EcoBoost

My family recently took a vacation to southwest Colorado (from northwest Arkansas). We took dirt bikes, mountain bikes, and a '95 FZJ80 Land Cruiser. I came away very impressed with my dad's new ride--a 2011 F-150 Super Crew Ecoboost.

First of all, completely ignore the fact that this motor is a V6. Think of it as a diesel that burns gas. This thing is better at everything than 3/4 ton turbo diesels were 10 years ago--towing, fuel economy, acceleration, you name it.

I decided to write this blog post after traveling at 80 mph down the interstate when a late model Chevy pulling a light boat attempted to pass. That 5.3 was screaming, yet the truck was not really accelerating. The Ecoboost (also towing a trailer) could have pulled away from him without breaking a sweat. In fact, the Ecoboost never seems to be trying. Although I'm really more of a Chevy guy, my last truck was a '04 F-150 Supercrew 5.4 liter. That truck was another example of a motor that had to scream when pulling a load.

My dad didn't realize the power of this motor until he pulled a tractor through the Ozarks. The load was somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds and he said it pulled the steepest of hills in 4th gear at 2,000 rpm.

Negatives: As expected, towing seemed to drop the fuel economy significantly. We got 12 to 15 miles per gallon pulling a fairly light trailer, 4 occupants, and a bed full of luggage/motorcycle gear. I usually drove at 5 mph over the speed limit (up to 80 mph).

If you're in the market for a truck to pull your toys, I would've pointed you to a diesel until this last weekend. This ecoboost makes diesels seem like a waste of money (unless you need to pull more than 11,000 lbs).

One more note. One thing that has bothered me about gas trucks over the years is how they are rated for towing. My F-150 5.4 was rated at 10,000 lbs towing. The only way that truck would pull that load up a hill of any sort, would be at 4500 rpm. And it would be screaming.

Forget everything you know about gas motors, and consider the Ecoboost. I can't wait to see how Chevy and Dodge respond. They don't currently have a competitor. In five years, I don't think any car enthusiasts will be looking at 3/4 tons to pull their toys anymore.