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Consumer Reviews for the Ford F-150
Read recent reviews for the Ford F-150
Reliable, but there are better options.
John, 10/30/2015
2014 Ford F-150 XLT 2dr Regular Cab 4WD 6.5 ft. SB (3.7L 6cyl 6A)
I purchased this truck brand new in November of 2014. It was a little spontaneous, but my finances were in order and dealerships were running Black Friday ads featuring very aggressive deals. I assume this was because the all new 2015 aluminum bodies were on their way. Ended up purchasing a $38k for a little over $27k, a deal I could not pass up. Despite what the title says, it is … actually a super cab 4x4.
I opted for the 3.7L V6 (the non-ecoboost engine.) It's the base engine, but if you just drove it without knowing which engine it had, you would figure it had a V8. In other words, it doesn't feel underpowered. The engine is rated at 302 horsepower which looks impressive on paper. However, the engine creates 278ft/lb of torque. That means that in order for it to generate that much power, the engine must rev very high. (The 302hp rating comes at 6,500 RPM) You really have to press the gas pedal to wake it up. Once you do, it screams with plenty of power. To put this in perspective, a F150 in the 90's with a 5.0 made 275ft/lb of torque. That's just how far technology has advanced that a much smaller engine can do the same work consuming less fuel. My truck in its configuration is rated to tow up to 6,100lbs. If you need more capability than this, or tow frequently, the current 5.0 or 3.5 ecoboost are better choices. They generate 380 and 420 ft/lb of torque, respectively.
The tradeoff I made for less capability was more fuel economy. No, I don't expect to buy a truck for great fuel economy. I bought this truck for the 4x4 in the winter and the bed for weekend projects. No need to consume more fuel for more capability that I would never need. The 3.7 offered the best fuel economy of the group, with 16 city, 18 mixed, and 21 highway. This was a real area of disappointment, here. I measure my fuel economy with both trip meters: Trip A is per gas tank, Trip B is per oil change. I did achieve 20.5mpg on a trip from Omaha to KC, but I struggled to ever get 16mpg on any given regular tank. 5,500 miles into my 10,000 mile oil change interval and I'm averaging 15.6mpg. This doesn't even reach the EPA estimated 16mpg for city driving! Yes, I regularly commute in "city" driving, but those miles included at a minimum 30% highway driving. Again, credit to advances in technology, this fuel economy is much improved compared to the old F150 in the 90's with a 5.0 generating the same capability. But compared to other newer engines, like the ecoboost 3.5, the difference in fuel economy is marginal and hardly worth the sacrifice in power and capability.
We got hit by a couple of snow storms this past winter and the 4x4 made that a non-issue. Acceleration is great for a base V6 (I can usually keep the RPM's at or below 2,000 RPM for acceleration which should help with engine longevity) Transmission shifts great, doesn't jerk or do anything else annoying as sometimes happens with other cars. Again, this should help with reliability and longevity. Steering and braking are where they need to be. Really enjoy the SYNC system! Always have my iPod hooked up. Only frustration is that sometimes the voice command misunderstands what track I want played, but it's 90% effective. I rarely talk on the phone, but when I do its really convenient having the system automatically stop the music and let me talk hands-free. The sound system could use some improvement. It is weak, but I plan on making some aftermarket adjustments to fix this.
This was a great and reliable truck. Never had any mechanical issues with it. However, I was intrigued by Ford's new 2.7 ecoboost engine that they released with the 2015 redesign. Not only does it offer more capability with 325hp and 375 ft/lb of torque, but does so with better fuel economy than my 3.7 v6. (Rated 18 city, 20 mixed, and 23 highway mpg.) So I recently traded in this truck for a new 2016 with the 2.7 as I think this is a much better engine choice for consumers like me. I will review this truck after 10,000 miles like I did for my 2014, but so far the fuel economy is living up to the hype this time. I think the 3.7 is better served as a fleet engine for cheap trucks that are cheap to maintain (i.e. no turbos.)
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