Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

[CityHick]

I'm going to be in the market for a new daily driver soon. Curious if anybody on this board owns a 3.5L ecoboost equipped F150 and if so what their impressions of it are - ie, would you buy it again, what are your complaints, etc. I've driven a few of them and have been very impressed with the power and comfort. Online reviews seem mostly positive for towing, etc. The 2017 gains quite a bit more torque over the current model (and a 10 speed auto tranny which kinda frightens me).

I had been contemplating stepping up to a 250/2500 diesel (been driving a Chevy Silverado 1500 for 16 years which has met most of my needs). The F150 can be spec'd out for a 2600lb payload and ~12K lb towing which is above and beyond anything I'll likely need (not bad for a "half ton"). The bigger trucks are cool and I'd love to have one, but man the prices are high. I still may convince myself to step that direction but I am not sure I really want to spend nearly 70k... on a truck.

While I fantasize about getting a camper and a trailer to take the Bronco on longer trips, I don't think that's actually on my near term radar. I don't see myself pulling any 5th wheel trailers around either.

I have gotten quite accustomed to all the high-end bells and whistles in my current car (which will be going away as part of VW's "dieselgate") and I'll be buying something equipped at least as well as it is.

Anyway, any feedback is welcomed.

[Efibroncoman]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

I haven't driven an ecoboost but my 2015 Ram 2500 diesel probably gets better mileage with a much higher tow rating. For any truck, check out TrueCar.com. Last time I looked a Ram 2500 Tradesman 4x4 with Cummins was $39,xxx, no joke! Even the Laramie is $50,xxx.

[earlybronco72]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Only experience I have with ecoboosts is them accelerating better than my 5.4L F150, while towing a heavier trailer than mine.

[CityHick]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Jacob - what kind of mpg are you getting in your 2500 Ram/Cummins truck?
A friend of mine bought a new GMC Denali 2500 duramax and is seeing low-mid teens in combined driving. He's gotten about 21-22 on the highway, downhill and taking it easy.

I don't really "need" the extra towing capacity or payload of a 2500 but I do like the power. The Ram trucks are pretty nice with their coil suspension all around, interiors are nice too. Really was not impressed by the 1500 ecodiesel power but its mpg is pretty fantastic for a full size.

Marc - I don't doubt the ecoboost outperformed your truck, they are impressive. I did hear of one person who returned his for an F250 powerstroke after one trip towing with it, though that was probably a case of too much trailer for the truck.

[Efibroncoman]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Typically on flat freeway I get mid to high 20's like going from Roseville to Sacramento, I've gotten as high as 30. In town about 17. 13 towing my car trailer and Bronco which I think is around 9,000 lbs. Cummins engines have really hard chrome piston rings and the more you drive them the better the mileage gets. The most important thing is to tow heavy within the first 6,000 miles. Right now I have 19,000 miles on my truck and recently on a round trip to Monterey I got 22mpg overall which included in town and being stuck in traffic.

The newer Cummins Ram trucks have 3.42 axle gears and two overdrive gears in the automatic transmissions which is what makes the high mileage possible. 800 lb. ft. of torque helps too and my truck is completely stock.

[PhantomEB]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Keep it simple, 5.0 Ford or go Diesel. Once it's paid for, it's game on!

[CityHick]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

High 20s is impressive, I've not heard of these trucks getting that good of mpg. Kinda makes their ecodiesel 1500 seem totally irrelevant if that is the case.
I have seen the prices on truecar, and the local dealer here seems willing to move on price, but I have not yet sat down with them to actually talk numbers.

As it is likely still a ways out I am still weighing my options. Trucks are the most appealing to me on many levels but damn they are expensive. I never thought I'd be looking at vehicles priced at $50k and above. Thanks for your input.

Still curious if anybody else has things to say about the 3.5L ecoboost.

[Efibroncoman]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

They are crazy expensive! I dream about the days when I had no car payment but the new trucks do tow amazingly. Also, whether You pick Ford, Chevy or Ram 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, they are all the best they've ever been. But unfortunately all new cars seem to be ridiculously priced now.

[Rockbronco67]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

My in laws have 4 ecoboost. 2 2013, 1 2011, 1 2016. 2 of them are platinum and are pretty nice inside. They like them a lot but gas mileage is pretty shitty. Like 14mpg. They drive them pretty fast and are leveled with 33s. I've seem them tow pretty heavy loads with them. If you leave them stock and drive like a grandpa you will get 19mpg. They do have a lot of hp and tow pretty dam good up in the mountains.

[jperry1290]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

I was in the same boat last year and looked at all trucks gas and diesel, new and used for a long time. The parking lot at my work is full of trucks and I asked everyone for their opinions and here's what I heard.
Dodge: cheaper to buy, but has a lot of problems. Resale value is lower. My dad has has nothing but issues with his for the last two years, mostly electrical and window leaks.

Ford: the truck has been pretty much the same interior forever. My Explorer interior held up well to wear and tear. Guys still prefer the 5.0 to the ecoboost. Our police interceptor eco boosts have had issues, but probably related to the way we drive and idle for long periods.

Chevy: lots of guys are diehard chevy guys, but they seem to command a premium price. My wife's gmc acadia has 40k miles and has been a huge disappointment always being in the shop and interior wear is bad. I had issues with the local gmc dealer not wanting to fix recall issues until they broke.

Toyota: every tundra owner I spoke to loves their tundra and has had little to no issues. The 5.7 has been around for a long time and is a proven design. Depending on the model it can tow around 10k, which is more than I need and has worked well so far. Tundras also have one of the highest resale values. I ultimately bought a 16 tundra and love it. I get about 15mpg mostly city and heavy freeway traffic driving. The truck is fast, looks good, and seems to be built well.

[Rockbronco67]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

X2 on the tundra. I have a 2008 and have had no problems. Tows my rig no problem. 14mpg overall. Towing is like 9mpg. The thing I hate is it only has a 22gallon tank. Sucks Towing to the hammers and having to stop all the time. I won't buy another truck with a small tank. Also the small bed on the crew max sucks

[gddyap]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

As they say, there's no replacement for displacement. I would consider a 5.0 over the Ecoboost in an F150. You can always add boost to a 5.0 but you can't add cubic inches to an Ecoboost.

[CityHick]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

The new Tundra trucks have really grown on me, they are pretty nice. Previous generations not so much. Their reputation for poor mpg kept me less interested but I may have to go drive one anyway.

I absolutely hear the argument about no replacement for displacement, that has been one of my favorite sayings for a long time. Driving that ecoboost though (and having driven a 2.0L diesel for the last 3+ years) has started to shift my thoughts. My parents have a 2016 Edge Sport with the 2.7 ecoboost, it hauls ass.

The current GMC trucks are nice looking, but I really dislike the Chevy front grill, it bothers me. I'd consider another GM product however one of my good friends bought a GMC Denali HD with a duramax and when he hits a bump in the road, my head contacts the ceiling. That is with the seat adjusted all the way down. I am tall. The comments about interior wear are discouraging - my 16 year old Silverado interior is still in what I'd consider great shape. A little wear but it cleans up nice still.

A friend had a 2006 Dodge/Cummins 2500, it was pretty nice but he had issues with window leaks and stuff. I thought those were pretty much a thing of the past but maybe not?

Still very much in the exploration phase here - I may still swing back to another more economical vehicle but I'd really like to ditch my old truck and reduce the fleet, and being without a truck of any kind... I know I'd miss the truck capabilities often.

I'll keep an eye on this thread for a while and update whenever I decide what I am doing for sure.

[904Bronco]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Tony, How about a Tacoma? Or wait for the new Ranger in 2018... Or is 2020 now, when the Bronco comes back?

[CityHick]

Re: Off Topic - New Pickup Trucks

Tony, How about a Tacoma? Or wait for the new Ranger in 2018... Or is 2020 now, when the Bronco comes back?

I thought about a compact, actually sat in a Chevy Colorado crew cab and was reminded that (even though its bigger) its still very much a compact. If I am buying a truck its going to be a full size. The rumored return of the Bronco of course has me intrigued, but I'm pretty sure I don't want an SUV again. I enjoyed my old Blazer but when I replaced it with my truck I was far happier. I have looked at the JK wrangler a few times over the years.. and who knows what shape the Bronco will take, but if it is like the JK in size/function I am pretty sure I won't want it as a daily driver.

If/when I go check out the Tundra I'm sure I'll kick the tires on a Tacoma too, just for good measure.