2018 Titan vs Ford F150 XD

I guess I am also in the camp of I wish they would have tested the heavier package in the F150. I know first hand the negative effect tires that are too soft for the job have on the towing experience.

I wish they would have talked about the average speed going up the hill. How long does it take to make the run at an average speed of 60 MPH (the speed limit)? From this test, it looks like the EcoBoost holds that 60 the full run - something I can't do with my Yukon Denali XL towing my 7000 pound boat.

The EcoBoost is an impressive tow engine. These tests always make me wonder why they make whatever changes are necessary to offer it as an option in a F250.

RobertRyan wrote:

Maybe. Ford says the Pickup passes the J2807 standard for towing that weight,Going By the results either the standard is not representative or Ford is making a bad call on it's compliance.
Having to brake 9 times compared to twice on the Titan XD on a fairly moderate gradient and feeling you had little control, suggests something is pretty wrong.

It towed it, didn't it? J2807 has no requirements for engine braking. They did not overheat their brakes or lose any braking performance, so I'd say it worked as intended. I'm not saying engine braking only isn't nice, but it certainly isn't necessary, especially for somebody who buys a truck for only occasional towing.

Just 12 years ago, a stock Cummins diesel would have required the service brakes even more.

RobertRyan wrote:

carringb wrote:

RobertRyan wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
They should have tested the F150 HD versus the Titan XD.

No, the specs said that version of the F150 could do it. It was certainly fast up the climb

However there's an option for more payload available, and would have matched or bettered the payload of the Nissan XD. Keep in mind the XD is Nissan's high payload option. You don't think comparing similar payloads is a better comparison?

Maybe. Ford says the Pickup passes the J2807 standard for towing that weight,Going By the results either the standard is not representative or Ford is making a bad call on it's compliance.
Having to brake 9 times compared to twice on the Titan XD on a fairly moderate gradient and feeling you had little control, suggests something is pretty wrong.

The Ford in the video pulled it safely so it does comply with J2807. However, it just did not tow it as well as the Titan XD in regards to stability and bounce control which the J2807 does not test for. This is because the Titan XD has a stiffer suspension which helped control the bounce and the trailer nose diving every time you brake. When the trailer nose dives(which they mentioned the Ford was doing), it feels like the trailer is pushing the truck. The F150 HD with it's stronger and stiffer suspension would have controlled bounce and trailer nose dive better than that regular F150 would which is why I stated that it would have been a better comparison to the XD.

As far as braking. Only nine braking events may not be up to today's expectations, but compared to my old DRW diesel that is pretty good. Nine braking events is not a lot over the course of eight miles when towing 12k down a 7% grade highway. My heavier old diesels that didn't have exhaust brake or throttle vacuum like a gasser does would have needed more than that.

There is no doubt that the bigger V8 engine in the Titan XD will create more vacuum and slow the truck down better then the smaller V6 engine, but it is a moot point if the brakes are more than able to handle it. But seriously, only nine brakes events are not bad considering the conditions.

RobertRyan wrote:

...
Ford says the Pickup passes the J2807 standard for towing that weight,Going By the results either the standard is not representative or Ford is making a bad call on it's compliance.
Having to brake 9 times compared to twice on the Titan XD on a fairly moderate gradient and feeling you had little control, suggests something is pretty wrong.

I think the main problem is the Ecoboost's relative lack of engine braking. The HD version of the F150, with it's LT tires and stiffer suspension, might have helped in the "control" department, but when you're having a hard time keeping your speed down, things can get sketchy fast.

Ended up with a diesel after 5 years with our F150 EcoB. Towing heavy (8500# trailer, 14,500# GCW) worked fine most of the time, and it certainly got up any hill, but after smoking the brakes going down once, I avoided the steep descents afterwards.

A V8 or diesel has gotta be better going down.

Not sure how the J2807 standard handles the down slopes.

Considering that they used a scale to load and distribute the weight correctly, I would’ve thought the outcome should have been better. Just remember Ford is seated deeply in the SAE organization and the testing is performed by the manufacturer and then the data submitted to the SAE for compliance approval. If you think about it much of the tests is simulated and calculated, how many days are going to be exact conditions the test requires on the Davis dam route.

carringb wrote:

RobertRyan wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
They should have tested the F150 HD versus the Titan XD.

No, the specs said that version of the F150 could do it. It was certainly fast up the climb

However there's an option for more payload available, and would have matched or bettered the payload of the Nissan XD. Keep in mind the XD is Nissan's high payload option. You don't think comparing similar payloads is a better comparison?

Maybe. Ford says the Pickup passes the J2807 standard for towing that weight,Going By the results either the standard is not representative or Ford is making a bad call on it's compliance.
Having to brake 9 times compared to twice on the Titan XD on a fairly moderate gradient and feeling you had little control, suggests something is pretty wrong.

RobertRyan wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
They should have tested the F150 HD versus the Titan XD.

No, the specs said that version of the F150 could do it. It was certainly fast up the climb

However there's an option for more payload available, and would have matched or bettered the payload of the Nissan XD. Keep in mind the XD is Nissan's high payload option. You don't think comparing similar payloads is a better comparison?

demiles wrote:

rjstractor wrote:
I think that many of you guys viewed this test as some sort of competition, and TFL portrays it as such. I looked at it differently, and I think it underscores the fact that there is more to towing comfortably than what is under the hood and the factory tow ratings. It's the reason that most guys would choose a 250/2500 series truck to tow a trailer approaching 12,000 lbs., and it's the reason the Titan handled that trailer better with the exception of uphill speed. For that trailer I would certainly pick an F250 or 350 with the 6.2 even though the F150 with the Ecoboost will get up the hill faster. And I doubt the selection of the HD version of the F150 would have made much difference, the XD is still much heavier both loaded and unloaded.

Well said!

X2

danrclem wrote:
It is apples and oranges. If I were going to tow that much weight very often I wouldn't want either one of them.

Very true.

ShinerBock wrote:
They should have tested the F150 HD versus the Titan XD.

No, the specs said that version of the F150 could do it. It was certainly fast up the climb