I took a free rental upgrade to an Expedition for no reason than curiosity (and to have a foil to my Miata that's in transit to the east coast). It has the Ecoboost V6, and I must say, this barge hustles! I am really impressed. Well done Alfadriver and crew.
As a person that prefers small cars for my personal vehicle, driving something so large is hilarious.
By brother just bought a aluminum F150 with the Ecoboost. Last I talked to him he liked it, but he only had 900 miles on it. I'll ask him again in a few months.
I originally dismissed the F-150 EcoBoost when Ford first announced it, thinking that a small turbocharged V6 wouldn't make enough low-end grunt where truck engines operate. Then I went to a truck pull and in the stock 5,800lb Gas class a pair of EcoBoosts took first and second, both making nearly full pulls. Hmmmm. Then I was down in TN and a friend of mine had a '12 2WD Crew Cab short-bed with the EcoBoost. He took it to Beech Bend and, completely stock, it ripped off a 14.343 second e.t. Wow. Now, I'm a convert, if I were to buy a new truck (Ha, fat chance, have you seen the prices on any of them?) it'd be an EcoBoost.
At my old job we had 5.0s and the salesmen got the 3.5 EcoBoost for the "better mileage" They didn't get better mileage but they were quick. Real quick. The thing would jump from about 30 mph on. The power came on very very smooth too.
The 5.0 was a fun truck to drive and made all the right noises but the Boost was just fast.
I want to test drive the 2.7 boost and see what they are like.
My BIL has a 4-door F150 with the Ecoboost, again, surprisingly quick beast. I wonder what they do with a tune
I'm glad you like them.
I do wish that they got better mileage, but for some, the fact that they find the extra quickness fun- well, physics says that you use more energy having that fun....
We have a few of the new trucks, but I've not driven them (I just don't like trucks to drive one for the sake of it). But a guy I know who has a lead foot really likes them, and he says he gets a pretty easy 22mpg in it.
Nick- you were not the only one who thought V8 truck vs. Twin turbo V6 was not a good thing- I have been stunned by the take rate of the V6.
alfadriver wrote: I'm glad you like them. I do wish that they got better mileage, but for some, the fact that they find the extra quickness fun- well, physics says that you use more energy having that fun.... We have a few of the new trucks, but I've not driven them (I just don't like trucks to drive one for the sake of it). But a guy I know who has a lead foot really likes them, and he says he gets a pretty easy 22mpg in it. Nick- you were not the only one who thought V8 truck vs. Twin turbo V6 was not a good thing- I have been stunned by the take rate of the V6.
While the fuel mileage isn't great for a V6, it is equivalent to a GM 5.3L while making power equivalent to the GM 6.0L, so it's mileage is good for the power.
In my travels between New Orleans and Houston in the EcoBoost and the Coyote I was able to get the 5.0 within 0.5 mpg of the Boost.
My son and daughter in law have an Ecoboost F150 and Explorer. They are both pretty impressive. The F150 will average around 20 and the Explorer close to 30. The bonus is that are surprisingly quick and nice drivers to boot. The downside is that the F150 was pretty expensive at $52k.
In most real-world driving, the 3.5 Ecoboost has no more than a small mpg advantage over the 5.0 from what I've seen. But the V6 is is quicker, and the mpg advantage grows if you're using it off-road or anything where you're letting idle a lot and not getting into boost much (the smaller motor is a bit more efficient here). It'll get pretty decent mileage if you really drive like a grandma and don't ask for the power though. The 2.7 is probably similar, just with a bit less grunt (haven't driven one of these or one of the aluminum F-150s yet, only the previous gen).
I have a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost and no one's mentioned The Issue about these engines: something going on with the timing chain (probably). If you let the truck sit for a while, when it's started it makes a terrible clattering sound like the timing chain is loose, then it quiets down once oil pressure comes up. When the clattering gets bad enough, apparently the ECU will flag a timing fault, and to fix it costs an astronomical amount - like around $3000. Worse, some owners report the sound coming back just weeks after the expensive fix (which doesn't really make sense). How many of these stories are true is unclear, but I've got the clattering and am holding out as long as possible, hoping that Ford figures out The Fix before I really need it. While Ford apparently has a TSB on the issue, it's unclear what the problem and the fix really is.
In reply to kb58:
2013? So your truck is less than 3 years old (since '16 just started).
Why are you not getting it fixed for free?
(and I've not heard of that issue....)
Buddy of mine has the Flex EcoBoost and raves about it. Total stealth speed.
The issue I've been hearing about from these motors though is that they are hard on spark plugs, needing changes every 30K miles to run properly.
kb58 wrote: I have a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost and no one's mentioned The Issue about these engines: something going on with the timing chain (probably). If you let the truck sit for a while, when it's started it makes a terrible clattering sound like the timing chain is loose, then it quiets down once oil pressure comes up. When the clattering gets bad enough, apparently the ECU will flag a timing fault, and to fix it costs an astronomical amount - like around $3000. Worse, some owners report the sound coming back just weeks after the expensive fix (which doesn't really make sense). How many of these stories are true is unclear, but I've got the clattering and am holding out as long as possible, hoping that Ford figures out The Fix before I really need it. While Ford apparently has a TSB on the issue, it's unclear what the problem and the fix really is.
A lot of timing chain tensioners on modern engines use oil pressure to set tension, so I imagine there is a some timing chain noise on start up before the tensioners pump up. But I honestly haven't heard of this before.
I know my dads '14 pulled home the Ranger I got from slefain with ease. It still sucks that even after all these years you can barely get 20mpg unloaded in Michigan, but I digress. It's an alright truck but totally uncomfortable for me with the hard flat seat bottoms and still handling like a truck compared to the wife's burb and Avalanche.
As to the timing chain, sounds like the ever present tensioners bleeding off that has been a problem since the modular motor was first produced. But then again what oil and filter are being used because it does matter.
I'm an early adopter with a 2011 Ecoboost. I bought it for the mileage, but I keep it for the torque. It really does hustle considering the 6000lbs it's hauling around. And while the mileage hasn't been what I'd hoped, it's certainly better than I ever did with the three 5.4L-powered trucks I had before it. And the power and torque is simply on another level from the mod motor. Especially when towing. Our travel trailer is about 7500lbs all loaded up, and while you can certainly tell it's there, there's always plenty of power to get it all moving. Of course, I'm lucky to get 10mpg towing it, but I suspect that would be true with the 5.0, as well.
It's been a great truck, but it's most likely going away this spring. But it'll be replaced by a new Expedition, so I'm sticking with the Ecoboost.
kb58 wrote: I have a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost and no one's mentioned The Issue about these engines: something going on with the timing chain (probably). If you let the truck sit for a while, when it's started it makes a terrible clattering sound like the timing chain is loose, then it quiets down once oil pressure comes up. When the clattering gets bad enough, apparently the ECU will flag a timing fault, and to fix it costs an astronomical amount - like around $3000. Worse, some owners report the sound coming back just weeks after the expensive fix (which doesn't really make sense). How many of these stories are true is unclear, but I've got the clattering and am holding out as long as possible, hoping that Ford figures out The Fix before I really need it. While Ford apparently has a TSB on the issue, it's unclear what the problem and the fix really is.
^^^This is a very hot topic on the forums, but it's hard to tell how frequent it really is. There are theories that the chain is under-spec'd and is stretching, and that the fuel contamination in the oil that these motors are apparently somewhat known for is certainly contributing to the issue.
It seems like a common enough issue that even though I love the idea of one of these trucks, I haven't bought one yet...And I've driven a couple and really like them.
If I had one, I'd go frequent on the OCI for sure and use the correct filters and the revised viscosity synthetic oil.
There is also some evidence that the newer (2014 production) trucks have a revised, beefier chain and some other revisions. Again, not sure if this is internet noise or truth.
It's sad, as I really liked the ones I've driven. And they're ideal for the occasional but fairly heavy towing I do. I'm just not sure if I want to pull the trigger on one.
In reply to doc_speeder:
Lease it for 2 years, then you don't have to worry about it. Heck, lease it for 3 years.
I see most people are comparing a V8 to a V6 expecting better mileage. what they should do is compare power. A 300hp engine will get the same mileage regardless.
Rough comparison
In reply to alfadriver:
Yes that's an option, but not really the way I roll. I've had my current truck for almost 7 years and it's been nearly perfect from a repair perspective. It's now 15 years old and has seen a lot of road. DD, towing, hauling etc. It's a Chev with a 6.0. Still a very nice truck that was really loaded up nice in it's day.
I can't bring myself to get a new truck but only plan on keeping it for 2 or 3 years because it may not last any longer than that.
Ideally, I'd buy a 2013-2014 and plan on owning it for another 6-10 years. I don't see that as unrealistic. Again, maybe the issues aren't that common. I hate the internet for that!
In reply to doc_speeder:
Sounds like a hydraulic timing chain tensioner is leaking down, bad check valve maybe?
So far, the 2012 Ecoboost F-150 a friend of mine bought with ~20k on it has been perfect (he's up to about 50k now). Not a single drivetrain related issue with it (not even the intercooler condensation issue that was common early on).
Buddy just bought a brand new '15 F150 with the 2.7tt and that thing moves out 
iceracer wrote: I see most people are comparing a V8 to a V6 expecting better mileage. what they should do is compare power. A 300hp engine will get the same mileage regardless. Rough comparison
When you're using all 300 hp yes. It's what's happens the rest of the time that makes a difference.
My brother in law is an idiot, but he did buy himself a pretty F150 with the Ecoboost. I think every other truck in the extended family is a Dodge Cummins, so I give him a hard time about finally deciding to get a turbo six like everyone else...
Keith Tanner wrote: My brother in law is an idiot,
Both of mine are idiots also. Is it a requirement to being a brother in law? Do they think we're idiots?
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