Ford F150 V6 Ecoboost or 5.0l V8?

[albertacowboy]

I am considering a Ford F150 SuperCrew with 6.5 Ft. box, XLT 4X4. I would appreciate knowing your thoughts and experience on which engine to get, either the V6 Ecoboost or the 5.0 V8. I will use the truck mostly for commuting to the cutting barn where we will be boarding, but possibly using it to haul a loaded 2-horse aluminim trailer at about 5000 lb or a 21-ft Bigfoot holiday trailer at 4500-5000 lb.

The truck is rated at just around 11,000 lb towing capacity, but I would still like to check with any of you who may have actual experience with this vehicleand these engines.

Many thanks!
Albertacowboy

[Craddosk]

Lots of information if you search.

The ecoboost has lots of power. If you're towing frequently, I'd get that (or a diesel 3/4 ton). However, for not hauling much and not towing much, they'll get similar gas mileage.

Not all F150's have the 11 000lb towing capacity. Be very sure to have it optioned correctly before buying if that's your main goal. I've found that it's usually hitch weight that maxes these trucks out long before you reach max towing capacity. With the Supercrew, 6.5 ft bed, and XLT package (with 4x4), memory serves that you'll be rated for about 8000lbs towing capacity (with trailer tow package). This, however, is slightly engine dependent.

[75ft Arborist]

I've had both the V8 and the V6.
The V8 has a nice growl and good power.
The eco which i currently own is peppy with instant power. I've noticed if i use premium gas mileage is really really good.
I would go with the V6 eco. All i've towed is a quad trailer but power is constant. Amazing power that can become addictive and great mileage

[kokanee83]

Save your money buy a HEMI. Unless you like recall notices and poor quality. Buddy of mine bought a brand new Eco boost 80 km from the dealership the drive shaft fell off he's had nothing but problems with with his Eco boost. Plus all the recalls on the motors can't be good

[DaleJ]

Have a 2012 SuperCrew with 5 liter. Good power, great fuel mileage but never towed with it. Twin turbos sounds like high priced problems down the road. Only dislike is the zero road feel in the steering wheel with the electric power steering, but that's in both V8 and V6.

[farmerpk]

I've had lots of trouble with my 2012 with the Eco boost. There is a problem with the inter coolers on the turbo.

Front end has had the wheel bearings done before 50k, my boss has the sister truck (fleet) and his has had the same problems.

Apparently the issue has been fixed for 2013, and a few of our newer fleet trucks seem good.

I wouldn't have another one at this point. I don't feel I can trust it.

85,000 km, and this truck has been in the shop more than my Tundra I had before this in over the course of the 225k that I had it for.

[Canadiandiesel]

Eco boost is not a towing engine and as everyone that tows has regretted these things, don't go above 90kph and your economy won't go into the toilet

[75ft Arborist]

My 2012 eco has never been in the shop except for an oil change. I drive it like i stole it, can beat any stock Hemi out there, and never had any problems towing.
We've heard from Dodge and Toyota, waiting for the Chevy guys to chime in.
"I bought an eco and returned it the same day then went and bought a chev."

The guy is simply asking about two different engines, stick to the topic at hand and give your opinion if you have one.

[338Bluff]

No problem with my super crew 2011 5.0 L XTR. It has the 3.55 rear end and gets better fuel economy than the ecoboosts with the 3.73 rear ends. Does not have the zip that an ecoboost has, but it is enough for me. Sounds great.

Only problem with the trucks is the clutch packs in the rear diff have a tendency to pile up. Hopefully this is fixed now. Mine went at 70,000 but I have talked to guys who had them piled up much sooner than that.

I vote for the 5.0

[JB_AOL]

My dad's got a 2012 f150 EC Ecoboost, and he loves it.. Only in for oil changes..

Mostly it's his daily driver, uses it to tow his boat (~6000#'s) and it's doesn't break a sweat.

The biggest limitation on any 1/2 ton is the payload.. not the tow rating. If you ever plan on upgrading your travel trailer, find a f150 with the HD payload (7 lugs). you will thank yourself later.

[Donkey Oatey]

Have a 2012 ecoboost with max tow in the 6.5ft box, love it. Only been in the shop for oil changes. Once I hit 25K km the mileage gets way better. Tows like a bull, but with that heavy foot comes lowered fuel mileage towing.

Contrary to above posters that tell you anyone that tows with it hates it, I love my ecoboost. I get the same mileage towing the same trailer as I did with my 2009 Ram 2500 Hemi but the Ford pulls it way better. Unloaded I am getting right now about 12.5L/100km where as the best I ever got with the Hemi was 15.5L/100km. Combined over the last 6000km I am getting 14L/100km and with the Hemi it was closer to 20L/100km.

I haven't driven any of the 5.0L but both are great engines.

[a little redneck]

I rented a ecoboost for three weeks and it is a great commuter truck. If you plan on towing and putting stuff in your truck box while towing you'll be happier with a beefier suspension (3/4 or 1 ton). The box is also smaller than my short box 1 ton. If you don't plan on loading up the truck (ie the box), then you'll be good towing the 5K, 21ft trailer. Your mileage will really be bad in winds with the trailer... more due to wind drag than weight, but this won't be a problem if you're only towing occasionally.

As a poster mentioned there has been documented problems with getting water in the intercooler hoses... has to do with the turbos condensing water which the engineers didn't design a fix for, probably worse in humid climates.

The Eco tech is a fun truck to drive.

[Stinky Buffalo]

We have the 2012 Ecoboost, XTR package, supercrew 4x4 with the 6.5' box.

We have had zero issues in 20K other than the transmission noise shield coming off (I assume that the Ford techs that did the last oil change did not attach it properly).

Best mileage I got on a trip was 10 litres/100 (average - lowest was 9.5) but usually around town it's in the 13-16l/100 range, depending on who is driving it (Incredigirl loves to wind up those turbos...)

I wouldn't select the Ecoboost based on fuel efficiency (I have several relatives who have trucks with the 5.0 and are very happy with it). In my experience, towing is where the Ecoboost shines. If you don't tow much, pick the 5.0 - it will still tow fine.

I have a trailer similar to yours, and if I had to buy it again, I would pick the 5.0 instead, since I don't often tow a trailer.

Regarding the intercooler issue, there is a TSB to address that (they block off part of the intercooler, replace a cat and reprogram the ECM) but from what I hear, it's not a final solution. Mind you, like a little redneck says, it is more prevalent in humid climates.

[dumoulin]

I'm not big on brands, but a twin turbo v6 sounds like a bad idea. Why not make a better v8 in trucks??? If your turbos go or anything related to it, you're down 200 ponies....and penny less.

[Albertadiver]

I had a 2010 5.7l xtr with max tow crew cab.

I put over 100,000km on it in three years. Great truck, excellent mileage. I was getting about 970km per tank (125litres). Towed my travel trailer nicely.

I now have a 2013 xtr with max tow crew cab ecoboost. So far, I have 5000km on it, with 1000km already on it towing my travel trailer.

So far, the ecoboost gets worse mileage when towing, and when not towing than my V8. I am going to assume it will get better pretty quickly. One thing I noticed, is that if you have a heavy foot with the ecoboost, you will notice your mileage accordingly. The V8 was a little more forgiving in that area.

For towing, I hands down love the ecoboost over the 5.7l V8. Way more oomph towing up hills. The ecoboost is very peppy when not towing and I have had to adjust my driving to be less lead footed off of lights and such. Currently I’m getting around 14L/100km on the highway, and around 15L/100km in town. Towing is around 16-17L/100km.

Long and short of it is that I’m very happy with the ecoboost and very comfortable with my decision. I tow a lot in the summer as you can see that 1/5th of my mileage is towing and the truck is only a month and a half old for me.

[JB_AOL]

^^ So you'd rather have non-turbo diesels also?

The technology (ie turbos) have been around almost as long as gasoline engines.

If anything is going to be the downfall to today's trucks it's the electronics, and and two turbos' adds very little in the form of electronics.

Smaller displacement with forced induction is the future.. With our gov't's emission requirements it's the only way.

[blackonblackfx4]

The technology in the Ecoboost is great and it's a great engine but I would buy the 5.0. Why? It's a very powerful smaller V8 that gets identical real world fuel economy and sounds great. Has just a little rumble when you step on it. And that's coming from someone who worked with ford for years.

[SNIP2780]

2011 FX4 trailer tow package Eco boost supercrew towing a 30 Travel trailer. Love the truck, no issues. Actual fuel millage last three years as per computer display non towing 12lpg towing 22lpg.
All trucks are pretty slick these days, but were sure happy with this one.

[wcbarker]

F-150 6.2 YA the way to go

[ywgbandit]

I realize I'm late to the party here! I'm in the market for a new truck as I just sold my 5th wheel and my F-350 6.0 diesel. I have wanted the EcoBoost F-150, until I spent till 03:00 last night reading about all the problems Ford has been having with this engine. The worst part is these problems have been around since 2011 and they still don't have a fix. 3 prominent issues.
1-Water build up in the inter-cooler caused by condensation of the humidity that collects in the bottom of the inter-cooler. It gets flushed out when you stomp on it and kills the spark plugs and puts the engine into limp mode…best case scenario. If there is too much water it will hydraulic lock a cylinder and either bend a connecting rod or blow it out the side of the block, worst case scenario.

2- Stretched timing chains.

3- The direct fuel injectors over fuelling on shutdown and the gas getting past the rings and into the oil. This overfills the crankcase and dilutes the engine oil..NOT GOOD ON A TURBO CHARGED ENGINE!!

I'm not making this up, it's readily found information. It also seems to be more of an issue for owners who don't work their EcoBoost very hard. The guys that drive them like they stole them have fewer issues because the high boost keeps the intercooler clear of the moisture. Cruising at a steady speed in rain or high humidity, when not towing is the potentially dangerous situation. Idling for long periods is also risky.

Myself, I'm getting the new (in 2011) 5.0 V8. It's been very reliable with almost no issues reported, other than a few experience some oil consumption when new. This typically clears up after 5K-8K plus km. Properly equipped it can tow 10K lbs. to the EcoBoosts 11,300 lbs.

[pinelakeperch]

AFAIK, the problems related to the Ecoboost were during the initial phases of production, though I could be wrong as I'm more of a European car kind of guy. They're fairly quick trucks, I had a little race against my buddy who has a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost. I beat him pretty badly in my C30 but that truck could move for its size.

I've heard that the new Chevy V8 has similar power with better gas mileage. Even though turbo technology has advanced to the point where you can expect high mileage out of them, I'd prefer a V8 over a TT V6 if the V8 can match all of the performance facets of the TT V6.

[BackPackHunter]

Yes if ur not towing drive it like you stole it, keeps it clean
I know a guy who drives one like a little old lady, he's had lots of trouble(turbos & intercoolers)
I've never towed anything with mine, but I love the boost!
I keep my foot into it, n never had any troubles.
But if ur having fun there no Eco


I've got 40k on my and very happy with it
Like it a lot better then the 5.4

[bagwan]

I towed with a 2012 5.0 litre and it towed a larger trailer very well. I was maxed out for overall weight with the quad, extra fuel, water, elk and hunting gear along (Weighed on a scale). Mileage was close to 22 towing and averaged close to 15.9 to a hundred k's all around. Was quite happy with it, room wise, driveability but its now at a dealer and I'm back to a 3/4 ton. Have to get the 3.73 rear end for max tow.

[omega50]

Ecoboost if you plan on flipping it before it comes off of warranty.
Otherwise the 5.0 L

[Bolete]

I've been driving a 2011 with a 5.0L for just over two years. I am extremely happy, in fact if I were to buy another half ton today it would be another 5.0L F-150.
That's saying something considering that I don't think I ever bought the same brand two times consecutively before.

[ali#1]

Originally Posted by omega50

Ecoboost if you plan on flipping it before it comes off of warranty.
Otherwise the 5.0 L

Eco boost under lease an 5.0 if you plan on buying and keeping.

[Lone_Wolf]

Originally Posted by kokanee83

Save your money buy a HEMI. Unless you like recall notices and poor quality. Buddy of mine bought a brand new Eco boost 80 km from the dealership the drive shaft fell off he's had nothing but problems with with his Eco boost. Plus all the recalls on the motors can't be good

All the recalls? What are you talking about? There has been some issues with the Ecoboost, but not recalls like you are mentioning. With work I drove a 2011 3500 Laramie Cummins, 2013 1500 Ram Sport, and a 2013 2500 SLT. The Cummins was a nice engine and I enjoyed touring in it, however the other two were equipped with the Hemi which I found to be underpowered and left a lot to be desired. Not to mention the seats in all three were killer on the back.

To the OP- I have a 2012 5.0L V8 and really like it. The engine is smooth, has five less horsepower than the Ecoboost (360 to 365), and rated at 1 MPG less than the Ecoboost. The 5.0 is $1200 cheaper. The Ecoboost does have more torque, 420 compared to the 5.0 which has 380.

It tows alright. The largest thing I've towed with it was a 30 foot enclosed trailer loaded with a large UTV, utility trailer, and a ton of ice rescue/firefighting equipment. The trailer was loaded right up (not sure of the exact weight) and it made my truck squat right down. But I had no issues pulling the trailer up and down hills on a logging road and out to the highway where it was transferred over to a larger fire department truck.

The MPG is great in the warmer months. Traveling at reasonable highway speeds (105 km/hr or so) I will get anywhere from 19 MPG to 22 MPG which I'm happy with. In the colder months it will take a drop. I'm down around the 16-17 MPG mark currently with the cold.

As for your towing needs- Will you be towing frequently? If so it may not be a bad idea to take a look at a diesel. Can't go wrong with a Super Duty or Dodge Cummins. If it will mostly be a highway truck with infrequent towing then an F-150 with airbags thrown in would be alright.

My votes goes to the 5.0L V8. Not sure what else I can add that pertains to your question.

Good luck with your new truck.

[Penner]

Originally Posted by kokanee83

Save your money buy a HEMI. Unless you like recall notices and poor quality. Buddy of mine bought a brand new Eco boost 80 km from the dealership the drive shaft fell off he's had nothing but problems with with his Eco boost. Plus all the recalls on the motors can't be good

Quality and Dodge in the same sentence now that’s funny! Save now pay later.

No replacement for displacement. Turbo is too new of an enhancement for me on the domestics and still has a ways to go to be proven over the long term. Once proven, they likley will be the way of the future but like everything, the kinks need to be worked out.

Don’t overlook the new GM’s. They have the best fuel economy for V8’s hands down. If its a Ford your after stick with the V8's.

[cody c]

My dad consistently gets 1000 km's on a tank or a pinch better in his new 5.0 heavy half long box.

[Gade81]

Originally Posted by Penner

Quality and Dodge in the same sentence now that’s funny! Save now pay later.

No replacement for displacement. Turbo is too new of an enhancement for me on the domestics and still has a ways to go to be proven over the long term. Once proven, they likley will be the way of the future but like everything, the kinks need to be worked out.

Don’t overlook the new GM’s. They have the best fuel economy for V8’s hands down. If its a Ford your after stick with the V8's.

x2