Blown F-150

Another Eco owner here. Very happy with it. I didn't seek it out, but it was in the truck that was equipped the way I wanted.

Take them both for a drive and see what you think. Some like to rev out the V8 and listen to it's sweet sound and others like the low end grunt and torque the Eco offers.

IMO MPG's are pretty much a wash. We've seen multiple examples of the MPG's varying just as much between trucks with the same motor as trucks with the two different motors.

kmlacroix

It is cheaper to put a winch on the 5.0.

WXman

I test drove both extensively, went 5.0. Better throttle response, more enjoyable to drive, more horsepower, more dependable, less cost. It was a no brainer.

tsigwing

Can you back this statement up?

cbr600rx7

Both definitely have pros and cons and it comes down to personal opinion. It's really which ever one the owner feels is the better power plant for his driving style.

Personally I do favor the 5.0 however I do admit the 3.5 EB really moves once you put your football in it. I am a very conservative driver and felt like the 5.0 needed less pedal then the 3.5 EB. NOT TO SAY THE EB IS SLOWER! Because once you smash the pedal and those turbos are going it definitely moves.

Another factor for me was cost of owner ship and the fact that I don't buy new vehicles. Most of what I buy is 3-5 years old and typically has 45,000-85,000 miles on it from private sellers so no warranties. This can be a issue with any vehicle but after looking at one EB that ran great but had a milk shake for engine oil with 42,000 miles on it I was really turned off.

Also I considered the possibility of failure. The 5.0 doesn't have many issues other then some of the timing components wearing. Even then the cost of repair is pretty reasonable. The 3.5 EB on the other hand does have some things that can go wrong. Even with the failure rate being under 1% it's going to hurt if you happen to fall into that category. Turbos are not cheap to replace if they fail, I don't like the idea of drilling into my intercooler, I don't want to spend $60 every 20,000 miles on spark plugs, and I like the extended oil changes on the 5.0.

The MPG difference is minimal IMOP. We are talking about 5-10% favor for the EB but that doesn't tell the hole story. All I can say is under real world conditions I can get 20mpg highway out of a 5.0 crew cab 4x4 with 3.73 gears. That seems very reasonable considering I see a lot of 3.55 EB guys posting 21MPG under similar conditions. The EB probably does get a hair better MPG under most conditions however driving style and where you drive can have a huge impact on how a forced induction gasoline engine performs i the real world.

This is all my personal take so take it for what it is.

Neil350

I bought mine new, I was on a vehicle monthly allowance program so I had a price limit of low 30s to make it work. I wanted a Lariat for heated and cooled seats, but that was about it. I noticed most the trucks on dealer lots with the Ecoboost and were Lariat also had sun roofs and navigation, didn't want to pay extra for that so I got the 5.0 truck. I also liked the 5.0s from the Mustangs. The Modular seemed pretty reliable from what I had seen in the older trucks, friends parents had them and they put tons of miles on them with out issues. I also had a buddy who bought an '11? Ecoboost when they just came out, he was all over that truck but after getting it he was complaining about issues, a/c, hesitations, etc.

NASSTY

The 2011-14 Eco has 365 HP and the 2011-14 5.0 has 360 HP.

Blown F-150

AND way less torque in the 5.0.

RyanF150MN

I bought the 5.0 because I wanted a V8. I had an Explorer Sport with the 3.5 ECO previously, loved it. But if I'm going to be driving a truck, I want a V8. I want the rumble with the Roush exhaust. It makes me happy and annoys people.

engineermike

I've had both. I had a 2011 EB, later tuned, and a 2015 5.0, later supercharged. I've enjoyed both trucks. When comparing the stock EB vs stock 5.0, both were similar in power but of course, the EB made it lower in the rev range. The tuned EB was even better on the low-end torque. I've found that the EB was 1-2 mpg better, as my 5.0 did 20-21 and the EB did 21-22 lifetime averages. Never really had problems with either one.