Topic: Test Drive: 2011 Ford F-150 Platinum EcoBoost

[Autos_Editor]

The F-150 with the new EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine 'is a winner,' but will truck buyers accept it, asks Haney Louka?

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[Ex-airbalancer]

During my week of mostly city driving, the F-150 EcoBoost consumed a bit less than 17 L/100 km, which may seem a little high compared to the truck’s published figures, but in my driving routine it was perfectly acceptable.

That high in an empty truck

[Shnak]

My dad gets much better than that with his 2010 and its 4.6L V8 around town, usually around 14L IIRC. This whole EcoBoost thing is starting to look like a major scam. And if I ever buy a truck, it'll be a V8, not a turbo.

[Shnak]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

[tpl]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

And while you are at it.  Do the test at -20 and again at +30 with the ac on full.

[Shnak]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

And while you are at it.  Do the test at -20 and again at +30 with the ac on full.

If you believe hauling a trailer would be too much to ask for a truck review, then I don't know what to say to you.

[nlm]

I wish Ford would've released a press vehicle that is not loaded to the gills.  $60k for a truck is a huge turn-off especially in these low truck msrp times as pointed out in the beginning.

[tpl]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

And while you are at it.  Do the test at -20 and again at +30 with the ac on full.

If you believe hauling a trailer would be too much to ask for a truck review, then I don't know what to say to you.

The test is about fuel economy and that is noticeably changed at high or low temperatures. The EPA and Transport Canada only test at about 20 deg C I believe so doing the hauling test at high and low temps is meaningful to get a real number for the trucks fuel consumption.
Doing your hauling 6000 lbs test from a -20 start  is meaningful for a real truck user in most of Canada for 1/2 the year.

[Mike]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

Cause most of the trucks sold today are commuter cars.  Many trucks rarely get used as trucks anymore.  In some cities I visit in Canada, 2 out of 3 vehicles on the road are pick up trucks.....in an urban city of 1 million people.  Not all these truck drivers can be farmers/contractors/construction workers/etc

[Shnak]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

And while you are at it.  Do the test at -20 and again at +30 with the ac on full.

If you believe hauling a trailer would be too much to ask for a truck review, then I don't know what to say to you.

The test is about fuel economy and that is noticeably changed at high or low temperatures. The EPA and Transport Canada only test at about 20 deg C I believe so doing the hauling test at high and low temps is meaningful to get a real number for the trucks fuel consumption.
Doing your hauling 6000 lbs test from a -20 start  is meaningful for a real truck user in most of Canada for 1/2 the year.

Oh ok, sorry, I thought you were being sarcastic there.

In an ideal world, they'd test at different temperatures, but that's just not feasible when you have to write a review in a couple of days... attaching a trailer is more than feasible though, and I wish writers would take their job seriously and give us more complete reviews than "Oh this truck looks nice, has a ton of technologies that will please tech-geeks, it can haul over 13,000lbs while providing better fuel economy than previous engines" and then proceed to test drive it as though it was a Yaris.

[Shnak]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

Cause most of the trucks sold today are commuter cars.  Many trucks rarely get used as trucks anymore.  In some cities I visit in Canada, 2 out of 3 vehicles on the road are pick up trucks.....in an urban city of 1 million people.  Not all these truck drivers can be farmers/contractors/construction workers/etc

That doesn't make sense, it's a truck, it should be tested as such. Autos.ca writes serious articles about trucks, like the Canadian Truck King Challenge. Why can't every truck review include a hauling section?

I understand that most reviewers here treat everything as a commuter car, but that doesn't mean that it's how it should be done.

[quadzilla]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

Cause most of the trucks sold today are commuter cars.  Many trucks rarely get used as trucks anymore.  In some cities I visit in Canada, 2 out of 3 vehicles on the road are pick up trucks.....in an urban city of 1 million people.  Not all these truck drivers can be farmers/contractors/construction workers/etc

That doesn't make sense, it's a truck, it should be tested as such. Autos.ca writes serious articles about trucks, like the Canadian Truck King Challenge. Why can't every truck review include a hauling section?

I understand that most reviewers here treat everything as a commuter car, but that doesn't mean that it's how it should be done.

I can see Shnak's point here. If I was to read a review about a Porsche or Ferrari and all they did was drive to the corner store, I would want more. This is a truck, use it as a truck.

[Shnak]

And why aren't truck tested as they should, hauling stuff? What's the point of driving a truck around town and saying it's fine? It's pointless. Attach a 6000+lbs trailer, drive around town for a while, take note of fuel economy, then try to merge onto the highway to test its acceleration under load and cruise at 100kph for a while. Take note of fuel economy again. Why are these trucks tested as commuter cars?

Cause most of the trucks sold today are commuter cars.  Many trucks rarely get used as trucks anymore.  In some cities I visit in Canada, 2 out of 3 vehicles on the road are pick up trucks.....in an urban city of 1 million people.  Not all these truck drivers can be farmers/contractors/construction workers/etc

That doesn't make sense, it's a truck, it should be tested as such. Autos.ca writes serious articles about trucks, like the Canadian Truck King Challenge. Why can't every truck review include a hauling section?

I understand that most reviewers here treat everything as a commuter car, but that doesn't mean that it's how it should be done.

I can see Shnak's point here. If I was to read a review about a Porsche or Ferrari and all they did was drive to the corner store, I would want more. This is a truck, use it as a truck.

There you go, with one simple sentence, you were able to better illustrate what I was trying to say with 3-4 posts. Well done. 

[bridgecity]

 I find most truck owners lie through their teeth about what they get

I agree 100%.

[inco]

But the reviewers are all car people......you need truckers to do this test Where is Howard Elmer when we need him?

[safristi]

..seems like the BOOST got the better of the ECO..in fact is there an ECO in this here here  here.. thread thread  thread.......

[Spec5]

I don't know about most authors on here - but I know one that has contributed to this site in particular and these guys don't make a lot of money for their reviews. They have "real jobs" and do this on the side because they're car nuts like us and maybe they like writing as well. If you want to lobby someone to do more extensive testing write the guys at C/D and pay the $8 a magazine.

There's no way the old 5.4L is more fuel efficient than this charged V6 is. My buddy has an '07 with the 5.4L and he said its the biggest pig on gas that he's ever had. Its also horrifically slow - I've driven that and my other buddies Tundra and you can't even compare the two (and the Tundra is running huge custom rims/rubber). The truck is actually his wife's - his regular ride is a well modded TrailBlazer SS - headers, full exhaust, and intake and he said he gets way better mileage in it than in the truck! And let me tell you he may as well drive the damn thing with an on/off switch so it blows my mind that his SS is that much better on fuel.

[MKII]

<div style="text-align:left">

The F-150 with the new EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine 'is a winner,' but will truck buyers accept it, asks Haney Louka?

<a href=http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2011-ford-f-150-platinum-ecoboost>Read More...</a></div>

Haney you gotta get out more and read the press releases.....
"EcoBoost pickup sales
Demand for the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 has increased each month since launch. One in every four Ford F-150 pickups sold during March was powered by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. In April, EcoBoost F-150 sales are running at about 35 percent.
In addition, incoming F-150 orders reflect strong customer demand – currently running at over 40 percent mix – for the EcoBoost engine option."

source http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=34525

Haney you can get rid of the usual "But" word in future domestic test drive articles, it really gets tiring.

[JohnnyMac]

I know this get's said in almost every posting but how much better would this truck be with some diesel options.  I'm thinking an eco-boost V6 that can tow similar V8 numbers and a V8 that gets best towing numbers along with better fuel economy than any of the V8's.  I know a couple of years ago Ford was working on a smaller diesel truck engine but axed the idea after the economy when into the toilet and everyone seemed more interested in gas alternatives (turbos and hybrids).

I'm wondering how an engine like the one out of the BMW 335d (obviously tuned for trucking not performance car) would do in a half ton pickup.

[cruzzer]

Once again, we the buying public are being deceived by the numbers that Transport Canada and the EPA attach to these vehicles. It would awesome if this $60K truck actually got the 25 mpg highway that it's supposed to! But instead in real world use, it gets around 16 mpg. That is worse than what it's supposed to get in the city! Not much 'ECO' about that IMO. So, it's a $60,000 V6 truck. Makes me laugh when I think of the Ford ads on TV. All the macho tough truck talk in the deep manly voice trying to convince buyers that this is a good thing.