PrinceV. I have owned my 2011 F150 since April. I use it to tow my 29 foot Travel trailer. Before ordering my F150, Max Tow. I was dead set on a diesel. My Wife told me no Diesel. I was a little bummed. But I figured the EcoBoost would be better than no new truck. I have been pleasantly surprised with my EcoBoost to say the least. I have been driving my new truck for 11 months now. And I have to say I have not missed the diesel once. This EcoBoost has so much power and Torque it is unbelievable really! If one was to pull 10k on a daily basis, hauling a bobcat or such as in construction. I still think the Diesel would be the way to go I pull my camper about 10 times a year and for that this truck rocks. I have 9500 miles on it to date. About 2000 of those miles are with camper in tow. Absoulutly nothing but praises for me.

 

That's great to hear...I know I was set on getting one before. I know it would pull the boat around nicely...and I like you have a wife saying no diesel...especially for the price. The problem is I want all the bells and whistles and it is adding up to amount close to the diesel..lol

 

If you compare a loaded f150 vs a basic diesel you are right. But a similarly equipped the diesel would be quite a bit more. Plus the higher maintance costs. I really wanted a diesel. But after driving my F150 for 10the months or so. I honestly can say I haven't missed the diesel I wanted for several years. The EcoBoost tows like a diesel. You will be happy with the EcoBoost if you go that route. I can promise you that! Pulling my 29' travel trailer loaded with my ATV in bed of truck. The engine just plain out goes. Very little down shifting when I hit hills etc...

 

Funny thing is I test drove one and for some reason wasn't impressed....although I half heartedly stomped on the pedal...I didn't want to scare the young salesman driving with me...lol.

 

Lol thats funny the last truck i test drove was a diesel and leaving the dealership i was pedal to the floor burning rubber sideways. I think the salesmans fingerprints are still embeded in the armrest

 

You know my Toyota Sequoia has been very reliable...and doesn't leak a drop of oil...it has about 130,000 miles. I plan to pass it on to my daughter for her to tow her horse trailer around (double horse stalls) I am paying off my Goldwing and it just sucks I can't get a new truck right now.

 

I'm surprised how low the hwy mileage is.....I thought about buying a EB but my Ram 5.7 Hemi 4x4 CC gets 20 mpg hwy. We drive monthly from Boise to Ketchum and get 20mpg. (it has ECO mode). I saw the graphs showing great low end torque with the EB which is a plus.

 

So the ECO mode does what?...drop a cylinder or two when not needed? I know the Cadillacs used to have that and had all sorts of issues with it.


To the OP...any new info????

 

[quote=PrinceValium;11645056]So the ECO mode does what?...drop a cylinder or two when not needed? I know the Cadillacs used to have that and had all sorts of issues with it.

Eco is a light on the dash that indicates to the driver proper driving habits for higher milage. MDS allows the engine to opperate on 4 cyl. It has worked very well for years now on the Dodges.


<LI class=section itxtHarvested="0" itxtNodeId="2">MDS

• MDS stands for Multi-Displacement System. This system changes the number of cylinders used by the engine depending on the speed and acceleration requested by the driver. It generally uses four cylinders at normal acceleration up to 65 miles per hour. The other four cylinders begin contributing when the vehicle exceeds 65 mph.
  
  

Dodge MDS

• [*]

Performance

• The MDS doesn't compromise performance in any way; it improves fueleconomy without sacrificing power. The driver can get the full eight-cylinder acceleration at any time by punching the gas.
  
  

 

Great thread!

I have heard first hand great praises towing with the EB. We regularly camp with friends that picked up a EB last summer and they love it.

 

Hi Guys...it's been a while because I'm starting my busy season. Time for an update;

I took the Ecoboost on a 668 mile round trip today pulling a trailer over several mtn passes. The trip was from Cental WA state to the Oregon/Idaho border & return. I pulled a 16' tandem axle trailer down empty & pulled it back with a 2,000# piece of farm machinery on it. I figured the gross weight of the trailer was around 3,800#s.

The f150 performed really well & had ton's of power. I even stopped on a very steep hill on I-84 between Ontario & Baker City to check a loose strap & it zoomed right up the hill even with the load. I always felt totally in control of the load despite the strong winds & heavy rain.

In the tow/haul mode it downshifts really well. It's real similar to a simi -truck jake brake. I saw it shift down as low as 3rd (6 speeds) with the engine up over 4,000 rpms! That can't help the mileage. Several times I shut the tow/haul mode off so I could coast a bit. It would be a really safe truck for a novice tower (can I say that?).

My mileage averaged 11.9 mpg. It was in the high 13's going down empty by indicated as low as 9.9 several times with the load. I did appreciate the 40 gallon fuel tank though!

BTW, the truck happened to turn over the 10,000 mileage mark on the odometer comming home so it's well broke in. My overall mpg since I got the truck on 1/9/2012 has been a steady 17.9. That's mostly highway driving at 60 to 65 mph.

There are some things about the F150 that still really gripe me but I'm getting used to them.

1. The cruise control seems difficult to use. It's got an odd placement of the controls in comparision to every other Ford I've owned.

2. Stupid turn signal control. If you activate it up to turn left for example if it doesn't happen to be a sharp enough corner to shut itself off then you push up again. It's difficult to explain how overly complicated it is.

3. It's way too easy to turn the volumne up/dn or change stations because the controls are too far on the outside of the spoke part of the steering wheel.

These are just a few things as I'm still reeling from my 16 hour day!

Side note: I recently pruchased a 5,000# boat & towed it 90 miles home from the dealer with the Tundra. The Tundra seemed very stable & our mileage home only seemed to drop to 14.1. I'll report more on the Tundra as I tow the boat more.

Cheers!

 

Nimbus,

Please keep posting on the comparison.

1. I cannot get use to the Cruise Control buttons either – I just figured I am a slow learner. I am always getting the buttons confused – slow down, speed up, coast, resume etc.

2. I have gotten use to the turn signals an now I like them a lot; but at first I thought I was real dumb.

3. The radio volume buttons have not bothered me yet, so I guess I use them differently.


I am having an issue with the condensation build up in the inter cooler. “Long Distance Steady State” driving in SE Texas when the dew point is close to ambient temperature, comes close to killing the EB engine. And as others have indicated if you drive like a deranged high speed idiot you can keep the water clear out – I just prefer not to do that!

So far Ford has no solution and I am beginning to wonder if they ever will.

I may be making the change to Tundra so the comparison is important is important to me; thanks for posting.

 

You realize the Cadiddlac system relates to the current "MDS" systems like a stone axe relates to a Stihl chainsaw.....

 

Maybe as much as your analogy? obviously I haven't read much about the MDS system.

 

I've driven cars with the new system. "Seamless". Unless there is a light on the dash telling you it's working, you can't tell.

How it works at 150,000 miles might be another question.