How Does a Ford F-150 EcoBoost Look After 200,000 Miles?
Traditional thought with a full-size truck is that it needs to have a big V8. After all, there’s no replacement for displacement. But for years now, Ford F-Series trucks have offered a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. And if you think the Ford F-150 EcoBoost can’t go the distance, I’ve got some news for you.
Is the Ford F-150 EcoBoost a good engine?
The current Ford F-150 offers various EcoBoost engines, which are generally considered fairly reliable. If you look around the forums, it seems like folks don’t have problems achieving well over 150,000 miles with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine specifically.
I understand why people might be skeptical of these engines, especially in a full-size truck. A turbo is just one more component that can fail, and big V8 engines have been in trucks for pretty much forever. Plus, eight cylinders sound so good. When I drove the 2022 Toyota Tundra with the hybrid V6, it sounded like Toyota did some work to make the powerplant sound like a V8.
But the question remains, can the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine actually last?
Here’s what an F-150 EcoBoost engine looks like after 200,000 miles
In the video below, you can see what an F-150 with the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost looks like with over 200,000 miles. The engine was first introduced for the 2011 model year, and it is worth noting that by 2017, the Blue Oval gave the engine an update.
In the case of this 2011 Ford F-150, the owner claims the engine is not leaking, and most components are original. According to Jalopnik, just basic work like brakes and a battery replacement got performed.
Now, as someone who drives a Ford product with an EcoBoost engine myself (the 1.0-liter three-cylinder, specifically,) I’m not claiming these powertrains are perfect. The fact is, that the owner of the F-150 EcoBoost in the video likely took great care to ensure routine maintenance was performed in a timely manner.
Even the most bullet-proof engine will face issues if you use and abuse it without performing any maintenance. But still, it does not seem like this is the only EcoBoost F-150 that has achieved this feat.
Does Ford make reliable trucks?
Year after year, it seems like Ford F-Series trucks are some of the most popular pickups on the market. There are some problem years out there to avoid, but the Blue Oval is clearly doing something right.
Even though many EcoBoost engines are in the 2023 F-150, you can still get a 5.0-liter V8 engine if you want an old-school feel for this full-size truck.
Additionally, Ford has introduced an electric version of this truck. But it is not yet widely available. Much like the line of EcoBoost engines, Ford isn’t afraid to try something new with one of its flagship products. And that is reflected in the F-150 Lightning.
