New Truck

Have been towing a 5100 lb travel trailer up and down the sierras for the past three years. Needed more power and towing abiity. I had a 2013 double cab 4.0. 236 hp and not much more torque. I traded it in for a 2016 ford f150 crew cab with a 3.5 ecoboost engine. I now have 365 hp and 420 lbs of torque. It tows completely different. Dont hardly know im towin both up and down. I loved my Tacoma and only wish Toyota would have stepped up and made a Tacoma decent tow vehicle. Getting 19-20 mpg and 15-16 mpg towing. Should have traded long ago.

 

When we are buying a truck, we have to take what suits our need the best!

In your situation, more torque and more HP are needed and the Tacoma is not offering it. I hope you'll enjoy your F-150 as much as I enjoy my 2.7

I have to say that 19-20 mpg from a full size is pretty nice tho!

 

My problem was that I bought the truck before bying the trailer. Should have gotten the trailer and then bought something that would pull it. Like I said I loved the Tacoma but in reality a real dog when towing in any mountians. With 10 mpg and a 21 gal tank seems like I was always looking for a Pilot Station. The ecoboost is a rocket . I actually considered a supercharger but with premium gas I chose against it. Sure glad I bought this truck. Just hope it will be reliable as the other f150 I had before

 

I know what you mean. Bought my Tacoma almost 3 years ago. Bought a boat 3 months ago.

The Tacoma doesn't even like to tow 3600 lbs up hills. I've been taking my friend fishing with me a lot so we can use his F250 with the powerstroke diesel. That truck doesn't even know the boat is back there. Set cruise at 65 mph and the rpm's stay at 1500, uphill or downhill... only difference is the boost goes up a tad when going uphill.

 

my trailer is only 4500 lbs.but the Tacoma tows it great.the idea that towing should be effort less is from the lazy or the stupid.usually the people u see in the ditch later

 

I learned this the hard way too my friend. You're not alone However, after going up to a half-ton to tow that trailer, I eventually got rid of the trailer and finally went back down the another Tacoma. Apparently this is where I'm happy.

That said, if I ever went full size again, F150 EcoBoost all the way. It's really not more fuel efficient than other trucks, but that 450 ft/lbs (the new 3.5L ecoboost2) is just so much power in a gas engine it's 100% the right fit for towing and daily driving. *edit* For me, that is.

 

Couldn't agree more. If I ever get rid of the trailer I may trade the F150. But until Toyota makes a truck with decent milage iim going to keep what I have.

 

Mid size trucks running on gas will never really be that much better than they are now due to aerodynamics and the limitation of the combustion engine. I've got as good as 24.5 MPG on the highway for a 2 hour trip. That's great for a gasser.

Electric or Diesel options for a truck like this are obviously much better, but more expensive. The Chevy Colorado is getting 30+ MPG on the highway, but the Diesel upgrade is a $3900 option. Could buy a bunch of gas for $4k. The torque, however, is a different story...I'd be interested in more Torque and better MPG for that price difference, and Diesels get you there.

I think the Govt is stonewalling the Diesel Taco (Read Hilux), and I wouldn't expect that to change anytime soon unfortunately.

 

Congrats on the new truck but I have to say that I don't have any issues towing my trailer (5,000-5,500lbs loaded) with the Taco in the Sierras. It maintains 55-60mph up the passes provided you aren't afraid to let it rev. A slight concern I have is transmission temp but I can install a larger transmission cooler to address that for a lot less than the cost of a new truck.

I've has several trips back and forth over Hwy 80, been over Mt Rose summit (highest year round pass in the sierras), and covered 395 north to Oregon and south to Mammoth.

Here's the truck/trailer at a rest stop near Donner Summit this past spring.

 

My only concern with the F150 EcoBoost is the reliability. I have a friend who works as a tech for Ford and they have had many issues. My first impressions for my on the new F150 was that great but I just couldnt trust the reliability. Also a Tacoma will have better resale value. The salesman at the dealership I work at has a list of people looking for a used Tacomas. When a Tacoma comes in on trade he calls them and it's sold. That doesn't happen with F150.

 

The Tacoma I traded in had 32000 miles and is in cherry condition. The truck has been on thr Ford lot now for 5 weeks. I dont know what their asking but I only was given 23000 for it in trade. That is all they would allow so I left. I eventually came back four days later and took their offer. The truck was fine but I was always feeling like the tail was wagging the dog. The F150 is a much better tow for me because of the additional 130 hp and 420 lbs torque. The only downside is a 23 gal tank but I need to stop every 160 mi anyway. My milage is on par with the Tacoma only a bit more. Even the 2016 Tacoma 3.5 engine is not much more than the 4.0. Also love the 4 wheel disc brakes. Like I said before I loved the Tacoma but Toyota needs to step up their towing abilities or they are going to be left behind. As far as reliability goes the twin turbo 3.5 has been around for several years and thousands have been sold. When I sell my Mazda 3 I will probably get a Tacoma.

 

Spoken from a true butt hurt toyota fan boy.

 

The number sold doesn't determine reliability. Use it while under the warranty period then decide from there. I would rather bought a Tundra and put up with worse fuel mileage then own a Ford.

 

Over a million have been sold in the F 150 alone. They're probably okay but I have heard some horror stories. Although that can be said with any vehicle.

 

I am neither a Toyota or Ford fan. I am only going by my towing experience with the Tacoma in the sierras over the last 3 years. All I can say is the F150 seems like a much better tow vehicle and the Tacoma is much better around town. I bought the F 150 primarialy to tow my trailer. My daily driver is a Mazda 3.

 

You made a good choice with the F150 as a tow vehicle. The turbos will give you an advantage at altitude. Too bad Toyota doesn't offer a turbo version of the 3.5.

 

Just before I bought the f150 I was waiting for the 17s to come out. When they did I didnt see too much upgrade from what I had already. Was even considering a supercharger. I couldnt justify the cost for only about 40 more hp. Id be still 60 hp down from the f150 not to mention the torque.As far as reliability goes reading the 3rd gen posts on ths site makes me wonder about the Tacomas reliability. Seems theres lots of problems there also.

 

If Toyota would have a twin turbo on their 3.5 it would be a screemer for sure. Mine is scarry fast and weighs more than the Tacoma. Downside is that it is hard to keep your foot out and when in high boost uses lots of gas.

 

I wouldn't say there is alot if problems from the new Tacoma. The Tacoma is one of the most reliable trucks made so when the new model came out lots will grip about any issue. It happened in 2012 when the truck went though some cosmetic chages.

You are not going to have the same quality and reliability in a Ford product that you would have in a Toyota product. That said there are other areas the Ford truck is far better at than the Toyota truck, fuel economy and power.

 

Yes you are right about the power aspect. Not so sure about fuel economy. In the mountians when not towing, just looking for fishing spots I sometimes could get 23 or 24 mpg. Granted I was going 35 to about 50 mph. My first tow was Ventura to Buelton and back. Going up 65 to 70. 8.6 mpg. Comming back 60 mph the whole way on cruise control was 11.0. Never got 11 with the Tacoma. The 23 to 24 was with the Tacoma unloaded. I also have a tendency to put my foot in it just to feel the power. Kills the milage .