F-150 Diesel Plus Airstream: Luxury Camping for Small Families
You don’t have to be a contractor or rancher to appreciate the many benefits of the new F-150 diesel offering.
Thus far, the shiny new Ford F-150 diesel engine has proven to be everything we hoped it would be. Efficient, with loads of torque and smooth operation. Opting for the new 3.0-liter Powerstroke in the world’s favorite pickup gives you all the towing power you need and best-in-class fuel mileage to boot. So what more could you want? Well, some folks are upset that you can’t get the new diesel in lower trim levels, which is understandable. But there is a bit of a bonus to owning a luxury diesel pickup, you see.
Heck, most Americans opt for Lariat, Platinum, King Ranch, or Limited F-150 models these days anyway. Ford recently passed the 51% threshold on that sales mix, making the luxury pickup officially more popular than XL and XLT trim. So that also means that no better “glamping” vessel now exists on the planet than a nicely optioned Ford F-150 diesel pickup. And that’s exactly the conclusion that Autoblog came to recently when they hooked one up to a brand new Airstream Basecamp.
The horse trailer-sized Airstream is designed more for convenience than month-long family camping trips. And in fact, it’s really only big enough for two people. And maybe a small child. But as Autoblog points out, the inside is essentially a “trendy new-construction condo’s entry lounge.” It has loads of luxury options not typically seen in campers of this ilk. And as a result, it’s more expensive, too.
Which makes it the perfect pairing for their test vehicle – a 2018 Ford F-150 diesel with Platinum trim. Like the smallish glamper, this truck is smooth and comfy enough that the tester’s “passengers were comfortable enough to instantly fall asleep for the entire ride out to the campsite. In my mind, this is the best of both worlds: diesel torque and economy without its main drawbacks of noise, vibration, and harshness.”
Towing a 2,500 pound camper might seem like underkill given the Powerstroke’s 11,400 pound max tow rating. But that’s the beauty of this combo for people that don’t necessarily tow on a regular basis. “I’m a trailering novice, having done so maybe a dozen times and never on a regular basis with my own trailer, and I found neither the truck nor the camper to be particularly tricky in any regard.”
So perhaps a luxurious F-150 diesel makes perfect sense after all. And not just for die-hard construction professionals!
