Ford F150 5.0 vs eco...

[Storm56]

Thinking on a new truck. Looking at all makes. For the first time in 34 years I am seriously considering a Ford. Very impressed with the King Ranch option. I would prefer for this thread NOT to become a brand basher, seeking opinions related to the 5.0 vs the eco.

Looking for real world differences between the eco and 5.0. I will not be towing over about 5-6 thou with this truck. I am concerned about reliabilty, ease of maintenance and cost of ownership.

My opinions so far:

1. When I pop the hood I like what I see on the 5.0 a WHOLE bunch better, much less plumbing to deal with, looks TONS easier to work on.
2. I am not happy at all with the opening just below the bumper for the eco intercooler, just a BIG hole there with NO protection for that expensive looking piece of hardware. I can just see a piece of road debris, a rock or bird flying in there and taking out that cooler.
3. The 5.0 sounds lots better!
4. I have been reading about some issues with the eco and coil packs, seems to be a fairly prevalent problem. Under warranty is one thing but what about down the road?
5. For heavy towing the eco should be better, but I already have a Dmax for that.
6. Appears to be 1-2 mpg advantage for the eco, but it would take 40-50 thousand miles for that to pay off.
7. Resale looks better for the eco given the popularity.
8. I am as a rule pretty light on the throttle when driving as I drive for fuel economy, especially with the current price of fuel. Does that measn I could see better than the 1-2 mpg with the eco?

So what do others think?

 

[Dmace]

I've stated before, if I were looking at a new F-150. There would be no question, I would go straight for the 5.0l V8. Both engines are pretty new to the Ford truck lineup but the 5.0l is a simpler design and seems to be MUCH more reliable according to owners on various truck forums. The ecoboost seems to be having coil and injector issues. Injectors on a D.I. engine are not cheap our easy to replace either.

Resale is a toss-up. Even if gas prices go up more, the Ecoboost barely does better than the others so it's a wash and if it turns into another one of Ford's problematic engines, it will hurt resale like the 6.0l diesel.

 

[Diamondpilot]

For you the 5.0 sounds like the right fit but the Eco is sure nice. My father has a FX 4 eco, crew can, 3.73 gears. Its a super nice truck. Just over 10,000 miles and averages 18 mpg. I have seen 26 at 60 mph.

I have driven the 5.0 and its strong on the low end like all Ford truck motors but its no eco boost.

Chris

 

[EddieWalker]

I've been looking at both engines, but since I rarely tow, I'm also looking at the base 3.7 V6

I have a 98 F250 with the 4.6 V8 that has 240 HP, and the little V6 has 300 HP. More power and better milage then what I'm getting now from a much bigger engine. I'm happy with the power that I have now and would be fine with the same amount of power in a new truck that gets better milage.

Eddie

 

[RollingsFarms]

That king ranch package is awesome! If that 5.0 is anything like the used to put in the mustangs, buy it!!! You're likely to get a lot better deal on a 5.0 then an Eco boost.

 

[bdog]

Bought a 2012 ecoboost screw 4x4 after driving diesels for the last 15 years and couldn't be happier. The torque curve on the Eco makes it a lot more enjoyable to drive than the 5.0. Drive them both you will see what i mean. The eco also pulls like a freight train. I have only had the truck about three weeks but already have almost two thousand towing miles and am impressed The price difference is less than 1k for the eco I think.

 

[jcmseven]

I went through a few months ago exactly what you are discussing as I had a momentary feeling that the more compact size and maneuverability of a 1/2 ton might have been a better fit for me. I am a HD GMC owner who no longer pulls anything very heavy and feel Ford has the best 1/2 ton available right now (I like the 6.2L 1500 GMC but am anxious to see the update) and looked at them closely. I have owned a number of Fords over the years and generally have been satisfied, but certainly not overwhelmed with their performance, especially in gasoline models. In the end, I am so satisfied with my GMC and it has only 75K on it (and it gets 20+ highway MPG almost no matter what the speed driven and runs great), that I just could not trade for an unknown in the Ecoboost just due to a perceived niche need. My feeling is that Ford has done its homework and the Ecoboost is a solid engine, likely built more-stoutly than even the V-8's. I was also looking at the King Ranch as I think it is more like a truck than the Platinum while still having many options/amenities. My opinion, FWIW and after speaking with those that have them, is that the Ecoboost is a great choice for those that drive long distances on highways and desire top-notch gasoline performance where one needs it in a truck: between 1800-3000 RPM. I have heard some very good mileage reports on empty trucks driven on highway, but have heard some pretty low numbers when pulling even smaller loads (3000-5000 lbs.) Some of these have been in the 9-11 mpg range. The 302 is the more-ubiquitous engine. It likely will not get the same unloaded fuel economy as the 3.5L, but I suspect it would do as well, or in some cases, better when pulling a moderately-heavy trailer. It does not have the torque curve of the Ecoboost, which is why is does not feel as powerful, but in head to head performance it is very close and would not be appreciated as having much actual deficit in real-world performance. My vote would therefore lie with the 5.0L. Cheaper, likely more-reliable, similar pulling economy and a simple engine design with good refinement. There is no doubt that the Ecoboost is the future but this is one curve I personally may not want to be on the front.

John M

 

[Storm56]

Spent some time at a dealer today, still no decision. We are a bit apart on price. I would have to order as there are no trucks around equipped to meet my needs. Leaning towards the 5.0 at this point if I were to make a purchase.

If we cannot get closer on price I may wait a for the next model year to see what improvements come along. I read somewhere that direct injection is possible on the 5.0, should improve performance and mileage if that happens.

 

[RollingsFarms]

I ran into that same problem when I was truck shopping last year. GM was way more aggressive in negotiating price then Ford or Dodge were.

 

[buck12]

I've been looking at both engines, but since I rarely tow, I'm also looking at the base 3.7 V6

I have a 98 F250 with the 4.6 V8 that has 240 HP, and the little V6 ehas 300 HP. More power and better milage then what I'm getting now from a much bigger engine. I'm happy with the power that I have now and would be fine with the same amount of power in a new truck that gets better milage.

Eddie

Eddie I had chance to drive a 3.7 recently. The dealership was doing some warranty work on my wife's Explorer and gave us a truck to run some errands in while the work was being done. It had to have been the most under powered vehicle I have ever driven.