SPIED: 2017 Ford F-150 Diesel?

A Ford F-150 with camouflage material on its bed was recently spotted testing in Dearborn, Michigan, but the most interesting aspect of the truck was hiding in plain sight.

Clearly visible under the truck’s rocker panels is a Venturi-type exhaust tip, similar to the ones used in Ford’s Power Stroke–powered F-Series Super Duty pickups. That, combined with the engine noise our photographers reported, suggests that Ford may bring a light-duty diesel to its 1/2-ton pickup, the F-150.

Also helping the F-150’s diesel case is that its motor is likely tied up to a 10-speed automatic transmission, as on the F-150 Raptor. The gearbox, along with the F-150’s much-ballyhooed weight-loss regime, could give it fuel efficiency numbers that crest 32 mpg.

For its part, Ford has not copped to an oil-burning F-150. The company is still very firm in its product strategy, which prioritizes weight loss and downsized, turbocharged gasoline engines. Additionally, rumors are flying that Ford is planning a hybrid F-150, so development dollars could get earmarked there, rather than toward diesel. Or maybe the company is selecting (D): All of the above.

Source: SpiedBilde Photography