2015 Ford F-150 5.0 V8

[jldude]

Not necessarily a dream car review, but I figure since it's the bestselling vehicle in America for 38 years now, and since it's partially aluminum, and since Ford is touting it as super efficient, I figured I'd weigh in on mine.

First of all, the vast majority of us don't buy a full size pickup for economy. But even so, I can't help but marvel how efficient trucks have become since the carbureted days. I was debating getting the 2.7 high tech turbo V6, or the good old fashioned American V8. I respect the V6, and I'm staggered how much torque it makes for it's size, but I just couldn't pass up the V8 roar and perceived reliability advantage over the tiny turbo V6.

As it turns out, I made a damn good choice(I typically have bad luck with cars). This truck will light up the tires all day long, and put you back in your seat something fierce when you stab it at 40mph. All that 385hp you'd think it'd suck fuel like a dragster. But much to my surprise this truck is extremely easy on gas when you're not seriously hustling.

I drive about 50/50 city/hwy in Florida and only once have I ever seen less than 17mpg(doing 81 mph on I-10 in southwest Texas fighting a serious headwind, got 16.5). I average 20 or so in daily commuting so far, and I've seen the onboard computer avg 26mpg on the 55mph back roads around here. Typically it reads 22.8 avg on the interstate. Yes I know, the computer isn't necessarily accurate, that's why I've attempted to verify a few of those numbers and found it to be somewhere between dead on and 6% optimistic(work in progress, I'm still fine tuning it's accuracy). Even so, 94% of 26mpg is pretty good for a 4,700lb brick with the power to tow a freight train.

I could go on and on about this truck, but I figured I'd stick to the efficiency aspect of it's performance. For those of you interested in buying this new F-150, all I can say is it's blown my every expectation out of the water. I don't dare say it's the best full size truck ever built, but if it's not, I can't imagine what is...if you take care of it, and keep it maintained and don't abuse it, it'll last forever.

[Draigflag]

Not really a truck guy, but nice review. What is the towing capacity? What made you decide on gas over diesel? Over here it's near impossible to buy any truck, van or commercial vehicle without a diesel engine, I'd always assumed all the benefits made them better for commercial vehicles overall.

[trollbait]

I can answer the diesel question.

Ford doesn't offer one on the F150. The only 1500 class pick up to offer one at this time is the Ram with a 3L V6. GM has a 2.8L in their smaller truck. I think Nissan has a 5L V8 one available now. But that is it in the US.

The 2500 and larger trucks, which are exempt fuel fuel economy window stickers, have diesel options. These are large displacement, 6L or so, V8s that can approach the commercial weight limit with trailer.

Hopefully, we'll see more sensible sized diesel options for trucks in the future. F150 test trucks with diesel exhausts were spotted around Detroit.

[14Corolla]

That is good mileage. Back 20 years ago. Myself, and other PU truck owners I knew, would have loved to get that kind of mileage.
Gee.. My old 98 Mazda 626 only got 20 mpg. hehe

[luv2spd]

Car and Driver did a comparison in their June issue of a V6 turbo vs a V8 F-150. If you are into trucks then it's worth the read. The trucks were identical. Both trucks had the same fuel consumption when empty, but the V6 was better in every way when towing and carrying load. The article also said that Ford is dropping the 5L V8 next year in the F-150, and going forward they will only offer the V6. I'm not a truck guy, but some of the trucks out there are very impressive.

[R.I.D.E.]

I bought a 99 F150 stripper new for $13.5K. Built a house with it and then sold the truck. Didn't care what it towed, just hauled the materials to built the house and made $165,000 free and clear, also tax free, when I sold the house 3.5 years later. Took that money and built the one we live in now. It's worth $315K today.
The truck weighed 3800 pounds empty and I averaged right at 20 mpg. It was a V6 5 speed.

[gregsfc]

I've got the 2.7 EB in a 2015 F150 standard cab, 2wd, short bed, and 3.31 rear axle, Ford's highest gearing and the lightest, smallest full size truck one can get, save the same set up in the base V6. The 2015 in this set up weighed only 4168 pounds and dropped 30 more for 2016 model year. V8 doesn't weigh much more. EB is Ford speak for turbo charged, direct injection. Congrats on your purchase. I too debated between different trucks, engines, etc.; waited two extra years hoping for a diesel that would be modest in power but great mpg as I need a truck mostly for light duty hauling, etc. and really thought I'd end up with a GMC Canyon with the baby Duramax diesel. That compact truck price starts at or about $22K, but when GM announced pricing for the Duramax version, it's price started at or about $35K. Ecodiesel from Ram starts at $38.5K versus a base Ram 1500 at or about $27K.

The 5.0 Cummins in the Titan is no economy diesel and it's a 3/4-ton, 1/2-ton will get gas engines.

If you're not a North American, you wouldn't understand completely the diesel dilemma over here. The cost and complexity for putting a diesel on par with gas vehicles with respect to NOx makes them very expensive. They get packaged only at the highest trim levels, and in pickups, only in the largest configurations.

But the EBs from Ford can be had in all configurations and trim levels. The small EB is the 2.7 and cost the consumer a mere $750 more from the base V6. Diesels are thousands more. The EBs have the flat torque and the refinement and easy-going manner of diesels if you take it easy. The only issue then is real-world mpg, because a gas turbo engine gets thirsty when turbos spool up, and the EBs have two. Also, with this technology, the normal load that the engine is under will matter with respect to fuel economy. For these reasons, I made the best choice for me. I'm averaging just over 24 after nearly 11,000 miles tracked. But my truck is one of the lightest, and I rarely work it hard, and I don't desire a V8-like rumble. I'm ecstatic about the refinement. I can climb a 5% grade in 6th gear @ 60 miles per hour at 1650 RPM, and unless there is a head wind, it won't downshift to 5th. And when it does downshift, I'm still under 2000.

But other truck owners would not reap the same benefits under a more stressful scenario or larger, heavier configuration. Those drivers still get great performance, but any mpg benefit is likely lost.

No matter what anyone is saying, including Ford spokespersons', if the V8 continues to garner 1/3 of F150 sales, they will not drop the V8 and lose market share to the brands who have V8s and abandon that large of a segment of their loyal base. There were the same rumors from GM 20 years ago. They were going to have only V6s. Sometimes the manufacturers start these rumors themselves.They hint towards these ideas to capture consumer reaction; that's all. If it's accepted, well then, they may move forward, but our market is not ready as the V8 outsells the other three choices, but the EBs are doing well, and the 2017 will have a new, 3.5-liter EB with 30 more peak torque and certainly a slightly higher mpg estimate.

[Redneckrich]

I'm not a fan of small block engines, my first truck was a Chevy 2500 w/ 454 bored to 470 and now I'm driving a F-250 6.0 bulletproofed. My neighbors bought either a '14 or '15 F-150 extended cab, regular bed, they wished it was a 4x4, but it's not they have the V-8 in her and it's a good little truck, darn thing can even haul my f-250 without even struggling... No I'm not stepping down from my diesels. The ram 1500 has a Volvo small block diesel, Chevy I'm not sure as I haven't seen their diesel option for the Colorado or 1500, same with GMC and stated above the F-150 has a twin turbo V6. But Toyota does have 5.7 and smaller Diesel engines in Ford Rangers and land cruisers, and you can get them in the states for around $20,000 they fit (with a slight modification if that) in the Smaller (1500 -) size trucks. One day I will see if they fit in the Rangers. But I really wish Ford would come back with the Rangers, those are some good small pickup trucks

[trollbait]

Ford will likely come back with a Ranger; the mid-size pick up segment has been doing well.

While the emission controls add cost, they aren't the only reason for higher prices for diesels in the US. They might not be the main reason. It is basic economics that drives up the price. There is pent up demand for them, so the manufacturer can only offer the diesel in a higher trim, or even just the crew cab, and they could still sell it.

It was that way before the tighter emissions on diesels too. While not a truck, the diesel Jetta was about the only non-luxury car available for decades. Until recently, VW only offered it in the mid-trim or higher, and didn't have to put sales incentives on it.

When the 3.5 EB first became available, sales of V6 F150s outnumbered the sales of the V8s. If gas prices hadn't taken a plunge, I could see Ford ditching the V8. They still might if the CAFE targets are held in place. As it is, the old 6L V8 is already gone.

[Redneckrich]

I doubt that as GMC and Chevy both discontinued their small size pickups as well (S-10 & Sanoma) the Colorado is in between the 1500 and the S-10. I can get an F-250 normal trim, everything all basic, with diesel. The reason being so for the diesels in the larger size trucks is for better MPG, better at torque and HP for hauling compared to gas engines. Even when VW came out with their diesel Jetta in the states, it was offered in all levels of trim. My cousin bought one and put 500,000 miles on it (great little car). Iowa we don't have any emissions tests, Colorado we do. I've lived in Washington, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia and now Colorado (the only state to do emission testing, that I've lived in. I've never seen sales incentives on diesel trucks, I know one of the main reasons diesels are more expensive is the metals and how engine is built, since the diesel is a compression engine, it needs stronger metals, it's assembled a lot differently than and combustion engine, plus there are a lot more parts in a Diesel engines than a gas engine. The farm I grew up on only has 4 gas engine trucks (S-10, Rangers and F-150) everything else is a diesel, even the UTVs. The diesel also requires more maintainance than a gas engine, and the demand isn't that high as most folks tend to buy gas engines, either because they think MPG doesn't differ much, Diesel engines are about $5,000 more than gas, require more maintainance than gas, and that's the majority reason why diesels don't have that big of demand, most used diesels I see only have 100,000-200,000 miles before their sold, when in fact even my 6.0 can get 500,000 miles easily, with just simple maintenance, and without overhauling anything.