Hello - we are seriously considering one of the ford vehicles with the twin turbo 3.5L ecoboost engine. Anyone who has experience towing with this engine, I would love to hear how it's working for you! We have a small trailer (16 foot Amerilite, dry weight 2300 pounds) and a small light boat. Want something that can easily tow our trailer cross country, sometimes in mountains. Any input is appreciated!Oh one more thing - am I going to see much difference between the 3 Fords that have this engine? Is the F-150 necessarily better than the Flex?Thanks!Melanie

A search will give you hours of reading on towing with a EB F150.Short story - our TT weighs 4800# empty (no idea loaded) and with my wife and I it doesn't lack for power.For your trailer and boat either the 5.0 V-8 or possibly the base V-6 would be OK.

Can't speak on the Flex or 2.7eco but I have a 3.5eco, xlt, 3.55,4x4,cc. It is a 2013, purchased in Dec 2013. Now has about 14,000 miles. We just had the battery replaced under warranty, other than that no problems.We have towed about 6,000 miles with it. Some hills but no mountains. We had a 18' aerolite (4,000 loaded ), now have a 25' Apex ( about 5200 loaded ). Have been to the Fl keys twice, once with each trailer. It tows like a dream compared to the 2004 F150 4.6 v8 4 speed I had. As to hills, only thing I can relate to so far are the tall bridges in Charleston and Jax. Mine will not miss a beat in tow haul / cruise getting to the top. I know they are not mountains but do give an indication of how it would handle the hills.Met a fulltimer in the Keys in Dec pulling a long TT with the same truck. He said it went up the mountains like crazy. Said his only problem was with braking on a couple of steep Rocky Mountain grades. Could have been operator error plus he was pulling 2 or 3 times what you will have.I would not hesitate in taking mine cross country. I can't imagine you having any problem at all.

Agree with riven1950. We have about 23,000 miles with about 12,000 towing. Have not taken it out west yet but no problems at all in Smoky's which may be the steepest the 150 has been.I don't know about the Flex, would it be considered a possible tow vehicle. The new Expedition with the 3.5 should be a nice combo though. My 2nd favorite tow vehicle was my 98 expy.

Think which model half ton, which options and how you load (including the weightof the people/pets/etc) are going to matter more in regards to the ratings systemthan the trailer itself (assuming it's GVWR isn't up there)Meaning that if your proposed TV is loaded with all options, crew cab, etcand you also load it up to it's GVWR or RGAWR before hooking up...theremight not be any ratings left for the trailer tongue weight/hitch/etc

I am amazed at the power my 2013 has. It outpulls my single valve V10 with no trouble. Mine is used to pull a 17' horse trailer that weighs about 5,500lbs with one horse in it. The only issue is that the rear suspension is a little soft when pulling. I replaced the rear shocks with Rancho 9000's and it helped some. The real solution would be to use a load distributing hitch or get max payload package. I would expect the Flex to be even softer but might still be adequate for a 2300lb trailer. Just keep in mind that you probably will be much more in control with a load distributing hitch and good trailer brakes even though they may not be required. Also, your trailer will weigh a lot more than 2300lbs when embarking on a camping trip. Since I need two tow vehicles I plan to buy a second Eco-boost as soon as the max payload package is available and replace the old V10. That might tell you how much I like the Eco-boost.

experiences towing with 3.5L ecoboost | Good Sam Community

Fordlover
Explorer
Feb 20, 2015
Melanie83103 wrote:
One more question - anyone know how many miles I can expect to get out of that twin turbo engine? My husband really wants the F-150.... not sure if it will work because of the seating issue, but I found one for sale for a good price, but it has 39,000 miles..... not sure how long that engine will hold out....

Thanks!

200K miles seems like a reasonable target. Most modern gasoline engines seem to be able to make it to 200K reliably, except for subaru for some reason....
brulaz
Explorer
Feb 20, 2015
Melanie83103 wrote:
One more question - anyone know how many miles I can expect to get out of that twin turbo engine? My husband really wants the F-150.... not sure if it will work because of the seating issue, but I found one for sale for a good price, but it has 39,000 miles..... not sure how long that engine will hold out....

Thanks!

The 3.5L EcoBoost has been out in the F150 since 2011. That's 4 years.

I'm sure there's quite a few high mileage ones (>100K miles) running around out there.

The drive train warranty is 60K miles IIRC.
Melanie83103
Explorer
Feb 20, 2015
One more question - anyone know how many miles I can expect to get out of that twin turbo engine? My husband really wants the F-150.... not sure if it will work because of the seating issue, but I found one for sale for a good price, but it has 39,000 miles..... not sure how long that engine will hold out....

Thanks!
ib516
Explorer II
Feb 19, 2015
Most that have the EcoBoost equipped Ford vehicles (mostly F150s around here) love them. I can tell you they sure scoot. We have two as AWD Taurus Police cars and one as an F150 4x4 police truck. They get driven hard, and have had no more repairs than any other police vehicle.

The power curve they offer is ideal for towing too.
carringb
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
2112 wrote:
Check the payload on the Flex. If you want that 3rd row to carry more people plus the 300lbs or so on the hitch you may run out of payload.

I only say this because my son's 4Runner has only 800lbs of payload. 4 people can wipe that out.

The Flex's payload ranges from 1,322 to 1,531 lbs depending on options. That is pretty close to many of the crew-cab F150s.
APT
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
Keep in mind the OP is not interested in the F-150 or any pickup. She wants a 3-row SUV to replace a minivan now that is within specification for her RV, but does not like the higher revs of a naturally aspirated V6. The Explorer/Flex with 3.5L Ecoboost seems like a good alternative to full sized SUVs like Tahoe/Expedition. Plenty of power, lower cost.

The Ecoboost in the Explorer and Flex are a little different than the F-150 but the performance is similar. Peak torque is a little lower in SUV vs F-150, but the vehicle weighs quite a bit less. I can't see how the an EB Explorer/Felx would not be a rocket compared to any minivan and relaxed towing within its ratings.

I'd like to see the 2.7L Ecoboost take over in ford's mid sized crossovers.
2112
Explorer II
Feb 19, 2015
Check the payload on the Flex. If you want that 3rd row to carry more people plus the 300lbs or so on the hitch you may run out of payload.

I only say this because my son's 4Runner has only 800lbs of payload. 4 people can wipe that out.
tragusa3
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
Not sure if it was mentioned, but part of the reason for my preference to the Ecoboost is that the rpm of the motor doesn't change much at all with or without a trailer in tow. The V8 options will, and significantly when climbing grades.
RinconVTR
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
Melanie83103 wrote:

We have a small trailer (16 foot Amerilite, dry weight 2300 pounds) and a small light boat. Want something that can easily tow our trailer cross country, sometimes in mountains. Any input is appreciated!

You are towing trailers that any mid-size SUC could tow cross country, thru any mountain range, and provide decent non-towing MPG.

And F-150 you choose, will work just fine. In regards to motors, in your case I feel it would come down to price and personal preference. Not much more.
jmiller
Explorer
Feb 19, 2015
I have a 14 f150 HD with the 3.5 Eco. 12000 miles , I ordered it. Pulls our 30' trailer with ease!! TONS of power. Looking for bigger trailer now.