I can tell you this...before I got my EGOboost I came VERY close to just buying a Platinum with the 5.0L. Since I had talked about a truck for SO LONG (friends here remember that long quest) I could have had one. The exhaust note on it was awesome for a stock truck. The ONLY thing that kept me from getting it was that I needed a truck to be able to tow heavy (like 11,000 lbs. heavy) since we were looking at getting a trailer or 1/2 ton towable 5th wheel.

I waited and I ended up finding the exact truck I wanted a year later. I hoped that I didn't make a mistake buying the EGOboost I remember...but as I kept driving it my love for that motor grew and grew and I knew I had made the right choice. These days I can't say enough good things about that little twin turbo V6.

 

What other site I thought this was the only one.

 

The advice I give my friends is to buy the engine they want, as both are excellent.
The 5.0L sounds better, and simply, "feels" like a V8 should. It is also a big improvement over the last generation of V8 offerings.
The 3.5TT is much quieter, has some turbo lag, and has more torque at lower RPM.

 

Looks like everyone is pointing you in the right direction. I would try to drive both if you can. I ended up with the 5.0L and love it, but it really came down to the price and the options that the truck had on it. Either would have been fine for me.

Best of luck!

 

I also agree to get whichever engine you like. Although, I don't think you can dislike either engine if you just give it a little time. First impressions aren't necessarily consistent with long-term impressions.

I did not seek out the Ecoboost when I bought it new in 2012. It just happened to be the only engine that came with the Tow Max package so I got the Ecoboost by default, otherwise I would not have chosen it. In fact at that time I drove a V8 in everything - even down to my family sedan. It took a few months to get over the mental road-block of having just 3.5L under the hood. I learned to like the Ecoboost and found it responds extremely well to a few basic modifications. And it turns out I really enjoy the peace and quiet after all!

 

OK so today I drove both trucks that I was looking at. Both are XLTs configured exactly alike. One is an EcoBoost and one has the Coyote motor. I know the people at the dealership so they let me basically drive the trucks on my own and try them out. On each truck, I reset the fuel economy display at the dealership lot and drove both trucks on the same circuit, in town and on the highway, stopping at a park for just a couple of minutes to look under the hoods then driving off again. When I returned to the dealership, the EcoBoost truck was showing 14.8 MPGs and the Coyote truck showed 15.1. I drove both trucks exactly the same way, sticking to the speed limit at all times. I was surprised that the V8 put up better numbers on my less than scientific test. But so far the score is EcoBoost 0 - Coyote 1.

The EcoBoost truck is also a 2011 model so it has the "old" interior, and...the previous owner had stained the seats with sweat or water or something. Almost like they'd used the truck on a job site where the doors are open a lot in during rain. The Coyote truck was a little better in terms of condition as far as the fabric goes, and it's a 2013 so it's got the "new" interior with the 4" display, etc. So now it's EcoBoost 0 - Coyote 2.

While on my 2 minute stop at the park to look under the hood of each truck, the Coyote engine ran very quiet. But the EcoBoost had a ton of valvetrain noise. And, it also has a huge intercooler behind the front bumper that is just asking to be damaged in a light crash or while offroad. EcoBoost 0 - Coyote 3.

Driving impressions... The EcoBoost feels a LITTLE stronger, but it takes a second for that power to come on. It's COOOOOL how you can hear the turbos spooling up under load. But...the Coyote sounds like a dream ALL the time. It's got that V8 hotrod sound that's just heaven to the ears. And it's smoother with it's power delivery. It was more pleasurable to drive. I can see myself being happy with it ALL the time. And it seems less complicated under the hood. The steering also felt better. Is that because of the weight difference? I don't know. But I just found myself wanting to keep driving the Coyote and take it home...and the EcoBoost was like, eh... So EcoBoost 0 - Coyote 4.

Lastly, the Coyote truck is $1,000 less money, despite being two model years newer and having a slightly nicer interior. The salesmen say the EcoBoost trucks are just more popular and are more expensive when new also, so they command higher resale. For me, that's another feather in the cap for the Coyote. That's a final of EcoBoost 0 - Coyote 5.

Now.....the hard part is convincing the wife.

Check out the EcoBoost valvetrain clatter:

 

And here's an underhood video of the Coyote truck I drove. I didn't hear anything that sounds concerning. When we started the truck up, it had been sitting for a long while. I didn't hear any knocking then either. It's got a little valvetrain noise but it seems normal to me, whereas the EcoBoost truck seemed LOUD.

 

Ecoboost normally has rather loud injector clicking noise.

I wouldn't get a truck with interior stains. There are tons on the market so no need to settle because another will be available tomorrow.

 

Sounds like the 5.0 is the winner here for you!!! My buddy has a 2012 with the 5.0 and it is a great truck. The exhaust sound is awesome for a stock truck.

 

One thing about the '13 XLT truck I drove...when I pushed the Sirius button the display said "Not equipped. See dealer." Does that mean the hardware is missing? Or does it just need to be activated?

 

My last truck was a 2012 screw FX4 5.0 with 3.73's. It absolutely screamed. Would take off spinning. Best mpg was 21.9 on a summer trip. Average locally was in the 16's. At 30k, it developed a light knock. To avoid the Ford dealer autopsy I traded it on a 2014 screw FX4 ecoboost with 3.55's. It now has 11,000 miles. I drove it 1500 miles before I leveled it and added slightly larger tires. During that 1500 miles the average mpg was 13.9. In my experience, the 5.0 with 3.73's was a lot of fun. It delivered better mpg and just ran strong. It had a full head of steam at the top of the tach when it shifted. It towed great as well. The ECO has a totally different feel. It has a good midrange but is out of pull when it shifts. I haven't towed with it yet but I'm sure it would tow well. In my case, I regretted not going with another 5.0 / 3.73 gear combo. I like the Eco too. But in back to back F150's I liked the 2012 better drivetrain wise. My wife has a 2015 Expedition and it's a different story. Ford must have a different strategy or something but it jumps when you hit the throttle. It feels completely different than my F150. Mpg is mid 15's locally. Trip mpg was 21 this past summer.
You can't go wrong with either.
Good luck.

 

Agree with Dave that the 5.0L is a great engine, and it feels totally different than the EcoBoost. Honestly, I don't think many people would be conflicted after driving each back-to-back. In my case, the preference was 100% obvious.

 

The 3.5EB has Direct Injection. The 5.0 does not. THAT's the source of the sounds of clicking at idle. It is NOT valve train noise but DI noise which is common in all Direct Injection engines.

 

Yup, put a fiesta (1.6L old fashioned non DI engine) next to a same year Focus (2.0L DI modern motor). I noticed this at work how loud the tick was on my work mates 2014 Focus sedan vs my 2014 Fiesta hatchback. My wifes 2014 Buick Verano has a good tick under the hood as well (2.4L DI)

If I get an F-150, I'm basically going with whatever has the best cost. I wanted to get a basic V6 model, but it looks like I won't be able to tow as heavy as I want with that motor. I got lucky a year ago and a dealer had two identical flame blue 2014 F-150's, a Eco and a 5.0L. I drove them back to back. Loved the low end torque, very addicting on the eco. The 5.0L had that classic sound that my 04 Expedition with flowmaster had when going around town. Overall I am leaning towards the 5.0L because I do alot of in town short trips and rarely need the towing power, plus that classic sound and cheaper price, the 5.0 is just what I need for my next 10 year truck. But I wouldn't say no to an eco if there was a good offer on an eco truck I wanted, that power is addicting .

 

I have a 2011 F150 5.0 and I love it. I do consulting to auto dealer service depart (all makes) and have since 1988 so I have some knowledge here This is a great engine and has strong reliability, great performance and good gas mileage in the real world. The only place and EB beats it is in pulling heavier loads especially on inclines. You can't go wrong. I am hoping for an 5.0 10 speed next. I think the 5.0 will benefit from the 10 speed more than the EB because of the flat torque curve of the EB.