I owned a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi. I have a mid-size Kubota tractor with a backhoe and loader. With the 16' trailer, the both weigh about 7000lbs together. I was very skeptical on buying a new F150 Ecoboost for fear of pulling this much weight Let me tell you......my 2011 FX4 F150 Ecoboost would run rings around my 2011 Dodge!! The gas mileage is no better than any V8 when towing this much but the pulling power makes up for it. Very impressed!! I can't wait until I find the right tuning companion for this truck! Never was a Ford guy before, I always had Chevrolet until I needed towing power. I then bought the Dodge Hemi and pulled with no problem. I then bought the F150 and pulled with no problem + had fun with it I hope this helps you!

 

hi, new to forum, first post... I test drove a Dodge oil burner 2012, and then the Ford. The Dodge could not surpass 12-13mpg in my careful test drive, and this was on an engine with 15 miles on it, hardly broken in of course. The ride was stiff too. Then we went to the Ford dealer and test drove the 150 with Ecoboost and I was in love. The ride was so smooth, power curve appetizing, and interior room was like a limo (super crew).

Then I started reading reviews before going back to buy that truck... and wow did I hit the brakes on all this Ecoboost issues. I think I should wait until 2013 model to buy in, hoping that FoMoCo has debugged and definitely fixed the engine issues?

I was gonna go diesel (i have and love both diesel X5 and diesel Golf) for the pickup truck, but it seems like you just can't break 20mpg (no or just light towing for my particular needs) with any diesel.

Hoping I read in this and other threads that the issue has been explained and fixed... then I am off to buy one.

 

What kind of issues with the EB are you finding? I'm in the same boat for getting a truck. I am under the assumption that the 2013 can be ordered in late May and somewhere I have read that the '13's may get better fuel economy. If so, I am curious to know what they have changed to do that.

 

WoodsTruck, the main issue seems to be some of the EB 2011/2012 owner population is experiencing noticeable loss of power and MPG over time with no seeming fix from Ford. Posts here and elsewhere point to a known issue with GDI engines, but I would like a good explanation on why only some of the EB's experience this issue and not others. Is it local weather/environment, or fuel type or driving style or what exactly.

I can understand and appreciate if Ford is being aggressive with new technology and I can buy into that, but the problems have to be taken seriously and fixes introduced transparently and quickly. I don't see that last part and it concerns me and holds back my purchase.

 

I am a convert from diesel to the Eb and I wouldnt go back unless you truely need the diesel power. You will be hard pressed to find any 08 or newer diesel thats going to top 15mpg. To get 20mpg or better your talking the older cummins with mods done. Diesel was just o exspensive its 50 cents more a gallon here with 2-4mpg less than the gas, do the math over 10-30k miles and youll see the expense, not to mention scheduled maint is about double. It makes sense if you need it or in a car where you get 40mpg.

I dont know what bugs you are referring to in the EB. I know there are some unhappy campers with the 6pd tranny, nothing like major just annoyances but that tranny is in all the F150's.

 

My EcoBoost has been great

 

Nards, thanks for info. Re the EB issues, maybe I dreamt about it, but didn't I read plenty of cases in this forum and elsewhere about EB engines losing MPG, knocking/shudderig, etc... maybe because of this issue noticed at the BGFuelTest site?

 

I think there have been about 3 dozen problem trucks so far, out of the hundreds of thousands produced. I've got over 6k on my truck and haven't had any problems, and I've put her through some nasty weather, driving between Pittsburgh and the DC area.

-John

 

Ive heard some grumblings as you mentioned and as draken said a few out of thousands. And to me regardless of what platform, on sites like this you have a lot of grumblings but not necessarily anything substaniated. Like I said do not do the diesel, get the 5.0 or whatever.

 

Yes the sample size is pretty huge, and the total number of problem trucks probably is less than a hundred. I like the concept and loved my test drive of the EB, and would prefer not to go big V8 again. Too bad about diesels being only sized for major towing as I love what diesels do in my passenger car and SUV. Thanks for the responses.

 

I read the forums and read the forums. And I actually started to get 2nd thoughts. The concept of a V6 for economy and 11K+ towing when you need it makes an awesome combination. As far as mileage, I test drove one cold through city driving and got 16, and the ride was great. I went for it. Now have about 4K on a '12 S/cab. It's a towing machine I tell you. Mileage is the same as the '99 V6 Tacoma it replaced, and there is no comparison on the ride or features. All the scary things I read previously are not present in mine. Smooth, powerful, awesome feeling, incredible features and excellent mileage for such a large vehicle. No grumbles here.

 

I think some of the scary things you refer to is really people that havent owned the vehicle or the few that just got unlucky with a lemon. This new engine came out and there are skeptics. You had to change a whole culture that thought bigger displacement must be better. When in reality the europeans for years have been using smaller displacement engine with forced induction to achieve just as much if not more power than the American V8. A lot of the problem is just getting buy in.

Some of the top grumblings is tranny and MPG. Well the tranny is in every F150 so that problem if it is one is inherent to all engines. Now as far as MPG. I must admit Ford hyped it big time with saying 22MPG and all of that, but people failed to realize for one thats HWY and on a 4x2 with probably 3.55 gears. Now if you really look at it most people are getting or close to the wind sticker for around town and such.

Minus MPG you have to look at capability and that is why I bought the truck. To get 16mpg in town, and tow my 9500lb boat safely and legally that capability didnt exsist until now. I could care less that its force inducted, has 2 cylinders or 8. I was looking for capability.

 

You got it exactly right!

 

The grumbling (I am concerned about) seems to be more seriously grounded around engine performance degrading consistently over a relatively short period... this is not a tranny issue, may be it's this general issue of DI engines getting getting intake ports clogged up from poorly designed EGR. I don't know how it can happen to some engines and not all because it seems a generic design issue.

I would feel better about buying if there was an acknowledgement about what caused the lemons to occur and what the overall fix to the design is.

I presume that 90% of complaints are visible on forums, and 1% of satisfied customers are visible on forums. But getting a good F150 still seems like a roll of the dice even if it's a roll with pretty darn good odds.

 

I dont understand. I JUST got my 2012 eco screw xlt 3.73 2 days ago. 140 miles of city, country and highway combined with passing people and testing out the power AND letting it sit at idle for 15 min to warm up and im STILL getting 18.2 MPG! I got 19.6 from the dealer picking it up to my house 80 miles away. This is also with passing 3 people and going threw some hilly terrain. Am I lucky? I have 480 miles on it now about.