The full-size pickup and the V-8 were supposed to be inseparable, like the internet and cat videos. You can’t have one without the other, or so we thought.
In America’s most popular vehicle, the Ford F-150, two turbocharged six-cylinder engines marketed under the EcoBoost name have dethroned the naturally aspirated V-8. Ford’s new 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 is the popular choice, while the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 is the top performer. The larger six allows for greater hauling capacity, accelerates the truck more quickly, and consumes less gas in EPA tests than the V-8 alternative. It’s enough for even old-school truck buyers to recognize that there’s actually a replacement for the displacement.
Reading: 2016 f 150 review car and driver
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and yet a v-8 in a big truck still feels so natural, so right. In the F-150, the 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 is tuned for torque more than power, but still revs with a rousing giddiness that reminds us that this engine’s other job is to power the Mustang. Response follows the accelerator pedal faithfully, while the six-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and easily. Together they bring this 5,220-pound F-150 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, which is 0.4 seconds faster than the 5.3-liter Chevrolet Silverado with the six-speed automatic and 0.9 seconds faster than the 5.3 Silverado with the new automatic transmission. eight speed. However, the 3.5-liter Ecoboost can make it half a second faster, but its synthetic soundtrack doesn’t have the rich, multi-layered tone of the V-8.
It wasn’t until we loaded our test truck with a 6,400-pound trailer (well below its 9,000-pound rating) that we fully understood the case for upgrading to the 3.5-liter ecoboost. The twin-turbo engine offers an additional 2,500 pounds of towing capacity and handles lighter tasks with much less effort. The 5.0-liter truck needs more revs and a wider throttle opening to accelerate its load, so we’ve often been talked into pressing the throttle all the way to the floor for even modest acceleration. The Torquier EcoBoost engine offers a more vigorous response at part throttle.
In real-world situations, without a trailer, the 3.5-liter twin-turbo engine doesn’t deliver on its promise of better fuel economy, with both the 5.0-liter v-8 and v-6 getting 16 mpg in our hands. . but given the 3.5-liter’s virtues, we can forgive it for that transgression.
trucks are the new luxury
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Pickup trucks were once transportation for the working class. today, they’re surrogate luxury vehicles, or at least that’s how they’re priced. If you think the window sticker on our $57,240 test truck is lofty, consider that our model, the Lariat, is merely a mid-spec trim. There are three additional grades (King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited) positioned and priced higher, plus the 3.5-liter Ecoboost that costs an extra $400, as well as a host of options to inflate the price beyond $60K. squint and you can almost see the six figure trucks of the future on the horizon.
However, for the most part, the hardware on this particular collar lives up to the price. Driver and passenger seats are heated and cooled with 10-way power adjustment and supple leather. Tech includes blind-spot monitoring, navigation, and a 110-volt AC outlet. Nods to utility include integrated spotlights in the side mirrors and Ford’s Professional Trailer Backup Assist, which makes reversing a trailer as easy as turning a small knob on the dash.
middle child syndrome
In the F-150, Ford has a trifecta of engines (the fourth, a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6, is best left to fleet operators). The 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6 offers remarkable performance at an affordable price. The 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 is the workhorse, with power, torque, and hauling capacity to spare. Compared to those two logical choices, the middle-kid 5.0-liter V-8 is the right-brain pick. Its strongest selling points may be its silky power delivery and familiar V-8 rumble. However, that’s a flimsy argument when it comes to rationalizing a $50,000-plus purchase, so it’s perhaps no surprise that today’s beefed-up six-cylinders are now the engines of choice in the F-150.
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