Ecoboost love? I don't get it....

5,943 Views | 48 Replies | Last: 3 mo ago by AggieJames09
Absolute
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AG
Not sure I understand it at all. Give me a good Old v8 any day. I drive a 3.0 twin turbo car daily that is night and dsay better than this thing - not a fair comparison, I know. Not a particular fan of gm or Ford, but overall like this better than a recent yukon xl rental. No longer in the large suv market, but could be a truck buyer someday again. Not looking to start a fight, just not sure I understand all the ecoboost hype.

Have a rental expedition to take daughter to college. First chance to drive an ecoboost. Sounds awful, but who really cares about that. Acts really weird at low speeds. Power wise it is fine if you get into it, given the size of the vehicle. It was fine on the highway and didn't feel particularly underpowered. But didn't feel powerful either. I had to Google to nake sure they didn't put the 4 cylinder in these, because I wasn't sure from driving it... Final whammy, got 19.2 mpg on the highway which is barely better than what I remember from the 2004 v8 expedition we had way back when,that drove much better in my failing memory.

By comparison, we rented a yukon xl for a spring break trip to Florida. It was bigger and had a v8 and got somewhere around 22 to 24 mpg (both mpgs are computer generated - don't care enough to calculate) on the trip. Same driving style. Maybe gm plays with their mpg readings to make people feel better? Don't buy these for gas mileage, I know.

Overall, I like the drive and feel and interface of the Ford better. But, man, I would not want to buy that engine In a 60k plus vehicle that size.
ElephantRider
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AG
Pull a trailer with it, you'll see the difference there
JSKolache
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AG
Turbo power is different. Its there, but its different. Always has been, always will be.
robertcope
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ElephantRider said:

Pull a trailer with it, you'll see the difference there
Pull a trailer up into the mountains with it, you'll see an even bigger difference, I'm sure...
12th Man Ag
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AG
Ecoboost 6 vs Triton V8 is no contest
Ag for Life
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AG
12th Man Ag said:

Ecoboost 6 vs Triton V8 is no contest

Triton V8 getting 19 mpg, LOL.

Our 2023 Expy got 21+ mpg on back to back trips to Florida and Colorado. 380 HP and 470 lb-ft of torque is not underpowered. It will go from 60-100 effortlessly even fully loaded down. I definitely prefer V8 sounds but the 3.5 is superior in every other metric. Time will tell whether the cam phaser issues are solved or not but that won't grenade my engine like an AFM failure or a lifter failure common in the GM twins.
The Fife
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... said:

I drive a 3.0 twin turbo car daily that is night and dsay better than this thing - not a fair comparison, I know. ...
Z32 TT?
Absolute
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AG
Not trying to be a hater. Not going to tow anything. Don't really want to ever buy a truck again. So, I'm not the target audience.

I was just - surprised, I guess. Expected more from all the hype. Expected it to be Similar to my car, I guess. It is smooth and powerful and faster than many of the v8s I had when younger. Wife has the red sport and it is stupid powerful. I never miss my old v8s with them.

Also the low speed stuttering and hesitating, which could be this particular vehicle, is really annoying.

Guess I just expected more.

Kind of sad the despite 20 years and all the tech and marketing and messing around with turbos and 10 speed transmissions, they really can't conquer physics and aerodynamics and make a huge heavy square block get good mileage. Nor would I expect them to.
Absolute
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AG
Q50s. Great bang for the buck fun to drive sedan.

Wife has a q60 coupe red sport. Stupid powerful. Can get away from you despite traction control.

Not apples to apples a realize.
The Fife
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Anything crossover compared to a Z32TT is like

BrazosDog02
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AG
You can get a Ford diesel. It's the original eco boost. V8 noises and turbo.
ttha_aggie_09
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AG
As others have mentioned, towing with the boost is like towing with a diesel. It's effortless and the power is just constantly at your disposal, particularly now with the 10 speed. It's also very quick when not loaded down.

Sure, I miss the V8 rumble but I'm not going back and am on boost number 2 and wife is on boost number 1
Absolute
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AG
I will say I like the vehicle In General. Nice ride. The tech all worked pretty well and was intuitive. Better overall than the yukon.

Will push it a little today and see how it feels......


htxag09
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AG
Absolute said:

Final whammy, got 19.2 mpg on the highway which is barely better than what I remember from the 2004 v8 expedition we had way back when,that drove much better in my failing memory.
I feel like your memory may indeed be failing you if you think the 2004 v8 expeditions got nearly 20 mpg.....

My mom had one, pretty sure average was like 12-14 mpg. Perfect condition roadtrip, maybe 16-17.....
Buck Turgidson
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The boost has better mileage and much better acceleration than the v8. Simple as that. I don't care about the sound of the engine.
Flaith
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AG
You DD a turbo car, so you know that there is a HUGE difference in fuel consumption when you stay out of boost vs. in boost.

My car has a 2.0T, and I can get 2-3mpg difference on a tank if I'm primarily highway driving and staying out of boost or limit boost to ~5psi vs. 20psi pulls.

That said, talking mpg for a giant brick pickup truck is a ridiculous non sequitur.

3.5L boost shines when you're towing, especially at elevation. If you want good empeegees on your full sized pickup, get a 2.7T boost with 3.15 gears
Mas89
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AG
Buck Turgidson said:

The boost has better mileage and much better acceleration than the v8. Simple as that. I don't care about the sound of the engine.
I had never driven a boost until getting an F150 loaner for a couple weeks recently. Never pulled anything with it but I could not believe the acceleration the 3.5L had. Much more acceleration than my new F250 7.3 Godzilla gasser.
MouthBQ98
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AG
The boost doesn't have to Rev and roar to reach max torque. At 2500 RPM it is putting out as much power as at 4500 rpm. That's what you are not hearing and feeling, and where the gas mileage savings are coming from. It also is able to drop off fuel and air consumption once you hit a cruising speed to sustain and it doesn't need all the power to accelerate.

I used to be skeptical of turbos but that's due to older poor quality implementations. These new designs seem to be reliable and efficient.
Buck Turgidson
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If you really want good acceleration, the Powerboost takes the 3.5 ecoboost and adds an electric engine. It will beat just about everything except a Raptor R or TRX. It will consistently beat the old 6 cylinder Raptors in TFL Truck videos. However Consumer Reports has given a lower reliability rating to the early Powerboosts. I hope they work any remaining bugs out of those soon. Would love to have one eventually.
reproag
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AG
htxag09 said:

Absolute said:

Final whammy, got 19.2 mpg on the highway which is barely better than what I remember from the 2004 v8 expedition we had way back when,that drove much better in my failing memory.
I feel like your memory may indeed be failing you if you think the 2004 v8 expeditions got nearly 20 mpg.....

My mom had one, pretty sure average was like 12-14 mpg. Perfect condition roadtrip, maybe 16-17.....
Agree. We had a 2013 or 14 with a v8 and best I ever saw was 16 mpg. Plus I've seen plenty of V8s on trade ins and none avg 20 mpg.
Canyon99
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AG
htxag09 said:

Absolute said:

Final whammy, got 19.2 mpg on the highway which is barely better than what I remember from the 2004 v8 expedition we had way back when,that drove much better in my failing memory.
I feel like your memory may indeed be failing you if you think the 2004 v8 expeditions got nearly 20 mpg.....

My mom had one, pretty sure average was like 12-14 mpg. Perfect condition roadtrip, maybe 16-17.....

Lol. Had a 2003 and it averaged 15 on a good day. The 2020 with the 3.5 is noticeably better in all aspects (not just mpg).
Kyle Field Shade Chaser
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AG
As an owner of both the 5.0 and the 3.5, I can say both have value. But when it comes to towing and hauling the 3.5 is noticeably better, the 5.0 still gets the job done (it's not like you can't tow with the 5.0)...but the 3.5 is definitely better if you plan to tow or haul with an F150 somewhat frequently.

I've had more minor problems with the 3.5 than the 5.0. I had zero problems with the 5.0. I agree that the 3.5 doesn't get as good of mpg as you might think.

When driving in snow or slick roads I prefer the 5.0. The 3.5L tends to spool up and shoot off, and in snow it has tendency to spin the wheels more, even in 4x4 mode. The 5.0 is definitely better climbing up or navigating snowy roads or soggy/muddy terrain.
DSAg99
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Ag for Life said:

12th Man Ag said:

Ecoboost 6 vs Triton V8 is no contest

Triton V8 getting 19 mpg, LOL.

Our 2023 Expy got 21+ mpg on back to back trips to Florida and Colorado. 380 HP and 470 lb-ft of torque is not underpowered. It will go from 60-100 effortlessly even fully loaded down. I definitely prefer V8 sounds but the 3.5 is superior in every other metric. Time will tell whether the cam phaser issues are solved or not but that won't grenade my engine like an AFM failure or a lifter failure common in the GM twins.
How fast do you drive on road trips? If you are getting 21+ hand calc at the pump in a fully loaded expedition traveling at 80-85mph then i would consider that amazing. My v8 tundra gets 15 with a tailwind in those conditions...
GrapevineAg
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AG
Trinity Ag
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S
htxag09 said:

Absolute said:

Final whammy, got 19.2 mpg on the highway which is barely better than what I remember from the 2004 v8 expedition we had way back when,that drove much better in my failing memory.
I feel like your memory may indeed be failing you if you think the 2004 v8 expeditions got nearly 20 mpg.....

My mom had one, pretty sure average was like 12-14 mpg. Perfect condition roadtrip, maybe 16-17.....
I had an '06 King Ranch Expedition, and I averaged 13-14 mpg in the city. Lower when my wife would drive it (gas-brake-gas-brake...zero coast)

On the Highway I could squeeze out maybe 17.

I'm pretty sure 14/17 was its EPA rating.

And though it wasn't a dog, it certainly wasn't quick by any measure.

My 2010 F150 Lariat with the Triton was the same -- maybe a hair better.

My 2019 5.0 F150 KR is pretty much 17/19.
Tim Weaver
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This just in:

Guy who would never buy a truck doesn't understand trucks..... Film at 11.
TXAG 05
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AG
GrapevineAg said:




No replacement for displacement!
trip98
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AG
on the sputtering you mentioned.....from a guy who's had v8....3.5L boost...and now 2.7L boost...
first ford was an '02 v8 king ranch and I got so-so mileage
Then I had a '12 ecoboost that was 3.5 with 3.15 gears and 6 speed.....smooooooth, crazy quick, and could tow great. Plus decent mileage even with my 20 mile to downtown houston commute. On highway got REALLY good mileage
Now I've got a '22 boost but the 2.7 boost with 10 speed...and lowest I could get was 3.55 gears. Had to change engines to get 3.31 or 3.15 gears. Still very quick and tows pretty well. Both of those aspects are good but not as great as the 3.5L. Mileage is GREAT
NOW to the sputtering, It happens on my truck in the low gears...2-4 when have it in normal driving mode. Doesn't happen when towing and is much less noticeable when in Economy mode. Plus if you turn off auto start/stop it seems to help too. I don't know if it's the 3.55 gears or just the 10 speed. I'm not an expert when it comes to the things. I chalk it up to having to get things right for the gumbment fuel economy regulations.

Luckily, I got this basically to give to my son in a few years when he turns 16 and is driving to/from school, sports, work. At that time, I'm going back to the 3.5 boost. Maybe v8 if I get a bigger boat!!
HumpitPuryear
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AG
MouthBQ98 said:

The boost doesn't have to Rev and roar to reach max torque. At 2500 RPM it is putting out as much power as at 4500 rpm. That's what you are not hearing and feeling, and where the gas mileage savings are coming from. It also is able to drop off fuel and air consumption once you hit a cruising speed to sustain and it doesn't need all the power to accelerate.

I used to be skeptical of turbos but that's due to older poor quality implementations. These new designs seem to be reliable and efficient.
Yeah this is the key. Look at torque curves for the TT engines vs a normally aspired 5.0. For the TT the torque builds fast.

I have an Explorer ST (3.0L eco) This week I was traveling and picked up my rental car from Hertz on Monday night. Guy says it's a black Durango in spot 324. I go out and see the hemi badge on the fender. Then go around back to put my bags in and there's the R/T badge on the tailgate (woohoo). Had some fun comparing the Durango to the ST for a few days. The V8 sounds pretty good although in the truck I couldn't really hear it. In sport mode it was a beast. More "raw" than the ST and reminded my of the feel of driving my GT500. But, it didn't feel any quicker than my ST and my ST in Sport mode is also damn quick. The real difference was MPG. When I turned in the R/T it read 12.5mpg!! I climbed into my ST last night and the display said 24.1mpg. Of course I was driving mostly stop and go urban/suburban in the R/T vs mostly highway with the ST but I don't think I could get the ST to clock 12.5mpg if I was towing a house with it.

This is my second ecoboost and I am a believer. The ST in eco mode averaged nearly 25mpg (calculated at fill up) on our recent round trip to Minnesota but I can flip the dial to Sport mode and do a near 5sec 0-60. I wish the build quality was a little better and it didn't have the stupid dial for a shifter and Ipad infotainment screen but overall I really like it.
Buck Compton
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AG
Buck Turgidson said:

If you really want good acceleration, the Powerboost takes the 3.5 ecoboost and adds an electric engine. It will beat just about everything except a Raptor R or TRX. It will consistently beat the old 6 cylinder Raptors in TFL Truck videos. However Consumer Reports has given a lower reliability rating to the early Powerboosts. I hope they work any remaining bugs out of those soon. Would love to have one eventually.
I have a 2021 PowerBoost KR with about 65,000 miles on it. Have had zero issues whatsoever. Not sure what issues are driving those reports, maybe I got lucky.

Used the 7.2 kW generator in the bed a lot more this summer working on a few projects, but probably only a total of like 10 times now in just over 2 years.

That electric motor makes it fly when you want to get into it, though. Faster than the raptors I've driven, but admittedly I haven't driven the latest iteration.
Ag for Life
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AG
DSAg99 said:

Ag for Life said:

12th Man Ag said:

Ecoboost 6 vs Triton V8 is no contest

Triton V8 getting 19 mpg, LOL.

Our 2023 Expy got 21+ mpg on back to back trips to Florida and Colorado. 380 HP and 470 lb-ft of torque is not underpowered. It will go from 60-100 effortlessly even fully loaded down. I definitely prefer V8 sounds but the 3.5 is superior in every other metric. Time will tell whether the cam phaser issues are solved or not but that won't grenade my engine like an AFM failure or a lifter failure common in the GM twins.
How fast do you drive on road trips? If you are getting 21+ hand calc at the pump in a fully loaded expedition traveling at 80-85mph then i would consider that amazing. My v8 tundra gets 15 with a tailwind in those conditions...

Sorry, missed this question the other day.

That was trip computer MPG as I assumed that's what the OP was referring too. Probably 19.5-20.5 if I hand calced it based upon my 2015 F150 experience of reading 1-1.5 high on average. We probably averaged 75-80 mph on the trips with 4 people + luggage for week long trips.

I loved my 2007 5.7 Tundra too but it was 14 MPG all day, every day.
trailrunner
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AG
I was hesitant when I bought my ecoboost because of reliability concerns but it's just such a fun engine and the first time I towed with it I was blown away. I don't think I would get another V8. I would consider the new Tundra TT as it seems to be an ecoboost clone.
Kyle Field Shade Chaser
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AG
I got 40k miles on my PB with no issues so far. It's a '22. Maybe the '21's had more kinks to work out as the first year model. It gets 21.6 mpg combined and absolutely hauls in sport mode. So I mostly ride safe in 2WD!
JamesPShelley
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Eco this. Eco that. Just give me the 6 or 8 banger. Until I'm compelled... mandated by some governing body... II'll never own a 4-banger. Never. MPG? lol.
rsf0626
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I thought this was going to be a Mustang thread lol
rsf0626
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