There maybe some faults I have not found yet..but power isn't one of them.
My thoughts also. I'm not saying the 2.3L is a bad choice or not capable, especially compared to the current class offerings, but the 2.7 would do everything with so much less effort that I believe it would actually get better real world mpg for the vast majority of owners. Plus it would change the rules in the class. It's an impressive performing engine for it's small size. Ford would would not be able to have it certified higher by the epa though or they'd look like clowns.
Fuel management is the key.
Load. While I'm sure the 2.3L I4 does fine for an unladen vehicle zipping around as a daily driver, where it does equally well in an Edge or Ranger, the larger engine will perform considerably better under load. This is a pickup after all, it is meant to haul and pull. I don't see a lot of Edge's with 3/4 ton of material in the back end, or pulling a trailer that is 1.5x heavier than the vehicle itself. Under load is where a 3.0L V6 would be a better option than the 2.3.
Yours is a persistent argument with just enough merit to sound plausible.
Diesels make no sense in this market. As I said earlier, I expect a bigger engine just for marketing but really if your primary use case is hauling 7500lbs (vs doing so occasionally) a full size truck makes more sense just from a handling perspective. But why stop at an F150 with a crummy v6 when an F350 with the new 7.3 v8 can efficiently haul 34k pounds all day long? Really, everyone should have one just in case they might ever tow anything.
When has anything Ford has done make sense to us. Colorado has one and it has a bigger payload than Ranger a diesel would give Ranger the load carrying crown it could happen.
I'd be amazed if Ford wanted to pay for the certifications for a diesel for the ranger because it would be tough to make a profit on it. People like to talk about the chevy diesel more than they like to buy it. The economics just don't work for diesel in the us market (and are getting worse in Europe due to emissions concerns). This is from someone who's been driving a diesel more than 15 years--the numbers don't add up the way they did 15 years ago.
You hit the nail on the head... When you chase power you can never stop, there is always some new mod or option that can give that little bit more. At some point you've got to step back and say I've done my best and enjoy the product.
You can get the 3.5 EB on a long bed regular cab 4x2. Ford tried a short bed 4x2 3.5 EB in 2014, called it the Tremor. It didn't sell.
