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

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[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.

[baldopepper]

thanks all for the input! I'm leaning towards the V-8 if for no other reason than the 5.4 in my 2008 has been so trouble free.  it still runs great but the wife really wants me to get a new one before this one starts having trouble.  Only 140,000 on it, but who argues when the wife says get a new truck. 

[Mossy]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your 08 is a 5 speed tranny so whichever you decide, the new 6 speed will be a world of difference.

[baldopepper]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your 08 is a 5 speed tranny so whichever you decide, the new 6 speed will be a world of difference.

  You are correct - test driving a 2015 today and already see a big difference.  (too many bells and whistles on the new ones for a tech dummy like myself, but guess I can figure them out)

[b23]

I know this wasn't one of the choices you listed but if mileage and power is high up on your list maybe take a look at the new 2016 Nissan Titan with the new 5.0 Cummins Diesel 310hp 555tq and MPG in the 20's. 

I've never been interested in any truck Nissan has but this could change my thinking because IMO a half ton pickup with a good diesel that has some hp and tq is a market area that all the "Bigs" have overlooked for years.  Maybe something to think about and take a look at.

[jackelope]

I know this wasn't one of the choices you listed but if mileage and power is high up on your list maybe take a look at the new 2016 Nissan Titan with the new 5.0 Cummins Diesel 310hp 555tq and MPG in the 20's. 

I've never been interested in any truck Nissan has but this could change my thinking because IMO a half ton pickup with a good diesel that has some hp and tq is a market area that all the "Bigs" have overlooked for years.  Maybe something to think about and take a look at.

Dodge has had one for a couple years now.
Ram Eco-Diesel.

[thatdamguy]

I own a 2013 3.5 ecoboost 4x4 with 3.73 rear end and Its been an awesome truck, 43000 miles on it and no issues. If you are going to tow much then I would strongly recommend the 3.5 towing up any grade is a breeze for the twin turbo. Empty mixed driving I average 16-18, towing my boat (3800lbs) I get between 10-12 towing my camper trailer(7000lbs) I get 8-10.

 

[b23]

I know this wasn't one of the choices you listed but if mileage and power is high up on your list maybe take a look at the new 2016 Nissan Titan with the new 5.0 Cummins Diesel 310hp 555tq and MPG in the 20's. 

I've never been interested in any truck Nissan has but this could change my thinking because IMO a half ton pickup with a good diesel that has some hp and tq is a market area that all the "Bigs" have overlooked for years.  Maybe something to think about and take a look at.

Dodge has had one for a couple years now.
Ram Eco-Diesel.

They have but that's a much smaller 3.0 V6 diesel built by Fiat, I think, not positive on that.  The Ram has a lot less power than the Cummins 5.0 but I believe they get mid to upper 20's for MPG which is pretty good and they are projecting low-mid 20's for the Titan diesel.

[jstone]

The nissan is new to diesel? Correct? Might wait to see how well it goes.

[jackelope]

The nissan is new to diesel? Correct? Might wait to see how well it goes.

It was build by Cummins.

[b23]

The nissan is new to diesel? Correct? Might wait to see how well it goes.

It was build by Cummins.

Correct, the motor in the new Titan is a Cummins diesel built by Cummins.  Dodge actually had the option to use the same Cummins motor as Nissan is using in the 2016 Titan but they chose to go with their own Fiat diesel instead.

[jackelope]

The nissan is new to diesel? Correct? Might wait to see how well it goes.

It was build by Cummins.

Correct, the motor in the new Titan is a Cummins diesel built by Cummins.  Dodge actually had the option to use the same Cummins motor as Nissan is using in the 2016 Titan but they chose to go with their own Fiat diesel instead.

For what reason I'll never understand.  Hopefully they weren't basing that decision off of the reliability and build quality of Fiat's flagship 500 car, because that car is a giant pile. Actually it's a tiny pile.

We were replacing manual transmissions in those buckets with under 1000 miles on them faster than they could supply replacements.

[b23]

The nissan is new to diesel? Correct? Might wait to see how well it goes.

It was build by Cummins.

Correct, the motor in the new Titan is a Cummins diesel built by Cummins.  Dodge actually had the option to use the same Cummins motor as Nissan is using in the 2016 Titan but they chose to go with their own Fiat diesel instead.

For what reason I'll never understand.  Hopefully they weren't basing that decision off of the reliability and build quality of Fiat's flagship 500 car, because that car is a giant pile. Actually it's a tiny pile.

We were replacing manual transmissions in those buckets with under 1000 miles on them faster than they could supply replacements.

That Fiat V6 diesel they're using in the Ram really isn't a Fiat developed motor but rather a motor developed and made by Motori which is now owned by Fiat.

Ram gassers don't do very well in the MPG department so  my guess is they wanted something that would really help out the average MPG across all their motors so the opted for the smaller more economical in house diesel motor like the one they are currently using.  I think it's kind of the same reason Ford quit putting the 6.2 in the half tons, it was killing their average because it does so bad on mileage.

[jackelope]

I don't think the Eco-diesel has been too popular anyway. Don't see too many of them on the road.

[actionshooter]

I have the 2012 5.0 and couldn't be happier, 18mpg and it was 2K cheaper than the eco-boost (just for the engine)......it was an easy decision for me.

[Fl0und3rz]

We were replacing manual transmissions in those buckets with under 1000 miles on them faster than they could supply replacements.

 

I am not in the service industry, but I'd imagine you'd have to be majorly fubar to massively mess up a box of gears in this late stage of the automotive development game.

[Mossy]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your 08 is a 5 speed tranny so whichever you decide, the new 6 speed will be a world of difference.

  You are correct - test driving a 2015 today and already see a big difference.  (too many bells and whistles on the new ones for a tech dummy like myself, but guess I can figure them out)

So what did you end up with?

[jackelope]

We were replacing manual transmissions in those buckets with under 1000 miles on them faster than they could supply replacements.

 

I am not in the service industry, but I'd imagine you'd have to be majorly fubar to massively mess up a box of gears in this late stage of the automotive development game.

Ya. Our zone rep had authorized us to take transmissions out of vehicles in inventory to put in the broken cars. It was bad.

[baldopepper]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your 08 is a 5 speed tranny so whichever you decide, the new 6 speed will be a world of difference.

  You are correct - test driving a 2015 today and already see a big difference.  (too many bells and whistles on the new ones for a tech dummy like myself, but guess I can figure them out)

Bought the super crew cab with the v-8, obviously haven't put any real miles on it yet, but like what I've seen so far.  Run it over to the east side house in a week or two and give it a good test.


So what did you end up with?

[rudysts]

I don't think the Eco-diesel has been too popular anyway. Don't see too many of them on the road.

That's because they are always in for service a friend of mine has one he had the engine replaced in the first couple months of owning it constantly going in for repair even after the engine replacement.