NMRam
Still Here Because I'm Not There
I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread or just add into one of the already numerous EcoBoost vs ......... threads, but figured this might be better.
With all the talk of EcoBoost vs 5.0 etc. I decided to take a trip to the Ford dealership yesterday and do some test driving.
They only had one EcoBoost on the lot, it was a fully loaded CCSB 4x4 Platinum with almost any option you could dream of (3.55 limited slip with a 6 speed auto). Sticker on the truck was a little over $52k and they had a dealer mark up of about $2k on top of that listed on the window. To try to keep the comparison as close to equal as possible configuration wise, I found a 5.0 in a CCSB 4x4 but this one was an XLT (also 3.55 limited slip with the 6 speed auto). The sticker on this one was $39k and they also had a dealer mark up of around $2k on top of that. I drove both trucks on the same "loop" which was about 12 miles, from the dealership out of town, up the frontage road about 6 miles (55 mph) then onto the interstate about 6 miles (75 mph) off the exit and back into the dealership. I reset the avg fuel economy reading before leaving the dealership on each truck. Both trucks had around 100 miles on them, so neither was close to "broken in."
I drove the EcoBoost first. I will limit my impressions to the driving aspects rather than equipment levels since the trucks weren't comparable that way. As a few others have mentioned, the EcoBoost is almost silent, you hear no engine noise to speak of with it. Accelerating from a stop, there is some turbo lag, but once the revs start to build it takes off pretty good. Once on the highway. power is good, but it usually downshifted 1 or 2 gears if you gave it any throttle. When it did downshift, it took a second for the power to build. Merging onto the interstate was smooth and quick and I ran it pretty hard to see how it would run - no problem getting to 85 other than a little turbo lag when I first hammered it. Once I got back to the dealership the mpg for the loop was 14.4, which I thought was a little low.
Next I drove the 5.0. Right off, the most noticeable thing is that it sounds like a "truck" more than I thought the EcoBoost did. You can hear the motor running, and has a little bit of an exhaust rumble that the other truck did not. Accelerating from a stop, it felt like there was more power on tap right away, and it wasn't until pretty high in the rpm range that I thought the EcoBoost had more to offer. On the highway, the 5.0 had plenty of power, but you still got a 1 or 2 gear downshift with much application of the throttle. Getting on the interstate, the 5.0 felt faster, but I noticed that it actually took longer to get to 80 (just judging by where on the onramp I was when I hit speed). It cruised great at speed, and seemed to have a little more passing power on tap. I probably drove the 5.0 a little harder cause it sounded good when I got on it. When I got back to the dealership, the mpg for the loop was 16.7, which kind of surprised me.
Both trucks drove nice and rode well, and some of the "creature comforts" of the Platinum were really cool (heated AND cooled seats, touch screen navigation/HVAC/radio/bluetooth/anything else you can imagine controls, backup camera, etc).
Overall, I was impressed with the Ford trucks all around. BUT, neither one of them impressed me enough to want one over my Ram. I still like the power delivery and transmission tuning with the Hemi/5 speed much better, and I don't think there is any significant difference in overall power. My truck rides a little smoother (even with 10 ply MT tires on it) and I think the handling is a little crisper as well. I also like both the interior and exterior styling of the Ram better as well, but that is more of a personal preference. Honestly, I don't think you could go wrong with any of these trucks. Just my $.02 to add to the opinion pot on these trucks.
With all the talk of EcoBoost vs 5.0 etc. I decided to take a trip to the Ford dealership yesterday and do some test driving.
They only had one EcoBoost on the lot, it was a fully loaded CCSB 4x4 Platinum with almost any option you could dream of (3.55 limited slip with a 6 speed auto). Sticker on the truck was a little over $52k and they had a dealer mark up of about $2k on top of that listed on the window. To try to keep the comparison as close to equal as possible configuration wise, I found a 5.0 in a CCSB 4x4 but this one was an XLT (also 3.55 limited slip with the 6 speed auto). The sticker on this one was $39k and they also had a dealer mark up of around $2k on top of that. I drove both trucks on the same "loop" which was about 12 miles, from the dealership out of town, up the frontage road about 6 miles (55 mph) then onto the interstate about 6 miles (75 mph) off the exit and back into the dealership. I reset the avg fuel economy reading before leaving the dealership on each truck. Both trucks had around 100 miles on them, so neither was close to "broken in."
I drove the EcoBoost first. I will limit my impressions to the driving aspects rather than equipment levels since the trucks weren't comparable that way. As a few others have mentioned, the EcoBoost is almost silent, you hear no engine noise to speak of with it. Accelerating from a stop, there is some turbo lag, but once the revs start to build it takes off pretty good. Once on the highway. power is good, but it usually downshifted 1 or 2 gears if you gave it any throttle. When it did downshift, it took a second for the power to build. Merging onto the interstate was smooth and quick and I ran it pretty hard to see how it would run - no problem getting to 85 other than a little turbo lag when I first hammered it. Once I got back to the dealership the mpg for the loop was 14.4, which I thought was a little low.
Next I drove the 5.0. Right off, the most noticeable thing is that it sounds like a "truck" more than I thought the EcoBoost did. You can hear the motor running, and has a little bit of an exhaust rumble that the other truck did not. Accelerating from a stop, it felt like there was more power on tap right away, and it wasn't until pretty high in the rpm range that I thought the EcoBoost had more to offer. On the highway, the 5.0 had plenty of power, but you still got a 1 or 2 gear downshift with much application of the throttle. Getting on the interstate, the 5.0 felt faster, but I noticed that it actually took longer to get to 80 (just judging by where on the onramp I was when I hit speed). It cruised great at speed, and seemed to have a little more passing power on tap. I probably drove the 5.0 a little harder cause it sounded good when I got on it. When I got back to the dealership, the mpg for the loop was 16.7, which kind of surprised me.
Both trucks drove nice and rode well, and some of the "creature comforts" of the Platinum were really cool (heated AND cooled seats, touch screen navigation/HVAC/radio/bluetooth/anything else you can imagine controls, backup camera, etc).
Overall, I was impressed with the Ford trucks all around. BUT, neither one of them impressed me enough to want one over my Ram. I still like the power delivery and transmission tuning with the Hemi/5 speed much better, and I don't think there is any significant difference in overall power. My truck rides a little smoother (even with 10 ply MT tires on it) and I think the handling is a little crisper as well. I also like both the interior and exterior styling of the Ram better as well, but that is more of a personal preference. Honestly, I don't think you could go wrong with any of these trucks. Just my $.02 to add to the opinion pot on these trucks.
