Advice re. 2012 F150 SuperCrew with the base V6

Found this one close to home tonight and thought of trading the 2005 WRX in on it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FACTORY-CERTIFIED-2012-FORD-F-150-2WD-SuperCrew-145-XLT-/221148722605?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item337d7db5ad

On paper this seems like a dream truck : direct injected V6 from the '12 mustang - 300hp/300tq, 6 speed tranny. 0 - 60 is in the 8 second range - not a screamer, but decent.

The EPA claims 17city / 23 hwy MPGs - I'm having trouble verifying the real world figures for this truck. Anyone have any input?

Oh, and anyone have an X-Plan hook up? I'm looking currently (online) at a couple of Ford Certified low mileage 2012s, wondering if it might be worth just going new

those engines are pretty cool for what they are- but i can't help but wonder how "cool" they will be when you start seeing trucks that have been used as trucks for 150,000 miles start showing their expensive to repair weak points.

The base V6 is not direct injection. Just so you know.

It's still a good engine, as far as I know.

BTW, the ad does mention then engine as both a 5.0l and a V6, so one should look to make sure.

that small of an engine with that high of an output in that heavy of an application doesn't sound good to me over the long haul. I could be wrong though, I tend to be wary of new tech.

Thanks y'all! I'll have to read up on the longevity of Ford truck v6s. The other full sized V6 truck option out there is the new Ram - 8 speed transmission and 18city/25 hwy.

I find the appeal of a more economical full size truck compelling, but may need to do some reading about v6 -vs- v8 powerplant longevity.

It really depends on how you use it. Duty Cycle as we say in the buis.

If, by the 80/20 rule, this is going to be a car replacement, You should exceed the designed service life with no issues. (Think 150K~200K giving proper maintenance)

If you are going to work it, pull allot near capacity, run 80 mph up a 10% grade while pulling, tow the bed full of mulch 5 days a week, and stuff like that the V6's life will be much shorter as will any of the engines.

That being said, I have a pretty good feeling the 6.2 is dialed way down. I would like to see a test on one un-corked. We use these in our work trucks and have about 50K miles on them. The guys in the shop aren't kind to them either.

Ford F series engine specs

Thought this might help, good luck.

Gearheadotaku wrote: that small of an engine with that high of an output in that heavy of an application doesn't sound good to me over the long haul. I could be wrong though, I tend to be wary of new tech.

I would not be. And that goes for GM, Dodge, and Toyota as well. The beatings these engines go through during development is amazing.

(that, and the N/A V6 doesn't really have any new tech in it... )

I have a friend who is a Ford salesman and he was skeptical of the 6, but he said they've been wonderful. So much so that he is about to buy another truck and that's the engine he's getting.

He's driven a ton of them and currently has the 3 valve V8 in his truck so he can make a fair comparison.

I like by future BIL's ecoboost f150.......also, for the love of god, make sure you check through ford for incentives before you go drop 36k on a 3.7 or 5.0L when you could buy a ecoboost for 33k.

alfadriver wrote:

Gearheadotaku wrote: that small of an engine with that high of an output in that heavy of an application doesn't sound good to me over the long haul. I could be wrong though, I tend to be wary of new tech.

I would not be. And that goes for GM, Dodge, and Toyota as well. The beatings these engines go through during development is amazing. (that, and the N/A V6 doesn't really have any new tech in it... )

Yup. That's why I was willing to buy the Ecoboost last year. But I also bought an extended warranty. Trust, but verify and all that.

As far as the mileage on these trucks, no matter what engine you have, the freeway mileage is EXTREMELY speed-dependant. Yeah, you'll get the 24mpg highway if you keep it below 60. But the faster you go, the mileage drops in a BIG hurry, and it also evens out between the different engines. In other words, none of them are going to get very good mileage going 90. After all, you are pushing a barn door though the air.

did you know ford will let you spec the ecoboost in the base XL model pickup? sahweeeet!

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

Yeah, efficient motors can only do so much on a truck shaped like a brick. Man is working on some cool stuff.

MB is doing some similar stuff too