F 150 5.0 V-8 or 3.5 ecoboost

[baldopepper]

I'm finally trading in my 08 F150 on a new one and am torn between the V-8 and 3.5 ecoboost engine.  Anyone have any thoughts? ( I've owned Fords for over 40 years with great results, so don't want to start a discussion on the merits of Ford versus Toyota, chevy's or dodges-they are all great I'm sure, I've just had great luck with Fords)

[Woodchuck]

I have yet to hear anything real negative about either, except that the mileage for the ecoboost is not quite as great as advertised. 

[follow maggie]

I have a friend that has the ecoboost and wishes he'd gone with the v8 because of gas mileage.

[Wolfdog2314]

Debated that for awhile and went with the 5.0. If you search 5.0 vs ecoboost in a couple different Ford F-150 forums you'll get a lot of information and opinions. No complaints with my 2011 5.0. I'd say I average 15mpg in town and 19mpg freeway. Your mileage won't be affected as much if you upgrade tire size and tow with the v8 also. Sounds great too.

[rtspring]

Eco boost is garbage!  The 5.0 has proven time and again to be a great motor...

Ive had two buddies with the eco boost, both had issues.

[shocking300]

if you tow heavy, get ecoboost and don't look back, day and night difference. Not sure why people complain about ecoboost gas mileage, 17 mpg average for 45000 miles , towing, highway, city

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[b23]

Gas mileage is subjective to the person holding the steering wheel.  Some people naturally get better gas mileage then others.  In the exact same vehicle, driving the exact same route/distance I ALWAYS get better MPG than my wife does, especially, in stop and go in town driving.

Freeway driving, actually driving the speed limit or even one or two mph under, makes a HUGE difference in every vehicle I've ever owned and usually 2000 RPM or under is the sweet spot but I'd be lying if I said I always do that because I don't unless I'm trying to see what kind of MPG my vehicle is capable of.  I'm usually always 5-10+ over the posted limit and the faster I drive the faster my mileage falls off. 

I've got a supercharged 2013 Tacoma and if I drive 69-70mph I can easily get 24-24.5mpg but I usually drive 75+ or ++ and that drops my mileage down to anywhere from 18-19.5 depending on how fast I drive.  Used to have an 04 diesel 4dr 4x4 and if I kept the RPM just under 2000 it'd do 20 pretty easy but as the RPM increased the MPG decreased.

Picking between the two, at least for me, I'd probably lean toward the ecoboost simply because I think it would be easier to increase the HP with the 3.5 then it would be with the naturally aspirated V8.  I do a far amount of driving at higher elevations and when you go over a pass at 7-9000ft it sure is nice having a "huffy" pumping air into the motor.

[timberfaller]

ecoboost, are fine UNTIL you put something(weight)in the back or hook up to a small trailer!!(2  place snowmobile trailer)

Look at Dodge's Hemi if your going to stick with a gas engine.

My mechanic has the F150 with the 5.0,  wishes he would have gotten the 5.4.

Good luck!

[cavemann]

i have the ecoboost and won't buy another one.  I have had 5 f150's and the last 2 have been garbage.  My 5.4 needed cam phasers twice..  Bought my ecoboost and guess what, just got it back for cam phasers replacement as well after just 40k miles.  This is a known issue for 5.4 and 5L V8, but supposedly not an issue on the 3.5.  I know three people who have all had the issue.  Mileage is not as advertised, and towing definitely is garbage.  My boat is only about 3500lbs and I'm lucky to get 9mpg when towing and power is not there.

[Mossy]

Either one will be fine. My ecoboost has been great for me including mileage. Drive them both and pick the one you like better.

[gallion_t]

Im in the same boat as you with looking for a new F150 and was originally debating between those two engines. After driving both and looking at the specs I couldn't tell much of a difference. Thats when my engineer thought process really kicked in and I decided on the v8. I look at it as comparing a v8 engineer thats has been around for 40+ years with no major issues vs a newer v6 that has added 2 very expensive turbos to it and working it to the top of its performance ability. Yes, there is a warranty for the motor and turbos, but if you're someone to keep the a truck for a long time then it becomes a very real possibly of having to replace them on your dime.

In Layamon terms K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid). Don't add more parts and make things more complicated than it needs to be. Opens up the door for a lot more issues.

Additionally if you decide down the road you need/want more power there's not really a whole lot of room to go up with the eccoboost. The v8 you still have the option of adding the turbo.

[jackelope]

Ecoboost had a bunch of issues early on. I would probably not by a 2011, might shy away from a 2012 depending on when it was built. If you're buying new, I wouldn't worry about either of them. They're all fixed now. One's a turbo'd V6 that doesn't get great gas mileage. The other is a 5.0l V8 that doesn't get great gas mileage. They both have plenty of power to do what they're designed to do. Best thing you can do is to drive them both and choose the one you like better. They do drive a little different and feel a little different from one another. I work in a pretty high volume Ford service department and see all of them regularly and try to stay pretty familiar with them all.

 

[jackelope]

Im in the same boat as you with looking for a new F150 and was originally debating between those two engines. After driving both and looking at the specs I couldn't tell much of a difference. Thats when my engineer thought process really kicked in and I decided on the v8. I look at it as comparing a v8 engineer thats has been around for 40+ years with no major issues vs a newer v6 that has added 2 very expensive turbos to it and working it to the top of its performance ability. Yes, there is a warranty for the motor and turbos, but if you're someone to keep the a truck for a long time then it becomes a very real possibly of having to replace them on your dime.

In Layamon terms K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid). Don't add more parts and make things more complicated than it needs to be. Opens up the door for a lot more issues.

Additionally if you decide down the road you need/want more power there's not really a whole lot of room to go up with the eccoboost. The v8 you still have the option of adding the turbo.

Lots of performance upgrades available for both in the aftermarket. Not sure why you'd need any, but they are out there.

[Magnum_Willys]

Just make sure you get the new model aluminum body.  Big increase in capacity.

[Mossy]

Agreed. I did the research and bought a 2013 due to earlier issues. They do drive different with the ecoboost being really quiet so if you don't like quiet then you won't like the boost. I thought it would bother me but I've gotten used to it. Turbo whistle is pretty nice too.