Hello, I'm currently shopping for my first F-150. I was hoping I could get some advice on which engine would suit me best.

I am certain this discussion has been hashed out many times, but I was hoping that by providing a few details about my specific intended uses, it might help give a better idea about which engine would be best.

Ideally I'd like to have an 8 foot bed, a SuperCab, and 4WD.

I almost never carry any passengers, and when I do, it's usually just one person. So I don't want a crew cab, but I typically like having an extended bed so I can throw some groceries, tools, or whatever behind my seat.

I don't have any plans to tow anything heavy. I would maybe, maybe once in a while tow a 5x10 trailer with a dirt bike in it, but that would likely be the heaviest thing I'd ever tow. And towing anything at all would be rare.

Payload is important, because I do want to put a camper on the truck. However, it wouldn't be a traditional, hard-sided camper. It would be a pop-up shell that would clamp to the bed rails. They weigh 300-500 pounds. So while I need to pay attention to payload, I don't plan on loading the truck with crazy amounts of weight.

The truck would primarily be used as my daily driver, and also my "road tripping to a campsite" vehicle. I do some traveling for work, and love being able to sleep in my vehicle, often stealthily at rest stops and whatnot. I like to spend time in and around national forests, BLM land, mountain fire roads, etc. I don't plan on doing any rock crawling, but I'd like the ability to get in the dirt to get around to off road destinations. I also plan to drive occasionally in areas where it snows, so I think 4WD is important.

My priorities are the 8 foot bed, since I have plans for building out a simple yet comfortable camping set-up in the bed, and I want as much room as possible. I also would like to pick an engine that is reliable, and ideally as fuel efficient as possible. I know trucks are not known for their fuel efficiency, but I'd like to aim for the best available to me. I currently drive a Silverado 2500 with a camper on it, and I average 11.2 mpg. I'd like to do significantly better than that if possible.

From the reading I've done, it sounds like the 2.7 EcoBoost would be a great pick. It seems the most fuel efficient, and seems to have a good track record for reliability. However, I do worry that if, in the future, I wanted to put a slightly bigger camper in the bed, or tow a slightly heavier trailer, the 2.7 wouldn't be up to the task. Then again, I hate to sacrifice mpg right now on the off chance that in the future I decide to use the truck for something very different than what I want it for right now.

The 3.5 EB then seems like a natural pick. But it doesn't seem like it has the same reputation for reliability as the 2.7. I could certainly be wrong on that.

And finally, so many people love the 5.0. I've watched all those videos of Ford mechanics saying that's the engine they'd pick for themselves.

So I'm a bit torn.

I definitely do not care how the engine sounds, or how fast it goes 0 to 60. I mostly just want something reliable that gets as many mpg as possible, that can carry me around town, across the country, and through some wilderness areas, with a fairly lightweight camper shell on the back.

I was looking at a 2.7 EB with an 8 foot bed and 4WD. However, this configuration does not allow for an extended cab. I'm not totally opposed to a Regular cab, but I haven't spent much time in one and am afraid that I might end up wanting more space in the cab.

So, if I want the long bed, the extended cab, and the 4WD, I'd need to pick either the 3.5 EB or the 5.0. Or I could get all that with the 2.7 and a Regular cab.

If anyone made it through that novel of a post, is there any advice or guidance you'd give me? Thank you very much.

 

Outstanding first post, and welcome to the forum. Thanks for all the details.

Based on what your summary of needs/wants is (second to last sentence in your post), the 2.7 EB will certainly give you the best MPGs unloaded while also doing a reasonable job towing or hauling the things you've specified in your post, BUT you're giving up the SuperCab.

HOWEVER, you said things might change and you may tow a heavier trailer. If that's a real possibility, then I'd suggest stepping up to the 3.5 EB, and only because of the additional torque for towing a heavier trailer. You won't suffer THAT much with small decrease in MPGs (unloaded), provide that you don't stand on the gas pedal everywhere you drive.

Personally, I'm on my third 5.0L in a row after a 3.5 EB and a 6.7L PowerStroke in an F350 ... but I don't tow/haul heavy loads as much as I used to. For occasional towing/hauling, the 5.0L is still plenty for me. I simply like the reliability of the 5.0L, although the other two CAN be just as reliable. I had an early 3.5 EB (2012) and had issues with the turbo, but I believe the issues I was having were remedied long ago.

Bottom line, if the SuperCab is important to you, go 3.5 EB. In the end, the 2.7 EB won't be THAT much different if you're hauling/towing a moderate amount. And that is coming from a 5.0L owner who ONLY buys 5.0L F150s now.

Side note: MPGs will largely be determined by HOW you drive, not necessarily WHAT you drive. My 5.0L averages 19 to 21 MPGs, but I spend a lot of time on the highway NOT towing and NOT hauling, and I don't drive like Ricky Racer. Either of the EB engines will most certainly get a smidge better MPGs, so long as you keep your foot out of the gas pedal. Every time you hear that turbo spin up, it's eating your MPGs.

Good luck and post pics when you get it!

 

The 2.7 can tow vastly more than a 5x10 trailer.

If it had to be a supercab 8' bed with 4x4, then its between a 3.5 ecoboost and 5.0.
You can get a supercab 8' bed 4x2 with a 2.7.
Also, you can get the 2.7 payload package too.
The best engines for long term are the 3.3 and 2.7.

If I were to order a truck right now, it would be a XL regular cab long bed 2wd, 2.7 with the 2.7 payload package. I have no regrets with the 3.3 but there is no payload package for it.
And for my uses, I have no need to spend the money on a supercab, supercrew or 4wd.

 

I think it's great how folks can get a truck the way THEY want it, as well as how different people can be.

Your must haves are a regular cab, 8' bed, 2WD and the 2.7. I've said this many times before that I'll never even consider buying a truck if it doesn't have the SuperCrew cab, 4WD, the 5.0L motor and the 6.5' bed.

Gotta love freedom!

 

Thanks very much! I appreciate all the info. I'm glad to hear that the discrepancies in mpg among the different engines may be more related to driving style than anything else. I definitely am not too aggressive. Hopefully that will help no matter which way I go. Thanks again

I'm happy to find a fan of the regular cabs. Is there any particular reason you prefer going that route (aside from cost)? I tried going to a dealership last week to see if I could sit in a regular cab just to get a feel for the space in there. Sadly there wasn't a single one on the lot.

I like the simplicity, the shorter wheelbase, the look (!), the cost and weight savings (although I'm not sure how significant these are), and the fact that heating and cooling the cab is likely a lot easier. And when I look around at the way I use my own truck currently, I do almost nothing with my back seat. In fact, I removed my back seat, thinking I'd more efficiently be able to store plastic totes back there. But I ended up not even really doing that. I find that I use that space for almost nothing. I do like to have various things like jumper cables, a tire iron, a jack, a large windshield scraper, etc. in the cab with me. Not sure if that stuff comfortably fits behind the seats in a regular cab. People also talk about losing the ability to recline the seat; I find that I never really need to recline, so I don't think I'd miss that. I am 6'4, though, and I would like to make sure the seat goes back far enough that my legs are comfortable. Assuming that's the case, the regular cab seems like an attractive pick. I just hesitate, though, as I don't want to make a $45,000+ mistake!

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Also, I'm now doing my own informal survey of regular cab long bed owners. I saw two of them over lunch. Both said they really liked the regular cab, felt it was roomy, and didn't miss having a back seat. Good feedback so far.

 

2.7L

 

You are going to be hard pressed to find a regular cab on a dealership lot. At least around me, they are custom ordered work trucks. 90% are crew cab 4x4 with the 2.7. When I was looking I was very specific in what I wanted. Took awhile to find what I wanted with the 5.0.

 

If putting a 350 pound camper in the bed then why can it not hang out the back of a 6.5' bed when in use?

A 6.5' bed SuperCab is hard enough to park, add 18" would be even harder. Significant for a "daily driver".

 

I would definitely be ordering it new from a dealership.

This is daaaaaarn near what I'm looking for. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/8...-016f3dbdceef/
I like almost every single thing about it. Only problem is it doesn't appear to have the payload package, which I think would be important.

Although maybe not. I filled out a "build and price" form on Ford's website, and I think the truck I'd order would be $45k. This one is $38,400. Maybe with the money saved I could make some mods that would improve the payload capability.

https://campovrlnd.com/

This is the type of shell "camper" I would be using. It clamps to the bed rails and is flush with the back end and tailgate. It couldn't hang out beyond the end of the bed. At least not without serious customization.

I've owned a half ton with an extended cab and 8 ft bed in the past - never really noticed any issues or problems with parking. However, it was my first truck and therefore all I had known, and also I live in a part of the country where there's not a ton of traffic, no parking garages, etc. Parking is typically pretty open and available. Parallel parking almost never required. Even the dirt roads and mountain passes I've traversed didn't give me any trouble in that truck. Maybe I'm just not getting out on adventurous enough trails, but everything I did in that truck was a blast and was handled nicely in spite of the truck's length. I'm hoping for the same experience with an F-150 (or even better if it's a reg cab instead of an extended one). Definitely a good thing to consider ahead of time, though. Thank you