Ricktwuhk

So if you're going to buy a Ford, you should read some of these posts before you do, because your new owner questions will be answered. https://www.f150forum.com/f38/when-s...mation-372752/

You can also read the electronic version of your owner's manual ahead of time - https://owner.ford.com.

If you're going to tow a trailer, like a travel trailer, don't buy the truck or the trailer before reading the Towing section of the forum. If you read the first page or two of posts, you'll be knowledgeable (unlike 90% of those that tow) about the capabilities of a truck you might want to buy BEFORE you buy it, and won't have to come on here and say "my dealer told me I can tow 11,600 pounds" and such. Read the PAYLOAD sticker of any truck on the door jamb, then do the math that the many threads in the towing section reveal. That 3,000 pound tractor with a trailer MIGHT exceed 5,000 pounds, and you'll need a weight distribution hitch for that.

Truckin

iTrader: (4)

The 2.7 mileage is from driving hard. I average 23. It's the turbo's, when you hit the pedal they open up and sucks gas like a pig.
drive conservative and mpg will be fine. If you want to drive hard, and care about mpg, get the 8

SCrewYou

keep in mind my truck is a 16, and im comparing it to the other 16s and 17s ive driven. i havent driven an 18 f150 with the updated powertrains.

- id probably get the 2.7 instead of the 5.0 if i did it all over again (which i will in another year or 2), 2.7 feels quicker and gets better mileage than the 5.0, but the 5.0 sound is very nice and its no slouch either.
- above 70 the mpg nosedives on my 5.0, im no engineer, but i would imagine thats true with all engines and all makes/models.
- ive never hit the 21 mpg highway epa rating on my 5.0, best i can do is 19. city mpg is pretty close to the 15 mpg epa rating, and i actually think ive exceeded it a few times.
- i can not recommend purchasing an fca product after having a 2011 jeep grand cherokee limited that spent more time in the shop than it did on the road (and im not the only one), fca is ranked lowest in almost every quality & customer satisfaction survey for a reason, im sure there are people whove gotten lucky and had good fca products, but theres a significant portion of us who havent.
- i would not recommend purchasing a first year model of a vehicle from any make.

Joe Friday

Awesome... thank you sir. This is very helpful information. Much appreciated!

Joe Friday

Thank you! I am reading them now!
Good advice.

mdphotographer

I had a 2016 with the 2.7L that I put 96k on in 19 months ....LOVED it and am ordering another one. On one trip out west at 65mph highway speed I averaged 24mpg 2304 miles on 95.87 gallons of gas

Akirby

jpmst3

I have owned all three and the 2.7 is definitely the sweet spot on cost and MPG for most owners.

However, I prefer the 3.5L for the extra torque. I just traded my 5.0 in on a 2018 3.5 (again). I am so happy to be back in the turbo world and enjoy driving the turbo engines so much more. It just seems so much more effortless. The V8 is always downshifting and revving where the turbo motors just quietly do their job and at much lower RPM with fewer gear changes.

I would not buy ANY truck based on MPG. If you use the turbos regularly, you WILL suck down the gas. Forget the EPA, they are not real world figures despite what they claim. I typically get about 2 more MPG in 3.5 than I did on the 5.0 but the 3.5 has the ten speed tranny as well. I averaged just under 16 from the 5.0 and about 18 with the 3.5. Now, if you live in a mostly flat area and don't drive fast, I am sure you can match the EPA ratings or even best them. We live in the Appalachians so we never stop going up and down. But, be forewarned, the turbos make driving fun! The V8 is the same 'ol boring drive.

When they ask the mechanics which engine they prefer, of course they will say the V8! The 5.0 has much less plumbing and is easier to work on. I saw that video as well when I was trolling YouTube, it made me chuckle. The good news is that neither of them need worked on much if at all. 2011 models with the original 3.5s are rolling in with over 200K miles with no issues. Those same mechanics would undoubtedly rather work on 1960 car than a modern car with all the computers and tightly packed engine compartments, etc. They prefer whatever is easier day to day. Ask the drivers which they prefer and you will get vastly different results. There is a reason the turbo engines are outselling the V8 by a ridiculous margin...

Another telling sign is that if you look up the NADA (the real dealer version) there is a premium value on the EcoBoost engines when traded. If there were reliability or other issues, this would be reflected in real world decreasing values and depreciation. The fact is that ALL of the engines are extremely reliable.

I also buy Lariats. They are a premium price, but you get what you pay for. I am spooled and enjoy more creature comforts and goodies.

mdphotographer

I took one trip from a little North and West of Baltimore MD and went to Ocean City MD driving at 55mph all the way on cruise babying it as much as possible filled up at start of trip and again on arrival. It was a 163 mile trip and I used 4.61 gallons of gas for an average of 35.35mpg. That is a pretty flat drive loosing altitude much of the way some stoplights going through small towns but not many.

davefr

I'm a newbie too and was just about to order a loaded Lariat and then stumbled onto the XL STX. I found that a loaded STX came in at >$10k less then the Lariat and it has most of the important options with less of the "fluff" that I could easily live without. I also think it's a better looking truck. With option code 101A, STX and all the individual options, it's a very well equipped truck. I almost skipped over the XL trim because I thought it would be a "plain jane" work truck.

The problem with the Lariat trim is that if you only want a few options you have to add an expensive packages before you can even order that individual option. (ex: adaptive cruise needs to have 502A and that adds $6k to the cost even though the other features in 502A might not be that important.)

All I'm suggesting is to look at XL STX and see if it works for you. I think it's excellent value.

P.S. I ordered the 5.0. I test drove the 3.5EB and it's splitting hairs which one offers better every day driving performance. They're pretty darn close.