Ford Motor Co The new F-150 will go diesel in 2010, Ford says.

In an effort to improve fuel economy in its lineup of work vehicles, Ford Motor Co. is cross-pollinating technologies that it has developed for the U.S. and Europe. Later this year, Ford will roll out two new offspring from opposite shores of the Atlantic Ocean, with a refined F-150 pickup and an ultra-compact Transit Connect cargo van.

But don’t let Ford’s reputation for tough, full-size pickups fool you into thinking that the 2009 model F-150 on sale this fall is an all-American truck. Although Ford has dumped a V6 engine option in favor of three V8s, like Dodge, it too is ramping up for light-duty diesel production by 2010 with this year’s introduction of its “EasyFuel” capless filler. Developed in Europe where 50% of cars run on diesel, the new receptacle prevents drivers from making a costly error by using the wrong fuel nozzle. In the States, about half of all pickup trucks used for commercial purposes are equipped with diesels.

Ford also plans to add “EcoBoost” gas engines using a turbocharger and direct injection to help cut fuel consumption.

Next year’s F-150 comes will a full V8 lineup that gets an average 1 mpg better fuel economy. Two 4.6L engines differ slightly in valve technology to give a choice between fuel efficiency and horsepower. For ethanol followers, a top-of-the-line, 5.4L V8 can accept E85.

Goodies that showed up on last year’s Super Duty redesign are now available on the light-duty model, such as an optional tailgate step. To counter complaints that the last F-150’s side rails were raised too high, Ford has designed a side step that slides in and out from under the bed with the kick of a work boot. It is optional on 6.5 and 8-ft beds, eliminating the need to jump onto the tires to grab gear from the rear.

Nimble cargo van can zip through traffic on less fuel.

Streetwise Cargo

Ford also is rolling out an all-new European-styled cargo van along the same vein as the successful Dodge Sprinter. But the new Transit Connect van, which goes on sale next year, is a much smaller package in its own niche. Shown flanked between two new F-150s at this year’s Chicago Auto Show on Feb. 8-17, the streetwise cargo van is built on a Ford Focus car chassis that sports a beefier, rear leaf-spring suspension with a more lightweight stabilizer-bar, MacPherson-strut and variable-rate coil-spring setup in front.

A 2.0L, inline, four-cylinder Duratec engine powers the front-wheel-drive van and gets an estimated 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. Its wheel base is a squat 114.6 in., nearly 30 in. shorter than Sprinter’s shortest model. “It drives like a car, works like a van and is engineered to be as tough as a truck,” says Rob Stevens, Transit Connect’s chief engineer for the U.S. A diesel option may come later. The nimble van, which holds up to 143 cu ft of cargo (Sprinter packs in 600 cu ft), has been sold in Europe since 2003, with 109,900 moved out last year.

Pricing for the van has not yet been announced, but Ford says it probably will cost less than its Econoline series. An aftermarket ladder rack will also be available as a dealer-installed option.

F-150 and Transit Connect, two very different workhorses with cosmopolitan content, are an example of how automakers are trying to balance the world’s need for performance and fuel economy.