Looking to go down from my 2001 F250 to a mid-size. Was not really looking at new but then end of year sales starting catching my eye. Plan to pull around 4,000 pound pontoon boat a few hundred miles once a year maybe and other than that a 17 foot travel trailer that says - Dry Weight, Hitch 401 lbs. Unloaded Weight 2694 lbs.

Option one is a 2017 Ford F-150 XLT Truck V8 FFV Engine, 6-Speed Automatic Electronic Transmission with Tow - $31,922
My research shows Tow – 9,100 and Payload - 2310

Option two is a 2017 Ford F-150 XL Truck V6 EcoBoost Engine, 6-Speed Automatic Electronic Transmission with Tow - $32,241
My research shows Tow – 7,600 and Payload – 1720

The only difference I can see is the V8 has 6-spoke machined aluminum wheels and the V6 18 inch chrome wheels. An XL trim in the V6 for $29,399 would acceptable to me and came with 20 inch machined aluminum wheel but no cruise control. (Any advantage to the larger wheels? and saw something online about adding CC for a few hundred dollars but that appeared to involve some kind of hack. Not sure I want to get into any of that on a brand new truck but it is almost $3,000 difference). All are 4x2 ,6.5 box and Super Cab which is what I want

This truck may end up being my daily driver so the 4 mile mpg advantage of the V6 is attractive. But I have read a review that said that difference may not be obtained in the real world. Also, I’m thinking there may not be as much a difference under tow/haul but maybe there is. As far as towing and payload I guess either would be ok. In my F250 a major issue is hunting when trying to tow/haul between the top two gears so that I usually turn off OD. With the 6 speed with the different settings I am hoping that would not be an issue. I know I have also read where some are not sold on the V6 Eco Boost technology. All of this is way out of league and I would appreciate any thoughts or advice. I assume there is some level of negotiation from the above prices and possible 0% financing over 72 months. Many thanks. Raleigh.

 

I bought '17 supercrew 6.5' Box 4x4 in July. It has the ecoboost and a 2017 first 10 speed transmission. Yours should also be standard option of the 10 speed on the ecoboost. Is it the 3.5L or smaller? The smaller ecoboost might be too small for the loads you want to pull. My 2008 had the 5.4 L V8 and a 4 spd auto and it struggled to pull my loaded 25' TT thought the mountains . The 3.5L ecoboost does it with ease. real Life Mpg is definitely lower than sticker. I'm averaging 17.6 L/100kms (in Canada) on the life of the truck, 4000+kms. Two trips with the trailer so far. The 10 speed is great piece of machinery so far.

Mine is XLT with the 301 package. It's just the right amount of tech features. I only would have liked to have leather, heated seats. But too much money. One extra it has is Sync3. It's nice but a bit finicky like all new technology. Needs the phone companies to catch up. If you can get the dealer to work in power tow mirrors do it. Mine were a pain to upgrade but there is aftermarket ones now too that are easier.

I'd be really surprised if you got 0％ on a year end sale.

 

If the 2017 EcoBoost tuck you're looking at has a 6 speed, it's a 2.7. Either truck will do what you've described above. If the XL has 20" wheels, it probably has the STX package. It should have black cloth seats and a center console.

No advantage with 20" wheels, other than looks. The fake chrome PVD coated wheels tend to scratch easy.

 

Yes, I forgot to add it is the 2.7 V6. And these are take it or leave it special deals so what you see is what you get. .

 

Either of those 2 will do the job you want.

 

Go with the V8 and the proven 6 speed.

Less complexity which equates to greater reliability and if something does break, less cost because both the engine and transmission are well sorted and are known quantities.

 

Both of those are great options.

For your purpose, I don't see any advantage of one motor over the other. So, I would choose the one that is most comfortable on the INSIDE...since that is where you'll spend your time.

I had a 2wd 2.7EB supercab for a week. I was very impressed with it.

 

I am a happy 3.5L EcoBoost owner, but I will absolutely recommend the V8 for this over the 2.7 Eco. Pontoons are light, but HORRIBLE to tow. They pull harder than anything else I've towed because of all the flat, forward facing surfaces. I regularly tow a 23' Sea Ray cuddy cabin that weighs in at 6,000lbs and a 16' pontoon that probably weighs about 1500lbs. I get the same mileage towing each. This will DEFINITELY fall under the "frontal area" limits in the towing section of the owners manual.

 

My wife wanted a pontoon boat, I told her she would have to load it and pull it!! I had one with my first wife I got ride of both of them!!

 

The V8's are great engines but I would prefer the Ecoboost myself.