EcoBoost And V6 Outsell V8 In Ford F-150 Trucks

When Ford gambled on the bread and butter F-150 pickups in offering their new twin-turbo 3.5 liter EcoBoost engines many in the press narrowed our eyes and wondered. The idea that a company could offer a smaller engine, not a big hunkin V8, as an extra cost option and get away with it was one that on the surface goes counter to convention. When spending up, men expect inches and girth when it comes to their trucks. Or so we all thought.

The EcoBoost V6 in the 2011 F-150 produces 365 horsepower and a stump pulling 420 lbs of torque. That makes it more powerful than the much larger and also optional 5.0 liter V8 which produces some 360hp and 380 lbs. of torque. The combination of twin turbochargers with intercooling and direct injection makes the 3.5 liter V6 not only powerful but more efficient. And though this engine is smaller than the 5.0 liter V8, the option costs more.

The EcoBoost 3.5 liter V6 is a $1750 option which is a $750 premium over the 5.0 liter V8 which costs only $1000. What is significant though is the selling point to the new EcoBoost. It’s about power, yes. But it’s about miles per gallon. While it’s the most powerful engine available in most F-150 configurations, it’s also the most fuel efficient. It’s having your cake and eating it too.

The EcoBoost is rated at 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway where the 5.0 liter V8 with less power gets less mpg at 15 city and 21 highway. With the power it offers you should really compare it to the top 6.2 liter V8 which gets 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. And when you consider that if you want to tow with the Ford F-150, your top two engine options are the 3.5 liter EcoBoost or the largest 6.2 liter V8 you see even the 5.0 falls behind. The tow rating for the 3.5 EcoBoost and the 6.2 liter V8 is 11,300 lbs. The top tow configuration for the 5.0 V8 is only 10,000 lbs.

Ford has tested this new engine, making many public ovations to prove that this smaller engine can not only do the job in the F-150 but stay together and last. The perception that a smaller engine tuned more aggressively wont last as long working harder has been put down by many public shows of endurance including torture testing and racing Ford has done. The real test however is in the showrooms. Would people actually buy it?

Well they are. Since the introduction of the EcoBoost V6 in the F-150 people have been eating it up. In May some 41% of all F-150’s sold came with the EcoBoost engine. That’s 4 out of every 10 F-150’s. When you combine the new 302hp base 3.7 liter naturally aspirated V6, we see that some 55% of all F-150’s sold now have V6 engines. For the first time, the V6 is out selling the V8.

It marks a shift in conventional thought that the larger engine is the best for towing and power. While fuel prices have had a significant effect on buying habits, the change also shows that truck buyers are more sophisticated than some thought. We now know that in the bullrings of America, ‘Ol Hoss is not afraid to brag up his smaller engine – that size of your motor is less important than what you can do with it. At least 41% of pick up buyers saw the value of engineering and robustness in the smaller twin-turbo engine over what might be considered a “safe bet” of a V8. That was the gamble Ford took and as of today at least, it appears they won the bet.

great info dan! turbo's FTW

I still would like to have that ecoboost v6 in my Stang!!...