150truckcommander

I am struggling with which engine is what i would be better with. I like the 3.5l mostly for its size and power, but I really plan for it to be there as a as need for everything other than my daily uses which isn't more right now than long driving and putting things in the bed. My ultimate plan is to do more, boating, off roading which I feel will need the bigger power. However more and more the 2.7l seems like more for less givin that i don't know when the later plan will begin but I don't know. This will also be my first purchase for the Ford F-150 I have been waiting to get forever so I admit some inexperience so any tips or opinions would be welcome. I do want to do this right the first time it is special and important to me and I plan on keeping and doing A LOT with my truck so anything will help.

Thanks

Stoppardstop

I bought my first f150 in 2016 and it had the 2.7. Great little motor couldnt even tell it was a 2.7.Power was great. Now i have a 3.5 and i like it as well. If your not towing all the time the 2.7 is a great engine. 21 mpg avg too thru 34000 miles

UncleG

If keeping for a long time, go with 5.0 and 3.73 rearend.

Joe Friday

Assuming you have a SuperCrew 4X4...... what kind of mpg are you seeing (city vs hwy) on the 3.5?

I too am trying to determine what engine I want.... I am leaning between the 5.0 and 3.5..... which I have driven both. I discounted the 2.7.... just didn't care for the turbo lag and jerky driving dynamics.... plus, might want to tow more 'someday.'

I am really perplexed with which engine would provide the best reliability over the long haul. I keep reading posts about guys saying their Ecoboosts were great till they traded/sold them at 30K...... which I don't think qualifies as a good gauge for long term reliability data....

Trying to sort this out in my head.... but I keep having this thought that the turbo'd engines have *got* to be less reliable in the long run due to all the extra expensive, spinning parts, etc. This might be completely wrong.... but it just seems like common sense logic to me.

On the other hand: When I drove the 3.5..... holy cow.... it made the 5.0 feel like a beached whale in terms of responsive giddup and go.

Sirikenewtron

Ford puts a 150k mile/10 year life span on their turbos (yes some people get much more then that but that's what ford rates them at) some go sooner some go later.
Other then the turbos,
Less cylinders more power,
It's simple physics. A piston has a finite life it can only go up and down so many times before its done. The fewer cylinders the more stress on those cylinders, and with more compression with the power/tourqe the ecoboost puts down.
Now how much sooner until you "may" have problems? Who knows.
With any engine, brand you can get one that runs many hundreds of thousands of miles or you could get one that has issues after 20k miles.

I'm. On my second EcoBoost truck now, had a 2013 3.5 which was a POS and now currently have a 2017 2.7 which so far so good (only have 9k miles)
Next year I will be buying a 2019 5.0 mainly because I want something different and I will be keeping that truck for as long as I can.

jcb206

Sirikenewtron

I sure as hell hope you don't have issues after only 60k miles lol

jcb206

Polar Bear F150

Mr. Friday,

I am perplexed by what you have described as turbo lag........ This is the first that I have seen this mentioned on an EcoBoost or the 2.7. I can only describe my truck has having zero point zero turbo lag. I believe that this is a term from the 90's from having large, single turbos that took longer to spool up due to their size and mass. I suspect the lag that you are describing may be from a new vehicle. A new vehicle's transmission may seem strange or "laggy" when new. As the vehicle "learns" your driving habits, this goes away.

Again, I can only speak from my experience, but I off road and tow a boat and haven't had an issue in nearly 25k miles. Good luck with your selection process.

YMMV

Joe Friday

It was a new vehicle test drive. The vehicle also had a VERY pronounced 'CL-UnK' in the transmission when shifting at the slower/lower gears. Maybe I was in a lemon. The 'lag' was just that....... stomp the peddle to the floor and there was a distinct pause before it spooled up and took off like a raped ape. I did this from a stoplight also and when I stomped the peddle down at the green light, it just sat there....however, upon reflection I wonder if that was on account of the STOP/START having the engine turned off at the light, so it possibly had to restart first and then figure out that I had the peddle to the floor??? Not sure. But in general, even cruising and flooring the pedal resulted in a discernable lag..... a lag that I didn't notice in the 3.5 for some reason.

The 5.0 was seamless, albeit a 'slug' in comparison to the 2.7 and 3.5. I can't get over this mental image that the 5.0 will go the long haul more reliably than a turbo.... but I am a 70's throwback age, and I also don't know a whole lot about automotive engine mechanics. I am open to an education and good information for sure...but it seems like I don't read a whole lot of posts from people saying they have 130,000 miles on an Ecoboost and have loved it. It seems like there are a lot of "I haven't had any troubles in the 30k miles I have on my truck.... or 60k" but I don't see a whole lot of discussion on higher mileage Ecoboosts. But then, I haven't searched the archives either, so maybe there are posts that I should be reviewing.