experiences towing with 3.5L ecoboost

[Melanie83103]

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

[Fordlover]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[mbopp]

fx2tom wrote:
I had a 2012 F150 EcoBoost MaxTow. Had 28k miles on it when I traded it in after 5k miles or so of overheating issues

I'm surprised - the MaxTow package has a bigger radiator with an extra row of tubes over the standard tow package (at least that's what Ford told me.) OK, so I have a small TT but it's never given me a hint of overheating as opposed to my Envoy.

[fx2tom]

I had a 2012 F150 EcoBoost MaxTow. Had 28k miles on it when I traded it in after 5k miles or so of overheating issues.

Last Ford I'll own but plenty of people have better experiences

[wvabeer]

I have 13 150 super cab with the Ecoboost with 331 gears in West Virginia this truck waay out pulls my old f 350 V10 430 gears in the mountains with better than twice better MPG.

[Fordlover]

Melanie83103 wrote:
Thanks for the input. It sounds like most of you have the ecoboost in the F-150. Do you think it would be different in the explorer or the flex? The engine appears to be the same - 3.5L V6 ecoboost. Would it be any different in the different vehicles? I would really prefer to have a 3rd row of seating which is why I keep looking at the flex or explorer....

Yes, I will do a search through the posts too 🙂

Melanie

The Flex requires AWD to get the Ecoboost.

The engine is in fact different between the F-150 and all other vehicles the ecoboost is put into. The F-150 version has several modifications to help it deal with the higher expected duty cycle in the F-150. All that being said, if the trailer you want to pull is all within the ratings of the Flex, I expect you will enjoy the towing experience.

Just keep in mind, the Flex has a tow rating of 4500 properly equipped, and the F-150 has a tow rating of 12,000 properly equipped. That is not accidental.