new F150, ecoboost V6 or V8?

[Shuie]

Does anyone here have a newish F150?

I haven't been truck shopping in the last 10 years and don't really keep up with the new vehicles every year. I was going to wait another ~6 months to buy something. I went to the local dealerships yesterday to see some of the CPOs and get up to speed on the different models. The dealers here have hundreds of new optioned 2013s on the lots and the incentives they are pushing make them almost as cheap as a CPO. Im thinking of buying something before the end of the year now if I can get the right deal on a truck with the right options.

From what I saw sitting on the lots yesterday, it looks like I can get a better deal on a V8 vs. the Ecoboost. Is the Ecoboost the better engine? I'm hesitant about buying a more complex twin turbo anything for a daily driver that Im planning to keep for 10 years because of potential maintenance once its out of warranty. I won't put a ton of highway miles on it, and I won't need to tow much. Just a lightweight car on a trailer (~5000 lbs) every once in a while.

[asphaltgambler]

My co-worker just bought the Ecoboost V-6 / F150 4x4 / 4 door-short bed. We carpool everyday and his commute is @80 miles each way. His main reason: full size truck that is big enough to hold 4-5 adults in comfort, 4x4 for bad weather and lastly; enough power and fuel economy combined. It seems to do all that just fine.

I'm not sure you'd want to hitch a big @ss trailer on the bumper and go through the mountains, but it fits his needs exactly.

[VincentVega]

What kind of mpg is he getting? A friend has one and gets low teens. I would stick with the v8. Or get the new Chevy.

[asphaltgambler]

I think he said @15 mpg overall, but our average speed is @80 mph until traffic hits, then stop and go

[yel911]

In 2012, I opt for the 5.0 V8, don't trust Ford with a turbo. I went with ol'reliable.

[johnsjmc]

I have a 2012 F150 with the 5.0. . Mine is a shortbox regular cab ,4x4. The ecoboost wasn,t available in the short wheelbase in 2012 but might be now.. I could only choose the new v8 or the new v6 at the time. I also worried about the long term operating cost of the twin turbo complicated package.
I am quite happy with the 5.0 gas mileage about 19-21 highway(kept under 2000 rpm and 65 mph).If I run at higher speeds like 80 mph it drops a mile or two. and about 15-16 around town. 2wd would be better but in Canada I like 4wd for a year round vehicle.
Only thing I had to get used to was the v8 is a little soggy at low revs. Even though retuned from the one in the Mustang for better torque and a 3.73 axle. it still likes to rev. .
I have about 12000 miles on it now and have had no repairs only 2 oil changes and one flat tire.
I like it.
Mine is rated to tow something like 9000 lbs and can carry 2000. I have carried 3000 lbs to the dump but haven,t towed anything heavy yet.

[yel911]

I have about 12000 miles on it now and have had no repairs only 2 oil changes and one flat tire.

I'm at 18,800, with a bad tire sensor. No issues..... also replaced the air filter with an aftermarket one. (Washable)

[matt711]

There have been issues with the eco boost, check out an F150 forum. When I traded my old F150 with the 5.4 I decided to step up to the F250 with the 6.7 diesel. Im getting 19 mpg in mixed driving.

[not sharp]

17,000 miles, no issues.

V6, never better than 12 mpg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnsjmc]

[QUOTE=matt711;7763911]There have been issues with the eco boost, check out an F150 forum. When I traded my old F150 with the 5.4 I decided to step up to the F250 with the 6.7 diesel. Im getting 19 mpg in mixed driving.[/QUOTE

There have been some oil consumption issues discussed on the forums also about the 5.0. It,s an all aluminum v8 without iron cylinder liners . I have yet to add a quart to mine between oil changes so my 5.0 uses about 1 qt per 6000 mi..so breakin might be an issue for the few that are using oil. No recalls on any of the engines but there have probably been some running changes during the last 2 years.

[Z-man]

What is the tow rating of the V6? If it is 5000 lbs, then you are right on the jagged edge of the capacity of the truck when pulling your trailer & car.

I have a 2007 Sport Explorer Sport Trac with the 4.6 V8. I chose the V8 because the towing capacity was 7000 lbs vs 5000 lbs for the V6 version of my 'baby truck.' Fuel economy is only 1 mpg less with the V8 vs. the V6 Sport Trac. It tows like a champ - never had an issue - even going up to Watkins Glen.

I have 94,0000 miles on the truck, and it is at the dealer now - they are fixing a cracked fuel rail. Besides that, the only other main issue I've had with the truck was a few coil packs going bad. Not too bad for 6 years, and nearly 100,000 miles.

-Z-man.

[johnsjmc]

Originally Posted by Z-man

What is the tow rating of the V6? If it is 5000 lbs, then you are right on the jagged edge of the capacity of the truck when pulling your trailer & car

-Z-man.

v6 rated about 5500-6300
v8 rated 5800-9600
eco 8000-11300
depending on wheelbase and axle ratio and towing package or not.
The towing package is a hitch,a plug and a small extra trans cooler

[onewhippedpuppy]

We have a 2012 F150 Supercrew XLT 4x4 with the 5.0, it's my wife's daily driver and our family car. We drove both the 5.0 and the Ecoboost, I liked the typical V8 rumble but the Ecoboost instant torque is addictive. Ultimately I chose the 5.0 because it's simple (we will keep this truck for a long time), we saved about $3k, and there are some documented hesitation issues with the Ecoboost which at the time were unresolved by Ford. I have two coworkers with Ecoboost Supercrew 4x4 F150s, they both love the power but are getting worse MPG than my 5.0. If you search online there are a LOT of people upset that their Ecoboost trucks are not getting the window sticker MPG.

Ours is a loaded XLT with backup camera, backup sensors, sync, trailer tow, trailer brake, power seat, tailgate step, chrome package, locking rear diff, etc. I think the sticker was close to $44k, we paid more like $33k. I suspect you can probably get a great deal on a 2013 model right now if you shop around, which seems to be key. We paid about $3k less at a high volume "loss leader" dealership than the other dealership here in town. It's been a good truck, we had a transmission leak that was fixed under warranty and the sun visor mirror lids are getting floppy, they ordered us new ones under warranty. My only complaint is a sometimes clunky transmission, there are complaints online but no failures reported so it seems to be a nuisance. Long story short, at 30k I'm still glad we chose it over the Tundra.

[Shuie]

Thanks, everyone. The V8 and ecoboost V6 towing capacity specs are both over 10,000 lbs.. The expectation is that either should be able to handle pulling a single car hauler every once in a while. I expect bad fuel economy in the city or while towing with both. I don't think I will do enough no load highway cruising to really justify extra cost of the ecoboost if thats where it saves money. Im going to talk to the sales guy today to see if he can find a 4x2 V8 with the right incentives.

[Dan J]

Just buy a Chevy

[onewhippedpuppy]

The guys I know with Ecoboost 4x4 trucks are getting no better than 16 MPG. My wife's truck gets 16.X MPG on the highway with the 5.0 at 80 MPH, and got up to 18 before I installed the front leveling kit. I spent two weeks with a rental 5.0 2wd Supercrew and averaged 19 MPG with mixed city/highway, so a stock suspension 2wd 5.0 is capable of pretty good MPG.

[matt711]

My old 5.4 F150 was not good on gas at all. Seems like the new trucks are better as well as a lot more powerful. A 5.0 V8 that makes nearly 400 hp and still turns in mpg in the 18 range is very good as far as I am concerned. I think Ford still has Chevy beat in the styling department. The interior of the crew cab F150 is really nice. Ride quality is great too.

[jwasbury]

Seems like you're a Ford guy, but here's a fuel economy data point. I recently purchased a 2014 GMC Sierra and have averaged just under 20mpg after 2400 miles logged. My best 50 mile average mpg (highway cruise) was just under 24 mpg. I am pretty impressed with the new GM 5.3L V8 "eco-tech" engine.

[sammyg2]

My furd F150 with the 5.3l(?) gets a consistant 17 mpg in the city, up to 19 on the open road at 75ish mph.

I definately wouldnt be happy with much less than that.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

Seems like you're a Ford guy, but here's a fuel economy data point. I recently purchased a 2014 GMC Sierra and have averaged just under 20mpg after 2400 miles logged. My best 50 mile average mpg (highway cruise) was just under 24 mpg. I am pretty impressed with the new GM 5.3L V8 "eco-tech" engine.

What cab? 2wd or 4wd? If it's a 4x4 crew cab that's pretty darn good, if it's a 2wd regular cab that's pretty average.