There has been a trend in the automotive world to shift to smaller displacement engines that produce similar amounts of power and torque through the use of supercharging, turbocharging, or both. While the blend of performance and fuel economy can at times be very impressive, some people wonder about the reliability of engines that utilize forced induction. TFL recently received a question from a reader regarding the reliability of Ford’s 3.5L EcoBoost V6 compared to the 5.0L naturally aspirated V8. While we have the chance to test many truck and engine combinations on the market, we only a spend about a week with each of them as they pass through the fleet. For that reason, long-term testing is out of the question.
This is a chance for you to speak up – especially if you have owned, or currently own, one of these engines. Please help TFL-reader Justin decide which one he should go with by sharing your personal experiences in the comments section below. Have you had any issues, do you wish you had chosen a different engine? We’d like to hear about it. Justin also wanted to know whether the next generation 3.5L EcoBoost will make a big difference. Although we haven’t had a chance to drive a truck with the new engine, we do know it will maintain the same horsepower but make 30 additional lb-ft of torque versus the first-gen engine. Efficiency estimates have not been released. Andre had an opportunity to go to Ford’s facility and interview some experts on the new powertrain, including the 10-speed transmission to which the engine will be paired. You can find out everything we know so far in the video below.
