F-150 EcoBoost

[jfs911]

Does anyone here own a 2011 ford F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost engine and are you happy with it? performance? milage? overall reliability?

Thanks, John

[Mr.Puff]

I'm intrigued as well. Notice the increase in towing capacity on the 2012 F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost over the plain 3.7?

[johnkszabo]

I own a 2011 F-150 supercrew 4x4 with the Ecoboost and love it! It is great on fuel ,21 mpg on the highway and is quicker from a rolling start than my 911.The towing abilities are quite impressive too.Great truck IMHO!

[BGCarrera32]

I do not, but opted for the new all aluminum 5 liter V8. Silky smooth and loads better in power and exhaust note than the old 5.4.

The October issue of Motor Trend did a comparison of the 3.7, 5.0, 3.5 EcoBoost and 6.2 L if you can find a copy. There is no comparison between the 3.5 EcoBoost and the 3.7- the EcoBoost is a better rival for the 6.2. The EcoBoost is a twin-turbo 6 and has the best mileage of the F-150 lineup and peak torque comes in around 2,500 rpm with 420 lb ft of torque.

The Ford website has a bunch of videos on both engines.

[kSmith91]

I bought my 2011 ecoboost about 7 months ago and its been doing great for me. I have a long commute to work and the mileage can compete with smaller trucks like chevy colorado and ford ranger. I guess I haven’t owned it long enough to talk about the reliability but everything works smoothly. The performance is great, its fast and the torque comes in very low somewhere around 3,000rpm.

Good luck

[fuelie600]

I have a 2011 F150 supercrew 4x4 with the ecoboost engine. Have about 8500 miles on it now. I am happy with the engine. The mileage can be very high if you drive in flat areas and spend most of your time in the 55-60 range. Mileage drops in the city and at speeds over 65. The power is terrific. It is hard to stay our of the throttle. I have had 21 MPG on one tank at the high end and 14 MPG at the low end. My average MPG is around 18 in mostly city driving. I gained 2-3 MPG over the 2002 Suburban I replaced.

The best use for this engine is for normal driving and only occasional towing. When you pull a loaded trailer, you are always using turbo boost. Mileage drops to 9-10 under this load. If you tow more than occasionally, I would go with the cheaper 5.0L.

The only issues I have with the truck are the new 6 speed transmission and Sync. All of the trucks use a new electronic 6 speed that can get confused if you get off and on the power in ways it doesn't expect. The results are rough shifts. After driving a day or two, you get used to the transmission and it's odd habits.
Sync is another story. It is a great system when it behaves properly. About once per month it screws the pooch and refuses to connect to my iphone via USB or bluetooth. After shutting off the truck it will work again. Sync a great system, but it has caused Ford to suffer big drops in quality surveys.

I love the truck and would get the ecoboost option again. If you get the 4x4, I recommend the tailgate step. I use this feature more than I would have expected.

[Joe Ricard]

I will put my 2000 F250 up against your fancy schmancy itty bitty motor any day.
MPG
and towing
and obviously cost. I bought my truck used for 9K and it had over 200K on it. now has 265K and runs great. I could not ever want more from a truck.
11 MPG tosing 10,000 pounds. can your Eco boost do that?

[EarlyPorsche]

Originally Posted by Joe Ricard

I will put my 2000 F250 up against your fancy schmancy itty bitty motor any day.
MPG
and towing
and obviously cost. I bought my truck used for 9K and it had over 200K on it. now has 265K and runs great. I could not ever want more from a truck.
11 MPG tosing 10,000 pounds. can your Eco boost do that?

I would put your 2000 F250 against my 1991.5 Dodge Cummins. Lower cost, mileage, and higher fuel mileage empty and loaded . BUT there is a dark side to the Cummins...I have to spend about $0.50 more per gallon for diesel than I would for gas. Yesterday I spend about $0.60 more per gallon than regular. It all really becomes a wash depending on your priorities. For example, my truck wouldn't win any ride or luxury awards but I didn't need that. If I did it would cost me (probably a monthly payment).

[kaisen]

A properly equipped 2011/2012 EcoBoost will tow 10,000 pounds and still get 11 mpg.
All while costing less to drive and maintain..... diesel is $0.85 per gallon more here right now.

[John Rogers]

Over the years I was racing, all those that bought a "V8 powered" truck from any company and tried to tow their race car and trailer suffered for a while and then went to diesel power. The ads that are run showing a truck zooming up a grade pulling a trailer are not the real world. If towing is not an issue, then I'd say go with the F150.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by john rogers

Over the years I was racing, all those that bought a "V8 powered" truck from any company and tried to tow their race car and trailer suffered for a while and then went to diesel power. The ads that are run showing a truck zooming up a grade pulling a trailer are not the real world. If towing is not an issue, then I'd say go with the F150.

Like your diesel, the EcoBoost is a direct-injected turbocharged engine. Torque is available throughout much more of the powerband, with over 400 ft-lb as low as 1250 rpm.

Real world, the EcoBoost will out-tow ANY stock naturally aspirated gas V8 offered by any manufacturer before 2007. So unless you own or have owned a 2007-up Ford, Dodge, GM, or Toyota you have no claim to know.

The fact that the EcoBoost F150 weighs 2000 pounds less than a comparably equipped Diesel F250 should give a little clue to why, even with "lighter duty" brakes, tires, and springs it can still tow 11K pounds and maintain a factory warranty.

A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of results on EcoBoost towing, including "real world" 10K pound trailers from previous diesel owners.

My opinion: If you own a truck as a dedicated tow rig and have the money, buy a diesel 3/4 or 1 ton (or bigger). If you are towing less than 50% of the time, or are towing a "light" trailer (<7000 pounds) then save your money in purchase price, maintenance costs, and higher fuel costs. Towing heavier than 7000 pounds on a regular long-distance basis the safety margin of full-floating axles, heavier duty bearings, massive brakes, and E-load range tires is worth the hassle/price. But most of you don't use your truck like that.

[Joe Ricard]

My break even point is .50 cents a gallon. load for load and MPH for MPH I make better MPG than all gassers. I don't have a monthly note either and it's wonderfull

I suspect the Eco boost is required to run premium if you expect to get the power and MPG numbers stated. 93 pump gas is near dead even with diesel for price.

Super crew with 8 ft bed = real truck for real work. There is an Eco boosted F150 that feels compelled to park @ a 45 degree angle taking up 2 spaces at work. I make a point to get and close as poosible just to give him a heart attack. 45K? Are you freaking nuts?????????

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Joe Ricard

......load for load and MPH for MPH I make better MPG than all gassers.

Really? You know what EVERY combination gets, including trucks that have only been out there less than a year? Wow, you are well informed.

I suspect the Eco boost is required to run premium if you expect to get the power and MPG numbers stated.

Okay, maybe not that well informed.

EcoBoost requires 87 octane regular unleaded. That's what it used for its SAE horspower and torque ratings. Running premium unleaded may or may not make more power, but running regular unleaded will never hurt the truck or make less power.

93 pump gas is near dead even with diesel for price.

Nationally, as of TODAY 12/19/2011, Premium unleaded averages $3.51 per gallon, versus diesel at $3.86 per gallon (it's $3.99 here, but that's likely due to the additives for cold weather anti-gel) and $3.23 for regular unleaded. So, nationally, diesel is still 10% more (35 cents) than premium and 20% more (63 cents) more than regular.

Daily Fuel Gauge Report--national, state and local average prices for gasoline, diesel and E-85.

Super crew with 8 ft bed = real truck for real work.

Yes, the 8 ft bed really comes in handy for towing. Not.
In fact, the extra weight reduces its ability to tow. Pick the right tool for the job. Semi tractors tow huge trailers with no bed at all. Next time I see a truck driver I'll let him know his big rig isn't a real truck and can't do real work.

[Joe Ricard]

My appologies for interupting your truck thread.

Please continue stroking each other.

[Tobra]

Joe, you don't need to waste your time telling Eric what your real world experiences are.

He already knows all there is to know about cars and trucks

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Joe, you don't need to waste your time telling Eric what your real world experiences are.

He already knows all there is to know about cars and trucks

When I have questions about the health of my feet I will humbly look to you for advice.

[David]

After reading the truck comparison I went to the Ford dealer and drove one expecting to be blown away. I wasn't. It didn't really feel any stronger than my 5.3 Chevy truck. Maybe I needed more than 15 minutes behind the wheel.

[911boost]

How would the Ecoboost do at say 9,000 feet or so?

It takes every bit of my 6.0L Powerstroke in the Excursion to pull my 26 foot fully loaded toy hauler (80 gallons of water, 25 gallons of gas, toys, etc.).

I suppose at sea level or close to it, a regular V8 or the Ecoboost would do just fine, but I towed for years with my 5.3L Tahoe (older different camper) and it struggled a few times.

Also is the transmission in the Ecoboost the Torqueshift or whatever Ford is calling it now?

Bill

[ZOO]

Originally Posted by BSiple

How would the Ecoboost do at say 9,000 feet or so?

It takes every bit of my 6.0L Powerstroke in the Excursion to pull my 26 foot fully loaded toy hauler (80 gallons of water, 25 gallons of gas, toys, etc.).

I suppose at sea level or close to it, a regular V8 or the Ecoboost would do just fine, but I towed for years with my 5.3L Tahoe (older different camper) and it struggled a few times.

Also is the transmission in the Ecoboost the Torqueshift or whatever Ford is calling it now?

Bill

Don't turbo engines do better at higher altitudes than NA engines?

[fuelie600]

Originally Posted by Joe Ricard

I will put my 2000 F250 up against your fancy schmancy itty bitty motor any day.
MPG
and towing
and obviously cost. I bought my truck used for 9K and it had over 200K on it. now has 265K and runs great. I could not ever want more from a truck.
11 MPG tosing 10,000 pounds. can your Eco boost do that?

I'm glad you like your truck, but the OP asked about the EcoBoost.

To answer your question, I can pull 11,100# and get 11+ MPG highway.