Eco-Boost opinions

Egon · Dec 20, 2011

Well, with all those numbers on milage and tow loads I just gotta pipe up again.

!996 Dodge diesel auto extended cab 4x4 hauling a gross of 24000#[15000# bumper pull trailer and the rest truck and camper] over 3500 miles with some up and down[10%] and it averaged 14 MPG.:thumbsup:

It was weighed on Government Roadside scale.

I think it was a tad overloaded though.

Oh- it still has the same transmission in it.

Bob77064 · Dec 20, 2011

My previous post I mentioned that the road tests were good. But that is not real world. Until this engine has been on the raod for a few years, you don't know how it will hold up. And replacing twin turbos gets real expensive.

Lt CHEG · Dec 20, 2011

I just wish that they'd put the ecoboost engine in the raptor. I really think that once my house and garage is built I'm going to trade in my F250 for an older regular cab F350 SRW diesel and then buy a raptor crew cab as my regular vehicle. I'll have the space for two vehicles so it will make sense to keep the regular cab truck for work and have the crew cab for fun. I don't like the idea of the 6.2 V8 for an every day kind of truck though. Let's hope we see the ecoboost make it through more of the lineup.

Diamondpilot · Dec 20, 2011

jeffsw6 said:
That figure is really a little high.

Even sticker price on a new, loaded Chevy 3500 DMAX DRW LTZ Crew Cab is right around $60k and that's before you do any haggling, and with every major option like navigation screen, back-up camera, heated chairs, etc.

Of course if you don't buy all those gadgets it is much cheaper, but you still won't quite pay $60k even if you buy all the creature comforts.

Same is true for any vehicle. You can get them just about any way you want and haggle. You can get a 1/2 ton for less.

Chris

JasG · Dec 21, 2011

Bob77064 said:
My previous post I mentioned that the road tests were good. But that is not real world. Until this engine has been on the raod for a few years, you don't know how it will hold up. And replacing twin turbos gets real expensive.

Bingo!

That was why I asked the question. I have been reading road tests since I was a kid. Be it cars, motorcycles, ATV's etc. and testing over even a few months isn't the same a real world by different people under different condition.

My current ride is an 03 F-150 and I really thought it would be my last Ford. Didn't like the truck as much as my 95. Now I see all of the improvements Ford has made to the whole brand. I am leaning towards Ford again, it just may be a little while before I buy one. $35-40000.00 for a new truck is huge amount, but seems to be the going rate.

Thanks to everyone who commented.

JasG · Dec 21, 2011

Lt CHEG said:
I just wish that they'd put the ecoboost engine in the raptor. I really think that once my house and garage is built I'm going to trade in my F250 for an older regular cab F350 SRW diesel and then buy a raptor crew cab as my regular vehicle. I'll have the space for two vehicles so it will make sense to keep the regular cab truck for work and have the crew cab for fun. I don't like the idea of the 6.2 V8 for an every day kind of truck though. Let's hope we see the ecoboost make it through more of the lineup.

I have read it's coming, but so was the f-150 diesel. I really like the way the raptor looks.

BillP603 · Dec 21, 2011

JasG said:
Bingo!

That was why I asked the question. I have been reading road tests since I was a kid. Be it cars, motorcycles, ATV's etc. and testing over even a few months isn't the same a real world by different people under different condition.

My current ride is an 03 F-150 and I really thought it would be my last Ford. Didn't like the truck as much as my 95. Now I see all of the improvements Ford has made to the whole brand. I am leaning towards Ford again, it just may be a little while before I buy one. $35-40000.00 for a new truck is huge amount, but seems to be the going rate.

Thanks to everyone who commented.

There are some on f150online.com that have almost a year of real world driving in commuting, towing, or work truck use of the Eco-boost. Some have had a few issues, some have been fine, the gas mileage improvement over the 5.0 V8 is miniscule from what I've been able to compile. I have driven both on test drives and the 5.0 would be my choice when I'm ready for a new truck. (you still can get a decent extended cab 4x4 for ~$33K if you tone down the luxury items) But my 2000 F-150 still runs great with 230K mikes and has been paid off for 7 years!

ToaDisco · Dec 22, 2011

I was seriously considering the ecoboost when I was shopping for a new truck, but I found a great deal on a 5.0 powered truck and decided to give it a second look. I ended up buying it 4 hours later:laughing: I currently have a little over 12K miles on it now.

I have been more than pleased with the 5.0. I usually run a mix of 60% highway/30% rural two lane roads/10% city driving and I'm averaging 17 mpg's with 3.55 gears. I typically run 70+ on the highway and mileage doesn't suffer all that bad either. Compared to my V10 F250, I'm pretty happy.:thumbsup: The truck has more than enough power, and should have no problem pulling the same trailer the F250 did. (I may need to add airbags or a WDH setup though)

The only area the ecoboost may come ahead of the 5.0 would be towing at altitude, but since I live on the East Coast and don't plan on making many trips towing out west, I should be fine. I figure I'm giving up 1-2 MPG's with the 5.0 over the Ecoboost, but I can live with that since I'm not dealing with the complexity or extra parts associated with the EB.

sparc · Dec 22, 2011

I know the motor is not available any longer (Triton 5.4l) but just for comparison my 05 F-150 Reg. cab 4x4 short bed has averaged between 15.5 and 17.4 mpg since day one and it has over 100k on it now. I log and calculate my MPG every fill up. In the summer with the AC on the MPG drops a bit of if I am hauling something in the bed or dragging a light trailer then I'm in the ~15.5 MPG range. Empty back and forth to work (18 miles of country roads one way with few stops and no highway driving) I get 16 to 17. Haven't done any long hauls to know what it would do under those circumstances, the truck rarely wanders more than 25 miles from home.