales anyway. You guys are talking Diesal prices now not in the future. The past has shown us that they do go up considerably. The Eb is an easier alternative to diesal and makes alot of Tq down low as well. Most people dont pull enough with a 1/2 ton to warrant a diesal. Most will upgrade to a 3/4 ton and call it a day. ITs a marketing gimmick.

It may be getting close to that MPG but the real adavantage is the Tq delivery when a load is being pulled. Look at the TQ peak of the EB vs the V8 comp. Hell look at where most of it is avail.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
 

I'm sorry but this is dead wrong. My dad's fx2 gets ~19 plus or minus .5 mpg avg with heavy city driving and 22 or more on the hwy. The all aluminum f150 should yield higher with the 3.5 and even higher with the 2.7. Plus the damn thing tows an almost 22 foot bass boat with a helmet head 225 evinrude like there's nothing there. Even then it's yielding 16-17 mpg when my 2008 5.3/4l60e ecsb silverado was yielding between high single digits and 11 mpg.

Not all EBs are getting those results though. That is why people are still hardpressed to believe the hype. Some are having amazing luck, others aren't.

I understand a couple people are getting decent mileage with their EB. But being a statistics guy, I look at averages with a decent pool to pull data from. Based on the information at fuelly (which everyday people update their fuel consumption via text), the EB trucks average in the 15's.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-150/gas%20v6/truck

That is proof, no heresay or "that one time I got XX MPG and that is what I will tell everyone because I don't want to be wrong about the vehicle I bought."

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
 

There are so many hidden variables with fuelly from what I can see. For starters, there is no distinguishment between the EB and the 3.7L N/A v6 on the filters. Next, there is no distinguishment between 4wd, 2wd, what kind of work the truck is being used for, driving style, or if the truck is lifted on 37's. Unless the user happens to have a crappy pic of their truck. All I can tell you is that I can hop in my dad's truck, get on the interstate and have absolutely no problem getting 20+ mpg all day long.

The F150 boards are a good source for what real EB owners are seeing. I know awhile back there was a big stink rising about people not getting the mileage Ford was claiming.

It's not just F150s though, because there have been a number of people with EB explorers and escapes that have the same complaint.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
 

My dad is a REAL EB owner. We've been pleased with what kind of mpg it yields coming from four different 5.3/4l60e GM vehicles.

No other truck can match that truck lb for lb. All that tq down low. LS motor forgetta bout it. This new truck from Ford is a game changer. Why do you think Chevy is doin the samething in 2018? I see the edit police are out.

Have no idea who edited it. I noticed my response is gone too. lol

Somebody called the troll patrol.