Already posted on the F-150 forum.

Finally upgrading the ranger to a full size and I'm narrowing it down to a f-150 DBP ( or Blue Flame - thats the wifes' pick... I may lose ) with the 3.5 or 5.0.

Today I test drove a 3.5 eco boost and a 5.0, both 4x4 xlt's one had some of the Lariet options like the a/c seats . both were nice and the wife liked them .

So no matter which I end up with she will be happy - in theory.

I liked the sound and responsiveness of the 5.0 and the fact that its more familiar than the 3.5 and has less moving parts. I didn't really notice a difference in the torque , but coming from a 4.0 ranger they both blew it out of the water so I can't really compare... I have no complaints on either motor.

I am really leaning towards the 5.0 and 4x4 or at a minimum a locking rear diff.

I will be towing a Jeep on a trailer approx. 5k ( depending on the trailer) on occasion and a 17 foot boat loaded weighing around 2.2k . The boat had a total of 3 run hours in the last 2 years so very occasional.

I don't plan on needing the 4wd but it may come in handy in the future. So I figured I'd go for it if the price was right. I plan on this being my last truck . I keep all of my vehicles for a minimum of 10 years.


I guess what I'm asking is, does anyone have any regrets about either their 5.0 or 3.5 eco and a 4wd ? Any pro's / con's ?

Guess I just needed to think this through my head and put it all down... ha...

Thanks, James...

 

Tough choice to make there...

I'd personally go with the 3.5 turbo. Better mileage and still gobs of power and torque for towing/hauling/playing.

 

i wouldnt get a f150 if ya want a 10 yr truck... personally.

 

lol what? thats the ONLY truck id get if i wanted it to last 10 years.


ive driven both as well, personally, ill always go for the 5.0 over a turbo 3.5.
but thats probably only because im such a 5.0 fan haha.
both are great, the ecoboost does have slightly better mileage, but its not really THAT much better. especially when towing. tons of people went out and bought em first thing and were dissapointed it didnt get 25 MPG when towing their load.

basically, they're both great options, the 5.0 has a ton of aftermarket support as well.

 

I'd go 5.0L. It's n/a and any power adders are vonna make those numbers better then the Eco. If you decide to go forced of course.

 

Still haven't fixed the EcoBoost Turbo fiasco yet.

 

My choice would be 5.0, no question.

 

Thats what the warranty is for. They will eventually get it.

Either is a good choice, but with the gas prices the way they are I'd go eco for the better mpg. Not to mention its already turboed so upgrading will be much cheaper then taking a NA and adding forced induction.

 

I would get the 5.0 i wouldn't want to deal with the Ecoboost problems especially after warranty is out

 

I work at ford and i would go with the 5.0 and 2wd. You live in Florida, I really dont see the need for 4x4 down there. The 3.5 is a nice motor and the power is freaky but the 5.0 is just a way better motor and has Morris stated they will make more things to up the power.

 

4x4 is always nice to have. Florida has a lot of sand and it only takes one time to pull over and bury the rear while pulling 5k.

 

Two words.... The sound.

 

If I was keeping it for 10 years I would go with the 5.0, seems there is less to go wrong. If I lived in florida I would also get only 2wd with a locker since it is lighter and slightly better on fuel.

Personally though if I was planning to keep a truck for 10 years it would be a ford superduty 6.2L

 

Super duty and gas engine is gay. ^

 

Another vote for 5.0... I know a couple unhappy Ecoboost owners!

 

ok definatly going with the 5.0 just wanted to see some other inputs to push me over the edge...


The 2wd is an FX2 with the XLT convience and plus packages and the trailer tow package with a 3.55 locking rear and its $400 more expensive than the XLT 4x4 with the convience package , tow package and the chrome pkg ( don't care about chrome so it's not affecting me at all)

I would like the sliding rear window but one of the dealerships locally said they would do the swap for about $150...

My wife loves new truck shopping, I hate it....

 

get the 5.0 the 3.5 still needs tinkering to do on fords behalf the turbo area's

 

another vote for the 5.0 i loved the one i drove

 

5.0

 

i vote for 5.0 as well. especially if your going to be towing.

 

F150 with any motor and swap a ranger 3.0 with a 7.5 open and 3.73 gearing
















5.0L for sure though

 

Seriously or?..

 

Curious...What problems do the 3.5 motors have that need to be worked out still?

I think the idea of the motor is cool. Tuning in both of them seems like it would be easy to come by parts wise.

I can wait to see the results of the 3.5L after a tune and basic performance mods.

5.0s already have a lot of performance stuff out. We know they can be made quick. Even n/a...Not sure how well they do in the f150. When you go to step up to boost to get some real power plan on spending tons of money. :-(
I didn't know that the 3.5s had problems but I think they will be great motors once they are all sorted out. We know that the 5.0s are really stout motors. If it were me I would have a really tough time deciding too. (As long as I knew the 3.5 was sorted out properly.)

Since you have already decided and the wife is happy then you better put pics up when you get it. ;-)
Those 5.0's are already making good numbers n/a.

Not gonna lie, in a few years I would think that the 3.5L is going to be a big contender and not easily brushed off. Look at the low end tq.

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

 

5.0 all the way. More familiar to work on, naturally aspirated, and of course the Godly sound that it produces is enough to sell me. The 3.5 is a sweet engine, don't get me wrong. I would just personally choose the 5.0 over it.

And these Northerners don't know what they're talking about, haha. 4x4 is a good thing to have in Florida. Especially if you plan on using the truck to have fun with, and launch boats, you'll undoubtedly come across the day when it would be extremely convenient to have power at the front end.

 

If I was buying a new truck it would be an ecoboost. The way gas prices are going, smaller boosted motors are going to be more and more. I chuckle every time I see somebody say how unreliable the turbo's are, and then turn around and cream their pants over a diesel. Besides, why wouldn't you want a v6 that could tow 11000 pounds?