My father bought an Ecoboost 150 of late. It is a nice truck and in my opinion a real upgrade for Ford v. previous models. I believe his has the 3.55:1 limited slip (electronic) rear differential. He does mostly highway type driving and gets around 19-20 unloaded and does not pull much. When I pull with his truck, I have gotten for a small load (Gator plus blade on 6x14 trailer, tandem) about 3500-4000 pounds total around 13 mpg. My dad also has owned a 5.0L which was essentially identical and has become the "company truck." It did not get quite the fuel economy on the highway but very similar towing with I believe a 3.73 ring gear. The difference with a similar load was less than 1 mpg between the two. Both trucks ran well; I could tell little performance difference in how than ran unloaded but dad preferred the Ecoboost and that is the one he chose for his primary wheels--with the other going to the company. It is clear though that the Ecoboost, though a strong gasoline engine, is not a diesel. It comes up roughly 300 lb. feet shy of diesel torque output on the new engine choices and does so at a slightly higher RPM (500-800). It seems to be fuel efficient but seems to have a substantial drop in economy when pulling heavy or working hard. Those things said, I am impressed with the Ecoboost and if I were buying a 1/2 ton truck right now, it would be an Ecoboost/3.73 combination. I think the engine and components are well made and heavier than in their other gasoline engines to handle the increased pressures and temps associated with a turbo system. I do think this also goes to show that there is still a place for diesels in pulling discussions, regardless of how expensive the diesel cost may be.
John M
