Ford's New Diesels

The 3.0l V-6 and 1.5l I-4

- Thom Cannell

In 2018, Ford announced two new diesel engines designed, tested, and built for trucks. One, the EcoBlue 1.5L inline-four-cylinder destined for the Ford Transit Connect, and the other, the 3.0L Power Stroke V-6, aimed at F-150 owners who haul and tow. We spent hours interviewing Ford engineers to deliver an in-depth look at each engine.

Enter the Lion

You could say that Ford’s new 3.0L diesel is an “old lion.” You’d be wrong. If you did, it would be because the new Ford V-6 turbodiesel is based—loosely—on the famous Lion family of diesel engines engineered by Ford in Europe. That V-6 family was entirely designed, engineered, and built by Ford, though it was sold to other companies, notably Peugeot and Land Rover.

Our expert contact for a deep dive into the new 3.0L engine was Ken Pumford, Ford’s 3.0L diesel engine supervisor. Pumford was part of the original team that designed the original Lion engine series. After returning to the States, Pumford worked on the 6.7L Scorpion Power Stroke diesel. When Ford green-lighted the small diesel expressly designed for F-150 use, many of the engineers that had worked on the Scorpion, among them Pumford and several other Lion vets, formed a team of experienced engineers with a deep background in hard-working diesel engines.