Which F-150 Engine Would a Pro Mechanic Choose?
Reliability wins the day when mechanics are polled about which F-150 engine they’d choose in ‘social experiment.’
If you take a moment to glance through our website and forum, you’d see that there’s a big debate raging on about F-150 engines. Some F-150 fans prefer the 5.0-liter V8, while some would rather choose the smaller EcoBoost engines. The people who love the V8 talk about the pure power, while EcoBoost supporters talk about fuel economy and how the engine can reach the same power as it’s larger brethren, if needed. Recently, a video was released by Town and Country TV that might help settle this debate.
Town and Country TV is the YouTube channel of an Alabama-based Ford Dealership. The shop decided to throw its hat into the debate and perform a “social experiment.” The experiment includes asking mechanics which engine they’d buy if they were in the market for a 2017 F-150. The premise is that the best people to ask about this debate are the men and women on the front lines, so to speak. These are the people that work on these engines all the time and see all the issues firsthand. So, what did they decide?
The results of the experiment are pretty overwhelming. Of the 10 service people polled, a whopping eight out of 10 choose the 5.0-liter V8 and the other two choose the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. While the results themselves are interesting, the reasons behind the choices are truly enlightening. There was one key point that put the V8 over the top – reliability. When asked why they chose the V8, most of them responded with reliability. This is coming from the same people who see engine issues everyday, so it’s clear they know a thing or two about the issue.
In addition to reliability, a couple service people gave more reasons. “It don’t have to have boost, it ain’t got all that plumbing, so if I had to work on it, it’ll be easier,” said one mechanic, who is currently on the market for a truck. Another service person directly compared the V8 to the EcoBoost in regards to power. He said, “[The V8 is a ] better engine. I like it better. It’s going to get pretty close to the same fuel mileage as the EcoBoost…but the EcoBoost, you gotta be on the power all the time just to get the power.”
Is this definitive proof that the V8 is the superior engine? It’s hard to disagree with mechanics. However, this is just a subset of mechanics from one dealership. There are other dealers around the country that would disagree. One thing is for sure, this just adds fuel to the fire in the EcoBoost engine debate.
