One thing to consider is that when people have issues, they turn to the internet for solutions so you're going to see more of the "why is my truck doing this" threads than the "my truck's great, that is all..." threads.

I for one won't be hesitating to get the 3.5 EB in the Explorer when it comes out later this year. If I have problems with it, then the dealer can deal with it... It won't be doing any towing though, that's what my truck's for.

If mpg's are the driving factor and you don't want a diesel, you really only have 1 option, the F150. I seem to be on the bottom end of the scale when it comes to mpg's in the 6.2 in my F350. I've avg'ed 10.3 in the ~13k miles that are on it, and that's empty. Guys are getting that (and sometimes better) towing 18k lbs in the new 6.7. Just throwing some more data your way. I guess it all depends on how often you're pulling. If it's a couple times a year, then the EB may be your best bet at getting good numbers empty.