#PowerStroke

The Ford F-Series family has been around forever, since pretty much right after World War II. But in all the decades since its introduction, Dearborn has never offered a light-duty diesel pickup.

After a year of waiting, Ford has finally released the F-150 diesel’s output figures and they’re nothing if not impressive.

Ram has overtaken rivals in the heavy-duty pickup segment. When properly equipped, their 3500-model trucks are rated to tow a segment-leading 31,210 pounds.

Chrysler’s Ram truck brand raised the bar considerably when it announced a new heavy duty pickup capable of towing 30,000 lbs with a monstrous 850 lb-ft of torque. Now it’s Ford’s turn to push the limits of what a pickup can do.

Once upon a time trucks were built for work. They had manual door locks, crank windows and AM radios, if they had any sound system at all. Leather seats, air conditioning and voice-activated distractions were out of the question. Like a framing hammer, pickups were simple and effective.

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After releasing some exciting technical info on an all-new Power Stroke engine for the 2011 F-Series Super Duty, Ford has now announced plans to officially unveil the new diesel pickup at the Texas State Fair, with sales starting in the Spring of next year.

Ford is set to release a revolutionary new 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo-diesel engine for its line of Super Duty F-Series trucks in 2011. The all-new engine promises a, “significant improvement in torque, horsepower and fuel economy,” says Ford in a press release, stating that this new F-Series Super Duty would continue to be a class leader in both payload and towing.

At a recent engineering conference Ford representatives gave a presentation on secret new engine the company is developing. Code named “Bobcat” the new twin-turbo 5.0-liter V8 engine is seen more as an alternative truck engine, although as it is similar to Ford’s EcoBoost engine, passenger car applications are possible.