nickf2005

Last week I had a week long business trip. When I showed up to Enterprise, I asked (as I always do) if they had any complimentary upgrades from my full-size. The guy informed me that since it was a Saturday, their inventory wasn't the greatest and he didn't have anything to offer, other than a truck, "If you consider that an upgrade". Why, yes I do! So, I was happily handed the keys to a 2018 F150. Immediately, I had to pop the hood to see if I was getting the base V6... NOPE 5.0! I was excited to have the chance to compare, and also value different options, the 5.0/A10 (21,000 miles) to my 3.5TT/A6 (64,000 miles) over a course of 900 miles. So, here's my thoughts:

302A Package: Worth every penny. I couldn't see crap with the backup cam in that smaller 4" screen. Radio navigation is a bit easier too. The instrument panel screen is much nicer and offers many more options as well. HEATED SEATS! Was too cold to use the rear window, but I would miss that in warmer weather.

BLIS: It did take me a bit to get used to the base mirrors and using the blind spot corner, but I'm semi-used to them as our Edge and GT500 has them. I think I do prefer my BLIS, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker in any future purchases.

Crew Cab 5.5' vs 6'5 bed: Honestly, I could maybe tell a little bit of difference with the shorter bed on the rental. However, I didn't find it so much better that I found hatred for my 6.5'. I believe I made the right choice on my truck.

Backup sensors: Missed these as an added layer of comfort. Combine the lack of these and a small backup camera, my comfort level was not nearly as high as I'm used to. First world problems...

Bench flip-down console: Both trucks had split-bench and are nearly identical. However, the '18 rental's phone spot was actually big enough for my S9+. My '15 is too small. Minor detail.

Steering wheel: I thought I was crazy, but I believe the thickness of the wheel was increased on the '18. Didn't really make much of a driving difference, but I did notice it. Minor detail.

Fuel tank: I will make a larger fuel tank size a priority in my truck purchase. So glad I ended up with the 36 gallon in mine.

Ride: I didn't measure, but the '18 seemed to sit a bit higher than my '15. I could also be crazy. However, the '18 rode much rougher than my '15 with trailer tow package. I prefer the softness of my '15. That said, I feel like I'm fighting the steering wheel in my '15 a lot to stay true. I don't think it's an alignment or tire wear issue, but it seems like it want's to pull to either side quite often. The '18 stayed straight as an arrow. Points to the rental there.

Auto-Stop: SUCKS. Period.

Driving modes: I was not expecting the additional driving modes on the '18, especially the Eco. I tried it for about 5 minutes and swore it off. Turned the truck into a useless turd. Sport mode, like my '15, made it much more fun. Not sure how practical the wet/snow is?

5.0/A10 vs 3.5TT/A6: Ok, here's the meat. This comparison was what I was looking forward to the most, as we've all seen the crap-show of threads here arguing about Coyote and EcoBoost. I'm not sure how much the difference in transmissions played into my opinion, but I feel as though it did quite a bit.
1. The drivetrain noise of the '18 was much worse than my truck. Take it or leave it. At slow speeds, upon lifting off the throttle, the '18 had a really odd, quick "gargle" coming from the engine compartment maybe? Still confused at what this was.
2. The A10, outside of 75 cruising speed, was often trying to find where it wanted to be. In addition, the shifting was much "clunkier" than the A6. Very noticeable and I walked away after the week let down by the A10.
3. I average nearly identical MPG's in the rental as I do in my truck. No advantage to either and I kept my driving style the same.
4. Like I said, maybe the transmission was playing a big role in this, but I was not super impressed by the 5.0. I really missed the down-low grunt/torque of my EcoBoost. Don't get me wrong, once I got that Coyote howling at higher RPM, she would move, but I felt like I had to keep waiting for her to be happy and pull. By time she seemed to be singing a perfect pitch, I was going 90MPH.
5. I do miss that truck, V8 sound. I love the little whistles on my EcoBoost, but a screaming V8 is hard to replace.

Overall: Honestly, I was expecting to end the week with the new-truck itch. Surprisingly, I did not (thankfully as my wife would kill me). Don't get me wrong, the '18 is still a great truck and better than the 2 newer Silverados I've driven in the past 6 months. However, I have to give credit to my "outdated" '15 and the things she has to offer. Options being equal and we are just comparing the 5.0/A10 to 3.5TT/A6, I'll take the EcoBoost and fewer gears everyday and twice on Sunday. Maybe I'll get the opportunity to drive a 3.5TT/A10 one day and see how much that transmission is playing a role in my opinion. Hopefully, this comparison may help somebody down the road when they're looking at a similar situation, but are purchasing. I had the luxury of turning the keys back in at the end of the week.

buzzin 1/2 dozen

Good write up nick! I wonder if the 10 speed would hunt like that with the 3.5 eco. The truck I got out of (2005 F-250 w/5.4) would hunt for gears and it drove me crazy. The 2015 3.5 eco I have now can pull a steep grade and not even think about down shifting, such a pleasure to drive.
You didn't happen to see what gear ratio the rental had?

GMC to Ford

I rented a 2018 3.5 EcoBoost several weeks ago when my 5.0L was in the shop. I was not impressed with the 10 speed transmission. It was very clunky, could not find the right gear in my predominant speed range (35-50 mph) and made a lot of noise. In addition, I agree that finding the right gear at highway speeds is an issue. The suspension has improved a little since I purchased my truck. I did not notice the sideways hop going over segmented pavement, but there was more body roll.

doug97gxe

All 10 speeds in the F150's hunt .. they don't feel good unless you drive in sport mode and that's not only because of better throttle response but also due to it doesn't skip gears and it doesn't get confused what gear it should be in.

That being said the impression from a turbo will always give the impression its faster than a Naturally aspirated engine even if they produce the same numbers or if they perform the exact same. Its a matter of power delivery .. my wife's turbo A5 FELT faster than my Supercharged S5 with 200 hp difference

very nice objective comparison on your part OP

what i get confused with is 3.5 owners who talk about how much TQ they have off the line then say how great their gas mileage is.. if you are always in boost your MPG is going to ****

smdandb2

Count me as an '18 5.0 owner who is also not that fond of the A10 for most of the same reasons.

For the way I drive, it's just all over the place. The worst is when you are cruising along and you want to pick up a little speed. You push on the gas lightly and the transmission lazily drops down a gear or two. I don't need that in my life. I have found that if I put it in ECO mode the transmission is much more reluctant to downshift in that scenario, so I just pick up speed while maintaining the gear... which is exactly what I want.

Under WOT though, the A10 is phenomenal. It sure loves to keep the Coyote right where it is happy.

nickf2005

Gear ratio is one thing I forgot to check, although I'm not sure if there's anything on the physical truck that will tell you this? Would not be surprised if it was a 3.31 vs my 3.55E. That could play into some of the "laziness" I felt.


I'll never brag about the MPG on my 3.5.

I will say the best time I had in the rental was interstate merging in Sport Mode. I could definitely tell it had more top end than my truck. I just don't need top end in a truck... I have a GT500 for that.

pb65stang

doug97gxe

even better with my borla than when i was stock exhaust merging on the highway in sport mode.

its a shame they killed the MT for the GT500 .. i was really hoping to grab one in a couple years.. hopefully all the GT350's are not totalled by then

w00t692

I honestly don't get the hunting people keep talking about. It's downshifting because the gear is there. that's not hunting it's responding to your throttle input. If you request a certain amount of torque it will pick a certain gear. On the 6 speed this usually just results first in unlocking the converter and revving higher, but the 10 speed will downshift before doing that.

dalola

Stop being all logical & stuff. Just because a tranny has more gears doesn't mean it shifts more...