Ask TFL: Should I get a 6-Speed or a 10-Speed Ford F-150?

Which Ford transmission is best?

ford f-150 f-250 transmission
Ford F-150 : which transmission to get?

Which transmission to get in a slightly used Ford F-150? Should Mark go with a 6-speed automatic or a new 10-speed automatic?

Many people cannot afford to buy a new truck. Mark is looking to purchase a used on, and has a question about which F-150 to get.

I’m taking all your valuable information and trying to make the “best” decision for a used truck. Since most dealers won’t let you tow anything during a test drive, I base most of my information on you guys.

Once you add more gears to a transmission, it keeps the RPM’s down. I was wondering if it does a lot of gear hunting down on the freeways while towing? Nothing more annoying than a truck that can’t make up its mind which gear to be in while towing.

Mark S.

We have tested nearly every recent Ford F-150 engine/transmission combination. The 10-speed automatic was introduced to the F-150 during the latter part of the 2017 model year. Ever since then, the 10-speed availability has increased. Now, the vast majority of F-150 trucks come equipped with a 10-speed as standard. Just the base V6 work trucks still use a 6-speed.

We have been impressed with the smoothness and precision of the newer 10-speed automatics in the Ford trucks. You may think that it will hunt for gears when climbing hills or towing heavy, but it pretty much always knows which gear is best. It’s helped by the plentiful torque from the EcoBoost V6 and V8 engines.

Here is our first look at a 10-speed Ford F-150.