Ford F-150: 3.5 or 5.0?

[bassquatch]

First things first:

I will not own another GMC/Chevy again in my lifetime.
Do not like the Toyota although they are good trucks.
I like the Ram interiors and the 5.7 but no fan of the Italian transmissions.
Nissan = NO.

So I pose my question to current Ford F150 owners and your experiences with the 3.5L V6 and the 5.0L V8:

Likes / dislikes regarding the motor?
I only tow under 4K so either will do but likes / dislikes on towing?
Likes / dislikes on fuel economy?
How many miles have you logged?

I will be buying a Ford.  Finger on the trigger just need to pull on the right one.  My concerns are lack of knowledge on turbos and the fuel economy of the V8.  I only average about 8-10K miles a year on my truck since I've embraced the commuter car life so I would be a little concerned about turbos just sitting around in between use?  Would that even matter?

Thank you in advance and thank you also to the other owners for not derailing the thread 

[10mmg]

My Dad has the 3.5 and gets great mileage and it has no problem pulling his 24 ft cobalt around the cascades. I am usually a V8 fan across the board but given your uses I would look at the 3.5. I am also hearing great things about the smaller v6. I would not hesitate to buy the V6.

[bassquatch]

That's the way I've been leaning, just leery of the turbo from a length of life standpoint...  I did find a video on YouTube of one heavily used with 205K on it and it sounded great!  Maybe I will lease so if I don't like it I can switch out in a couple years?

[jackelope]

The 3.5L ecoboost tows better than any of the V8’s.
I don’t own one but am surrounded by them day in and day out. The ecoboost had some intercooler issues early on but have been mostly trouble free since. I’ve definitely seen more issues with the 5.0’s but those problems are few and far between also. We service 50-60 appointments a day and a significant number of those appt’s are F-150’s. Take it for what it’s worth. 

[bassquatch]

The 3.5L ecoboost tows better than any of the V8’s.
I don’t own one but am surrounded by them day in and day out. The ecoboost had some intercooler issues early on but have been mostly trouble free since. I’ve definitely seen more issues with the 5.0’s but those problems are few and far between also. We service 50-60 appointments a day and a significant number of those appt’s are F-150’s. Take it for what it’s worth.

So which is it?  The statements seem contradictory.  Thanks for the input though.

[jackelope]

The point I was trying to make is neither have a lot of issues.
The issues the trucks do have are not engine related. We do hubs now and then. Some electrical issues. Nothing major. Mostly we do a lot of maintenance. We’ve had a rash of sunroof issues lately but the trucks are all relatively new, so warranty repairs.

[BULLBLASTER]

I’ve got 26k miles on a 17 with the 3.5. So far been a great truck took it to southern Idaho , south west Wyoming, and central Colorado hunting last fall and it did great. I average 20 mpg across the board.
At the last oil change I was informed that I have a leaking oil pan and they will replace it at the next oil change but it doesn’t drip on the floor.
Loads of power

[bassquatch]

Sweet!  Thanks

[jackelope]

I’ve got 26k miles on a 17 with the 3.5. So far been a great truck took it to southern Idaho , south west Wyoming, and central Colorado hunting last fall and it did great. I average 20 mpg across the board.
At the last oil change I was informed that I have a leaking oil pan and they will replace it at the next oil change but it doesn’t drip on the floor.
Loads of power

Make sure they replace the oil pan. It’s a plastic one time use pan. If it comes off, it gets replaced.

[Wolfdog2314]

I had a 2011 5.0 for about two years. Great Truck. Zero issues. Had it until about 80,000 miles. My only complaint was that it was the basic STX and the seat killed my back. And it was only an extra cab. Got about 15 mpg.

8 months ago I bought a 2015 3.5 ecoboost, lariat, long bed, 4 door. FX4, the whole ball of wax. Had 47,000 miles on it and it now has about 53, 000. I love this Truck. Lots of extra stuff I didn’t need, but is real nice. Heated/cooled seats along with steering wheel heat is nice. All which u can get in a 5.0 anyway.

After 8 months I’m at 15.4 mpg. Combination of mostly backroad, some city, some freeway. I put on a 2 inch level with a 33.2 tire. About an inch larger than stock.

This truck toes waaayyyy better than the 5.0 in my opinion. I mostly haul a 5x10 utility trailer with a quad and camping/hunting gear, which isn’t a ton of weight, but it hauls it much better than my 5.0 did. I don’t even know it’s back there with this truck. I feel that overall it has more power and is quicker also.

I don’t think u can go wrong either way. There’s a lot of YouTube comparisons. Off the line type videos. My buddy just put a cat back exhaust on his ecoboost and it sounds awesome.

Go test drive em’ and then buy the Eco! The newest ones have a 10 speed transmission in them also.






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[Wolfdog2314]

The point I was trying to make is neither have a lot of issues.
The issues the trucks do have are not engine related. We do hubs now and then. Some electrical issues. Nothing major. Mostly we do a lot of maintenance. We’ve had a rash of sunroof issues lately but the trucks are all relatively new, so warranty repairs.

I will say my one complaint with my 15 is that the panoramic sunroof rattles. Sounds like if I take it in to a Ford shop that can fix me up?

[ruttnbuck]

Ive got a 2012 with the 5.0 full size , it had 19G miles when I bought it ive put on 40G miles in 3yrs . It drives very good for me , gas mileage  is decent for a V8 . I pull a 28' 4500lb trailer,  pulled it last wknd too mt hood area from olympia area and got average 14.5 mph . Never had any issues other then small antifreeze leak which I was able to replace the 6 dollar seal myself. I like the tow/haul option and im sure the 3.5 offers it also ,but it's nice going down steep grade and not burning brakes. If I was to upgrade I've been thinking the f250 6.2 gas but so far I really don't have a good reason too trade it in. 

[Alchase]

This is just a "perception" based on all the other Ford 3.5 V6 threads.
It seams the gas mileage is all over the place?
Some posters say 22 - 25 MPG consistently, others say 15 mpg?
At 15 mpg with a V6, unless it tows better that the V8, and has better longevity, why go with the V6?

I am asking this because I have a 3.7 in my Dakota (obviously not comparing to the ecoboost) but if I knew I would get the mileage I do with the V6, I would have gone with the 5.9?

[Nice Racks]

I just got rid of my V6 Flex fuel F150.  Beautiful truck, and 19/23 mpg, but it was having trouble pulling my new trailer. I just traded it in for a 2019 Ram Rebel, and got 20 mpg going 65, but only 15.3 when going the speed limit which was 80 in Idaho. With the weight you're pulling it should do great.

[jackelope]

This is just a "perception" based on all the other Ford 3.5 V6 threads.
It seams the gas mileage is all over the place?
Some posters say 22 - 25 MPG consistently, others say 15 mpg?
At 15 mpg with a V6, unless it tows better that the V8, and has better longevity, why go with the V6?

I am asking this because I have a 3.7 in my Dakota (obviously not comparing to the ecoboost) but if I knew I would get the mileage I do with the V6, I would have gone with the 5.9?

The 3.5L is a bi-turbo. The fuel mileage will be all over the board based on how the truck is driven.  Drive it like a grandma, youll do better. Drive it like you stole it, mpg’s go in the tank. I.E. how the turbos spool up. They have more power and torque than the V8’s. In fact, the only way to get the F150 with the 13,200 pound tow rating is with the 3.5.