Ford F150 3.5 Eco Boost vs 5.0

Chris

Chris

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We are looking to trade in the minivan for a truck. I am after something that can tow a decent amount of weight, namely my SxS, a pop-up camper, camping gear, etc.

The F150 seems like the best choice since as far as I know it has the best reputation. I have been looking at them and I am torn between the 3.5 Eco Boost and the 5.0.

I have the 5.0 in my Boss 302 Mustang and while that is obviously a much more tuned engine, I absolutely love it in that application. The Eco Boost has more torque (albeit less horsepower than the 5.0) and slightly better MPG (but not by that much surprisingly).

We would be looking at 2018 models and up. I am not 100% dedicated for Ford. I’d be more than willing to look at other manufacturers. I am after reliability, towing capacity, and reasonable MPG if that’s even possible.

I’d love input from any of you with half-ton trucks.
 
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Forget horsepower, torque is what you need for towing, but it needs to be in the proper RPM range for your application. Can a smaller displacement forced induction engine provide the torque necessary while still maintaining efficiency?
 
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Damn, that’s what I was thinking as well. The 3.5 is appealing but the 5.0 is tried and true and less likely to have issues I would think. Especially down here in Arizona where heat soak is a real issue.
 
I just replaced my 06 f150 with 237k and I bought new with a 21 f150 4x4 5.0. I really like the truck. I have not towed with it yet but should have plenty of power. I will tow the Jeep up to the rubicon next month. The 5.0 is a little dogish off the line but a rolling start from 15mph the thing really goes. The 5.0 likes to rev. I am still getting use to the 10 speed it seems to always be going to the next gear. I went with the 5.0 as I keep my vehicles a long time and wanted a naturally aspirated motor, I don’t want to be hunting down a dual turbo in 10 years and find them obsolete from the dealer. My 2cents
 
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I own an F150 3.5L EcoBoost for 10 years now bought new. The 5.0L wasnt anywhere near as strong. Ive also raced my brothers same year Hemi Ram and twin turbo FTMFW

Now “efficiency” thats another story, mine is the FX4 sporty edition and 3.73 gears so it doesnt get its rated highway MPG unless I do 55-60mph

With turbos you get FULL TORQUE linear power @ ~1500rpm all the way to redline. With 5.0L you do not get that

Dont let anyone tell you the 5.0L doesnt have issues either. My only issue in 10 years was my timing chain had a clatter at startup. I ran it for years til a guy I inew at Ford told me just get it repaired free. It was repaired under warranty close to 60K. Zero other issues

My only complaint would just be MPG
A 3,000 mile trip it averaged 17mpg but I did about 80mph. Its been deadnuts reliable. If I were to do it again, I would opt for the 2.7L next time, because I just dont need all that power
 
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I love my 2018 3.5 eco boost with the 10speed. It is fast off the line when in sport mode and gets 20+mpg on the highway. I haven’t dealt with heat issues but the truck has lived its life in Alaska, I just brought it down to NC because I didn’t want to sell it.

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We live largely in GM and Ram country here.

I only know 3 people who owned F150's. Two were almost new 5.0's and both of them left their owners stranded. Just randomly died and had to be towed. Obviously I don't think that is the norm - but it has made them switch and me not really willing to try. The third is a 3.5 Ecoboost. I have personally towed with this truck and it is very impressive power wise. My only other experience with Ford is the motor blowing on a 30k miles SUV.

Note that quick reading seems Ford added cylinder deactivation in 2021 to the 5.0. If it is anything like GM or Ram's - avoid it.

If you look at GM:
It's a tossup if you will have issues with cylinder deactivation (lifters). My Yukon had this issue, but less surprising at 250k miles.
I would avoid any transmission but the 10 speed, it is an awesome transmission from what I have lived with.

Ram:
8 Speed transmissions seem good.
Lifter concerns as well.

If it weren't for cylinder deactivation on the 6.4 2500 Hemi's I would strongly consider one. GM just came out with the 10 Speed Allison on their 2500/3500's with the 6.6 Gas engine.


A real question is - how long do you plan to keep it (years/miles)?
 
Chris said:
Damn, that’s what I was thinking as well. The 3.5 is appealing but the 5.0 is tried and true and less likely to have issues I would think. Especially down here in Arizona where heat soak is a real issue.
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In 2016 I purchased a new F150 5.0 with the towing package to pull my 5,500 lb travel trailer. Never had an issue in the past 7 years. Plenty of power, tows effortlessly, just went over the 100,000 mile mark last month. I chose the 5.0 thinking a tried and true engine would be reliable and do the job, it has.
 
Performance wise I'd go with the Ecoboost hands down, but only if I was the kind of guy that buys a brand new truck and sells it right before the warranty expires. I work with a guy that has one that already had timing chain or vvt problems giving him a misfire at idle, just out of warranty so he traded it in, and he liked the performance so much he got another one but it's hybrid or has the auto start stop thing so it...doesn't have to idle. Lol. He's not a car guy so it was hard to get specifics out of him.

My brother sold his 5.0 after a year or two because he'd had it in the shop too many times.

I'm a born and bred Ford guy and they sound and feel better to me in every way, but if I want reliable and good mpg in a pickup I'm probably going GM. My dad's 2019 5.3 Silverado got highway mpg in the upper 20s. No one else comes close even in mid size trucks. I think GMs main reliability weak point is transmissions but for whatever reason I find that less intimidating than engine issues. My next go to would probably be a Tundra but the mpg is nothing special, it would be purely a reliability play.
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
Performance wise I'd go with the Ecoboost hands down, but only if I was the kind of guy that buys a brand new truck and sells it right before the warranty expires. I work with a guy that has one that already had timing chain or vvt problems giving him a misfire at idle, just out of warranty so he traded it in, and he liked the performance so much he got another one but it's hybrid or has the auto start stop thing so it...doesn't have to idle. Lol. He's not a car guy so it was hard to get specifics out of him.

My brother sold his 5.0 after a year or two because he'd had it in the shop too many times.

I'm a born and bred Ford guy and they sound and feel better to me in every way, but if I want reliable and good mpg in a pickup I'm probably going GM. My dad's 2019 5.3 Silverado got highway mpg in the upper 20s. No one else comes close even in mid size trucks. I think GMs main reliability weak point is transmissions but for whatever reason I find that less intimidating than engine issues. My next go to would probably be a Tundra but the mpg is nothing special, it would be purely a reliability play.
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GM's 10 Speed in half ton trucks and suv's was co-developed with Ford. Same transmission as in the F150. I haven't seen it's long term performance but I was very impressed with it when I drove it.

Now GM's 8 speeds.... absolute junk. The 6 speed was okay but not great (I have one).
 
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CreepinDeth said:
View attachment 442658I own an F150 3.5L EcoBoost for 10 years now bought new. The 5.0L wasnt anywhere near as strong. Ive also raced my brothers same year Hemi Ram and twin turbo FTMFW

Now “efficiency” thats another story, mine is the FX4 sporty edition and 3.73 gears so it doesnt get its rated highway MPG unless I do 55-60mph

With turbos you get FULL TORQUE linear power @ ~1500rpm all the way to redline. With 5.0L you do not get that

Dont let anyone tell you the 5.0L doesnt have issues either. My only issue in 10 years was my timing chain had a clatter at startup. I ran it for years til a guy I inew at Ford told me just get it repaired free. It was repaired under warranty close to 60K. Zero other issues

My only complaint would just be MPG
A 3,000 mile trip it averaged 17mpg but I did about 80mph. Its been deadnuts reliable. If I were to do it again, I would opt for the 2.7L next time, because I just dont need all that power
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Wait, what's going on here. We need to upsell Chris. F150's are toys you don't want one.

@Chris you may want to pull a huge RV someday you need an F250 or F350. Don't you like torque? You need torque. Their new HO engine is even stronger.

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Is this even possible? According to the rock-steady SuperFlow chassis dyno at Edge Products it is. You’re reading that right, a bone-stock 2020 Ford Super Duty laid down 498-rwhp and 1,086 lb-ft of torque on its rollers while a ’21 Ram and a ’20 Chevy produced far less. To make sure their findings weren’t a fluke, the folks at Edge sourced a second 2020 Super Duty as well as a 2021 Ford for additional testing. All of them dyno’d within 5 horsepower of one another! So, is the 6.7L Power Stroke better able to maintain its horsepower at higher altitude than the others (Edge’s dyno sits at 4,500 feet)? Full disclosure: an HO version of the 6.7L Cummins has not yet been tested, but we highly doubt it will make much more than 400-rwhp, let alone close in on 500 ponies.
 
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Apparition said:
Wait, what's going on here. We need to upsell Chris. F150's are toys you don't want one.

@Chris you may want to pull a huge RV someday you need an F250 or F350. Don't you like torque? You need torque. Their new HO engine is even stronger.

View attachment 442666

Is this even possible? According to the rock-steady SuperFlow chassis dyno at Edge Products it is. You’re reading that right, a bone-stock 2020 Ford Super Duty laid down 498-rwhp and 1,086 lb-ft of torque on its rollers while a ’21 Ram and a ’20 Chevy produced far less. To make sure their findings weren’t a fluke, the folks at Edge sourced a second 2020 Super Duty as well as a 2021 Ford for additional testing. All of them dyno’d within 5 horsepower of one another! So, is the 6.7L Power Stroke better able to maintain its horsepower at higher altitude than the others (Edge’s dyno sits at 4,500 feet)? Full disclosure: an HO version of the 6.7L Cummins has not yet been tested, but we highly doubt it will make much more than 400-rwhp, let alone close in on 500 ponies.
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I bought my Duramax almost 3 years ago.... My 1/2 ton Yukon has still pulled a heavier trailer than the Duramax. I really don't know why I bought it but the torque sure is nice.
 
Shank said:
I bought my Duramax almost 3 years ago.... My 1/2 ton Yukon has still pulled a heavier trailer than the Duramax. I really don't know why I bought it but the torque sure is nice.
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Hook trailer to duramax and head to Moab.
 
something to consider is the gear ratio- wifes 2014 eco boost has the 3;31 gear set 122k still gets 21 on the highway. About 8000 on the tow capacity - pulls nicely Our friends Ecoboost is 3:73 I think about 3500 more on the tow capacity. There was also a 3:55 available. I don’t know about the “newer” 2018+. But just highlighting at looking check into what gear sets are available/desired.
 
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