Which towing truck would you buy, based on the Ike Gauntlet – world’s toughest truck test? This question from Don Becker could not be more timely. We ran the 2017 Ford F-150 with the new 3.5L EcoBoost and the 10-speed automatic up the Ike Gauntlet this week. This video review is coming up very soon. We will be running the 2017 Chevy Silverado with the 6.2L V8 and the 8-speed up the Ike Gauntlet in about 2 weeks. It will tow the exact trailer.
Don is deciding between these two trucks. Here is the question.
I am trying to decide between a 2017 Chevy Silverado 1500 with a 6.2L and the 8-speed automatic and the 2017 F-150 with the 3.5 and a 10-speed. My primary concern is towing my rock crawler from Denver to Moab several times a year. Your Ike Gauntlet test is EXACTLY what I will be doing, except at about 8,000 lbs of trailer.
I watched your video on the 2017 1500, albeit with the wrong gears for towing. While the truck made it, it was laboring for sure.
I could only find a video of the 2013 F-150 3.5L with of course the 6-speed transmission. The new EcoBoost has a significant power and torque bump over the 2013. Your video raved about how much reserve capacity the truck seemed to have on the way up, and the lower RPMs it was able to hold.
With that said, I think your Ike Gauntlet test points me to the F-150 if I want something that will have the most power up to the Eisenhower tunnel, not to mention Floyd hill, the climb past Georgetown, the one past Silverthorne, Vail pass, well, you know the drill. Its not ONE climb, its several. And then in Utah there is another nasty climb before the exit for Moab.
The 10-speed EcoBoost performed very well on our extreme towing test, but there was a surprise with the downhill performance. Controlling a heavy trailer (we use 9,000 lbs CM Trailer CargoMate) down the mountain is very important (even more important) than going up the hill.
The new 3.5L EcoBoost and 10-speed is a very powerful combination on the way up! However, it did not do as well as we expected on way down with transmission controlling the speed. It’s all relative, so we hope you can wait a couple more weeks to compare the latest Ike results.
What do you guys think? While we process and the 2017 Ike Gauntlet videos, here is a detailed performance and efficiency comparison between the GM’s 6.2L and 5.3L V8s.
