Not a techo-phobe, but as someone who has owned numerous turbo- and super-charged factory vehicles, as well as keeping my vehicles for 100k+ miles...big fan of naturally aspirated motors for the long term. Work a small displacement turbo motor with big boost hard for long enough and general wear, seals drying out from high temps, oil coking/decomposition, leaks and turbo bearing wear will cost much more in the long run. A turbo rebuild and exhaust seal replacement on my last turbo'd car at 80k cost over $5k.

 

You really can't go wrong with any of the engine options. I had a 2018 3.5 Ecoboost and a 5.0 long term loaner, both had problems with the 10 speed. The 3.5 had 1300 miles when the transmission failed and the 5.0 had 2600. The 5.0 was a dealer demo vehicle before it was my loaner. My 3.5 Eco was new and I was the only person besides my salesman who drove it. I hadn't towed with it yet and the heaviest it hauled was myself, a friend, and 500 lbs for a total of 900lbs payload. Well below the 16xx payload listed on the sticker.

I would say that my experience was not typical and that I am more than happy with how the situation was taken care of. I love my new Super Duty.

I was skeptical of the Ecoboost before I drove it. In anything other than flat terrain, which there isn't a lot of around here, the 3.5 Ecoboost is hands down a better driving experience than the 5.0. On the same 70 mile route to one of my shops on mainly state and secondary highways at 60-70 mph I much preferred the 3.5 over the 5.0. On hills the 3.5 pulled them harder at lower RPM and held gears better. On a given hill the 3.5 would hold 10th or drop to 9th, RPMs staying relatively and you could see the boost gauge go up. The 5.0 on the other hand would go 10th down to 8th and occasionally 7th and turn higher RPMs. Both trucks did it just fine the 5.0 just felt like it had to work harder to do it.

Both trucks were Lariat 502a, 20" wheel, 4x4, with 3.55s almost identically optioned except for engines - basically an apples to apples comparison. Both trucks did the same run loaded the same way and the 3.5 Ecoboost was just a better and more relaxed driving experience with much more torque available at lower RPMs.

They both returned mileage close to each other on the highway, 1-2 MPGs more in Ecoboost than the 5.0. Around town I got 2-3 MPG better in the Ecoboost than the 5.0. That was over multiple tanks in each of them.

If the power delivery in the 2.7 is anything like the 3.5 it would be a great option to consider vs. the 5.0. If you can swing it I'd recommend the 3.5. Sure it's the most expensive option, but there is a reason it's the premium engine offering.

I'm not against the 5.0 at all. I have V8s in my drag car and road race car and love them. A lot of people here have 5.0s in their trucks and love them. I've had more V8s than I can count and never thought I would be o.k. with a V6 in a full size but the Ecoboost is just that good.

 

When it comes to towing HP isn't as important as torque. Take a look at this page. The torque of that 2.7 is the same as the V8 !

Got to YouTube and checkout the videos of that engine towing and you'll be surprised beyond belief.

 

Oh and if you're worried about the sound of the 2.7 take a look at these aftermarket exhausts that make it sound bigger than it really is. What I like the most is it gives it the dual exhaust that you don't get until you get into the expensive F150s.

 

The torque in the 2.7 comes on at 2000 RPM. It actually has more torque than the 5.0 in the range of 2000 through about 3500 RPM. Point being in many uses, it will feel more powerful than the 5.0. It surprises a lot of people. And oh, BTW, the 3.3 is Naturally Aspirated (not turbo'd).

 

GlueGuy,That's Naturally Aspirated. Thank You

 

10 Q. Fixed

 

 

I had to pull our utility trailer around a bit yesterday, and the 3.5L EB was almost too much power in a couple of low-traction areas. I had to switch to 4WD to maintain enough traction. This was off-road, so extenuating circumstances. None-the-less, it was interesting.

 

This is my biggest concern. I've had a turbocharged vehicle before, and at 100k miles, it was junk. Every fluid that passed through the engine leaked. I'm sure technology has improved significantly in the past 30+ years however even Ford's brilliant engineers () cannot escape the laws of physics. What are these trucks going to be like when they all have 100-200k+ miles on them? When all the turbo seals are worn out and the intake valves are gummed up from years of carbon deposits from average owners using 87 octane gasoline? Face it, most owners are not going to be as **** about their vehicle's maintenance as people like us are.
If I was buying a new truck, I'd get the 5.0. The 3.3 has less power than my already underpowered 3.7; and I'm not interested in paying the $5000 premium for the diesel. Although I am concerned about the overall reliability of the 10-speed automatic for a couple more years. Ford being Ford, give them a year or two to get the bugs worked out and then it should be a rock-solid platform. By then they'll be discontinuing 10-speed and moving onto 15-speed or something!

 

They've been around for over 6 years now so I suppose Ford has torn down some higher mileage engines and studied them in order to make changes to the newer generation turbo charged engines.

 

Closer to 9 years since they've been in production. The 3.5L EB is on its second generation, and the 2.7L EB was introduced in 2015.

 

Where was that sales summary we had a while back? I think we were closing in on something like a million of these ecoboost engines put into the F150 platform alone. I know some of them were garage queens, but lots are high mileage fleet and work trucks. If there was any kind of serious reliability issue, we have plenty of data to see it. So far, all I hear is opinion and anecdotes.

 

AMEN !! Although I love to hear people's experience with something I always try to distinguish between the opinion and the fact in their account of the situation.

 

We bought a 2017 F-150, 3.5 Ecoboost, S-crew.

We use it to tow our "66 Mustang in an enclosed car trailer. We are towing 11.5 - 12K lbs with the car in the trailer. It tows just great. We get good mileage around town. The truck does everything I wanted it to do.
I would buy the another truck just like this in a heartbeat.

Have fun, Dave