2015 Ford V-6 Ecoboost vs V8

[mfoster711]

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/towing/

Am I reading this correct? It appears the 2015 Ford F-150 with a 3.5L ecoboost engine has more towing capacity that the same vehicle with a V-8 engine.

Looking at a 2015 SuperCrew with 3.5L it has a GCWR of 16100 where as the same vehicle with a V-8 has only a 14200 GCWR. Why is that?

I am planning to buy a F-150 soon to replace my 2007 F-250 and I need to make sure it can still handle my camper. I have an Outback Terrain 250TRS that has 5483lbs empty weight and 2017lbs Carrying Capacity. Roughly 7500lbs total weight if fully loaded.

[2112]

Tow your rig from Round Rock to Marble Falls. Not a flat spot to be found and you will be working your TV. Real nice motorcycle ride though.

BTW: I could sell my EB for $5k less than what I paid for it 4 years ago but she ain't for sale.

[Samsonsworld]

Lance72 wrote:
In defense of Texas being flat. 90% of the state is flat with some long gradual hills here and there.

I kindly disagree. If you've spent time around Austin and San Antonio, there is nothing flat about the Texas hill country. While there aren't a lot of long steep grades (there is a long 7% grade on I-10 I've been up many times), there are a million smaller steep grades.

[tragusa3]

OP, I tow almost the exact weight you do. Loaded with a family of 4, it uses a fraction of its power to tow. I'm on a six hundred mile trip right now and am averaging 11.1 on this trip. Of course I keep it at 58mph on the highway. I'm in flat country right now, and with cruise set, I'm at 1600rpm at that speed.... Feels like it is idling. My wife commented yesterday that as a passenger, she notices no difference with trailer and without. I wouldn't go that far, but it is close!

Anyone that doubts the EB really needs to find an opportunity to try it.

[Lance72]

In defense of Texas being flat. 90% of the state is flat with some long gradual hills here and there. There is one small area of the state where you can encounter mountains. I recently towed from Houston @sea level to Alpine, Tx @4475 and not once encountered a "mountain". You have continue past Alpine and head toward Big Bend National park to hit any real mountain climbs but even then most of those are short. Anyway I did this in a Honda Ridgeline towing 4500# and loaded up. Pushing 10,000 combined weight, the max for the truck. Almost every truck and trailer on the road was going 60-65 mph regardless of truck style/type/motor or trailer size/weight. There is so much more to towing than whats under the hood. The Ecoboost is a good set up but then so is the 5.0 or Chevy 5.3 The truth is the automakers have gotten us hooked. Every new version is better than the last but is it really? Buy a truck that suits your everyday needs and can tow what you have or want. there isn't any need to over kill your truck. Its ok to run it to the limit for the 10-15% of the time most truck owners tow, they are designed to do that. Happy towing. And remember Gun Powder and Whiskey don't mix so try not to spill any in your drink this July 4th weekend.

[BenK]

I don't buy/own my vehicles for re-sale value

Their value is for 'me' alone

I keep them till can't fix them anymore...or won't...

Vehicle ownership is one of the worst investments there are

[Community Alumni]

mr61impala wrote:

And which one will be an easier sell and a better ROI 3 to 5 years down the road?

Depreciating assets are terrible investments. Vehicles should be treated just like tires. Use them up until they're worthless, bring them into the dealer for recycling, buy a new one. That will net you more money than swapping trucks every 3 to 5 years.

[Samsonsworld]

After two years and 30k miles, the dealers around here are still asking about what I gave for my F150 brand new. You could certainly do worse.

Hey if you have the money, buy a one ton diesel. But if you don't, the F150 ecoboost is a solid truck that will tow one heck of big trailer.

[jerem0621]

mr61impala wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
One other positive of a heavy half with the ecoboost is forced induction. To get forced induction on a 3/4 ton truck you have to get a Diesel.

Now, is a Diesel 3/4 ton truck more expensive than an Ecoboost with the max payload? Maybe.. Depends on how they are optioned. Right now our local Ram dealership has 2500 Ram Tradesmen crew cabs with the 6.7 in the low $40k range. I have seen a lot of loaded up 2015 F150's selling for 50k plus.

Just wanted to mention that because the disparity in price for the class of truck isn't really that much.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

And which one will be an easier sell and a better ROI 3 to 5 years down the road?

I suspect in 3-5 years is going to be pretty difficult to sell either truck and claim a better ROI.... There are tons and tons of new trucks being sold now...I hope I am wrong, but I could see the truck market taking a dive again in the next 3-5 years... Especially since used trucks are selling for very high prices right now...that will change.

I've never thought about personal vehicles ROI from a financial stand point... ROI is really a profit term... A truck for personal use is financially a liability... A depreciating "asset" is not an asset... It's functionally a liability from a purely financial perspective.

The ROI for my vehicles comes from their ability to do three things...

1) safely and comfortably transport my family and I
2) protect my family and I in a collision
3) handle utility

DW was rear ended last year and I was thankful to have her in a unibody midsize SUV that can take a hit and keep her safe. That 30k I paid for that vehicle was money well spent...

I just don't think about how much I can sell a vehicle for in the future... I fully expect everything I buy to be worth A small fraction of what I paid by the time I get done with it.

My 2000 Lincoln Town Car has 163k miles on it and I intend to put 400k on it.

I hope that makes sense.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[FishOnOne]

Shadow_Grey wrote:
I pull this one all day long any day of the week and love it.

That's a very nice rig... I see more Ecoboost trucks pulling campers than the other two brands V8 combined.

[Sport45]

mr61impala wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
One other positive of a heavy half with the ecoboost is forced induction. To get forced induction on a 3/4 ton truck you have to get a Diesel.

Now, is a Diesel 3/4 ton truck more expensive than an Ecoboost with the max payload? Maybe.. Depends on how they are optioned. Right now our local Ram dealership has 2500 Ram Tradesmen crew cabs with the 6.7 in the low $40k range. I have seen a lot of loaded up 2015 F150's selling for 50k plus.

Just wanted to mention that because the disparity in price for the class of truck isn't really that much.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

And which one will be an easier sell and a better ROI 3 to 5 years down the road?

Depends on the buyer. Someone looking for a 1/2 ton wouldn't even be looking at the diesel... ROI is pretty bad for either of them unless you enjoy losing money.

If you're talking about how much you lose as a percentage of invested cost there may not be a whole lot of difference. I don't have any first hand experience though as I typically keep a truck 12 to 15 years. Wouldn't think about selling at 3-5 unless it was a POS.

[Shadow_Grey]

I pull this one all day long any day of the week and love it.

[mr61impala]

jerem0621 wrote:
One other positive of a heavy half with the ecoboost is forced induction. To get forced induction on a 3/4 ton truck you have to get a Diesel.

Now, is a Diesel 3/4 ton truck more expensive than an Ecoboost with the max payload? Maybe.. Depends on how they are optioned. Right now our local Ram dealership has 2500 Ram Tradesmen crew cabs with the 6.7 in the low $40k range. I have seen a lot of loaded up 2015 F150's selling for 50k plus.

Just wanted to mention that because the disparity in price for the class of truck isn't really that much.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

And which one will be an easier sell and a better ROI 3 to 5 years down the road?

[goducks10]

Samsonsworld wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

Samsonsworld wrote:
You mean no trouble? I tow over 9k and have no trouble maintaining 65mph up hill and bucking winds.

They have hills in Texas? Come on out to Oregon. I think my driveway is steeper than the hills in Texas. 🙂

:h

LOL. Okay you win.

[CantCampEnuf]

ugh wrote:

Samsonsworld wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

Samsonsworld wrote:
You mean no trouble? I tow over 9k and have no trouble maintaining 65mph up hill and bucking winds.

They have hills in Texas? Come on out to Oregon. I think my driveway is steeper than the hills in Texas. 🙂

:h

Try and park your camper on that drive way.

LOL... wow.. that is a hill!

[CantCampEnuf]

Samsonsworld wrote:
You mean no trouble? I tow over 9k and have no trouble maintaining 65mph up hill and bucking winds.

\

yes... i meant i have NO trouble, the truck will easily pull 70. I was saying that if i dont watch it, i go faster!!