Been looking around at some of the 2021 F150 4x4 pickups, but they are scarce in the trim I'm leaning toward (STX 5.0L Supercrew with all the towing/offroad hardware). Not much off the sticker when you do find them.

My local dealer (family member) told me about this one, his demo unit, and I took it for a spin yesterday. It's a 2020 3.5L Eco-Boost XLT with Max Tow, 36gal tank, FX4 package, 20" wheels, 3.55 ratio + locker, folding bed cover, etc. Far cry from my 10yr old Tacoma.

It was built in late 2020 and he started driving it in December, so it's got about 3k miles on it. Comes out to $11k off sticker. Seems like a pretty solid deal, but good Lord, trucks have gotten expensive....




Have never owned a turbo truck, but hear good things overall. Loved the turbo Honda Accord I had for a while. Younger brother has 176k on his 3.5L EB F150 4x4.

Might want to check the sticker. I've never seen a Max Tow that didn't have 3.73 gears and towing mirrors. Do they put 36 gallon tanks in trucks with the 5.5' bed? Thought that was only an option with the 6.5' bed.

That strikes me as a good deal in today's market and that's a great-looking pickup.

Don't buy the V8. I am very leery of an aluminum block that has vapor deposited metal to replace cylinder liners.


You'll love the Ecoboost.

I'd have thought 3.73 with the max tow also, but that apparently just applies to the 5.0L now. It's 3.55 for the Eco 3.5. The standard FX4 ratio for the Eco 3.5 is a 3.31. They had one of those too, but in a different color.





The EcoBoost might be the way to roll now, as I was also not happy to hear about the spray on liners or the cylinder deactivation. The little 2.7L EcoBoost has a good reputation these days as well.

Max tow has been 3.55 rear with the 3.5 eco for a while now. In fact the only way you can get 3.73 with the 3.5 is with the heavy duty payload package. 36 gallon tank comes standard with max tow regardless of bed length. Tow mirrors are a separate option with or without max tow.

Cool, learn something new every day. That makes sense with the 10 speed auto.

I would find out if the 2020 has issues with the cam phasers.

And you’ll need a 72gal tank if you tow anything!

I get about 10mpg in almost the exact truck towing my yamaha 2 seater side by side on a 5x9 utility trailer (3k lbs total). But it averages over 18mpg empty at 75-80mph and has plenty of get up and go.

Mines a 2019 and just got a notice bout the cam phasers... what’s the deal?

I’ll tow a tractor or SxS a fair bit, maybe something heavier a few days a year. It’ll be unloaded a good bit of the time. Hoping for 19-20mpg for mixed, unloaded driving. Digging the torque, the smooth ride, and the comfortable interior. Brought it home for good this afternoon.

Congrats on the new wagon, JPro! Looks like you acted just in time, as Ford just announced a 2-week shut-down of their Dearborn plant due to microchip shortages:

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/fo...or-2-weeks-due-to-computer-chip-shortage

I had a 36gal tank in my 2016 with a 5.5 bed.

My uncle was telling me about the microchip issue. Said they couldn't order new vehicles with navigation at the moment.

The dashboard computer was telling me 23mpg this morning for a 23mi highway trip, and a little over 20mpg for the last 200 miles or so. Will be interested to fill it up and test it for real in the coming weeks. I know my last F150 4x4 had the 3V 5.4L and the computer was always optimistic by about 1mpg. Of course that one was a 2004 steel-body unit with 4spd auto and 3.73 gears. It was lucky to pull 16mpg average for mixed driving, generally more like 15. They sure do put a lot of tech in a mid-grade truck these days, from auto-dim high beams, to trailer back-up systems, touch screens, and heated seats. Guess that's a big part of the price now. The old one was a Lariat and about all that got you back then was leather, some computer info in the dashboard, upgraded wheels, and a better sound system.

Good lookin' ride.....hope you enjoy it, and betting you will.

JPro, I have 2018 Lariat with the 3.5 Ecoboost. I had a 5.0 previous although it was a 6 speed. I really prefer the 3.5. That torque in the mid range is awesome, 5.0 had to rev to get there. I did have my cam phasers changed under warranty due the start up Noise. 52,000 happy miles.
We have a fleet of Ecoboosts at work either 3.5s in the Vans and 2.7 in the pick ups. These are not babied, at 100,000 miles the only issues we seem to have are a few exhaust manifolds cracking. We had one turbo go at 110,000 but it was replaced fairly cheaply. Other than that they seem reliable and those issue occurred in about 5% in of the trucks.

They (can phasers) start to rattle on start up. Not really known if that’s as far as the issue goes or if it leads to any other issues down the road.

Had mine replaced at 30,000 kms and then needed them again at 60,000 kms. Traded the truck off at that point. If it’s not on warranty it’s a very expensive fix.

I had a 2017 F150 with the 5.0 and wished I would of went with the 3.5. The ecoboost has a lot more torque and the 5.0 felt like a dog. I upgraded to a F250 two years ago and love it and got it new for only a few grand more then I paid for the F150.

I also considered an F250 gasser, and you’re right, prices are quite similar when trim levels and options are held constant. I just don’t need the towing capability enough to justify the fuel bill on the 7.3L.

I checked fuel mileage the other day after 250mi on a fresh fill up. For roughly 50% highway, 30% country roads, and 20% city, it got 19.3mpg (hand calculated). The dashboard said 20.6, so it’s a bit optimistic, like my last F150.

Just found a 2020 3.5L ecoboost with low miles, 3.55 gear and 36 gallon tank. Gonna buy it today.

Haven't bought a new-to-me truck since 2010, so it was time.

Good deal. 10 years is about right for me as well.

Enjoying mine so far and have probably put about a thousand miles on it in two weeks. Pulls a tandem 14' utility trailer pretty well and will certainly scoot when you want it to. Merging on the Interstate is effortless, relative to most other vehicles I've owned. Ride quality is nice, considering the bigger wheels and 4x4 suspension.

I rented one twice in the last month to pick up fingerlings for the farm. Roughly 2,000 mile trips each, empty with a tank in the back outbound, 1,800 lbs in the back on the inbound. Truck handled the load well, better than Dodges and especially Tundras I’ve rented before. Mileage was 20.5 on one trip, 19.4 on the other. Mixed driving, vast majority at 75 on the freeway. The 20.5 was coming east on I-80 with a 40+ mph tailwind, but loaded. No issue whatever coming up Donner, power wise. Lots of room to spare.

I had I believe a '12 Ecoboost and a '14 5.0. I loved my Fords. I put around 75,000 miles on each truck and went through three transmissions and numerous other repairs, which I've tried to forget. It seemed around 60,000 miles mine would start having numerous things go wrong.

If Ford has improved reliability, then these are incredible trucks. When my 2014 5.0 was getting its transmission replaced, my friend that owns the dealership loaned me a 10-speed, 4x4, 3.5 Ecoboost Lariat for a month or so. That truck was incredible. Lots of comfort and power. I'm now about 30,000 miles into a 2020 Tundra, which I do like, but miss my Fords in some ways.

That sure sounds like rotten luck. My dad and brother have about 430k (combined) on the two they are driving. Both are 2014 models, I think. Original trans/engines. Brother’s previous company F150 is currently at 300k but is on second trans.

In the spirit of honesty, I can tell the interior materials and fit/finish on my new truck are a notch below Toyota. There are some gaps and seams I don’t see on Japanese rigs. Not sure how that points to reliability, but it is what it is. Comfy interior, just not as “indestructible” as a Yota.

A Toyota is not indistructable...lol

FYI for those interested.


MPG from the last three fill-ups (250-500mi of driving):

18.5mpg with some towing of a 14' tandem trailer

20.1mpg typical driving, heavier bias toward highway and country roads

19.8mpg typical driving, heavier bias toward highway and country roads

This is about what I was expecting. Not too shabby compared to full-size options from 10 years ago. I'd be interested to see what a 2wd 2.7L EB version could do as a family hauler. Might not be far off many midsize SUV models in terms of economy, but you'd get a lot of room and capability.

I bought basically the same truck this past July. The only difference I see is mine and yours is mine is magnetic gray and mine has the lariat ultimate package. I really wasnt in the market for a new truck but my dad had to come by my office and show me his new F-150. As soon as he mentioned 0% financing my ears perked up and I was on the prowl lol. A few weeks later I pulled the trigger on this one and got 0% for 72 months. I previously had a 2014 3.5 EB platinum FX4. I loved it until it hit about 55k. For some reason it started fouling the same plug over and over. I had this truck tuned with a MPT tuner set up for premium fuel. It would run like an absolute scalded dog. Not sure if this was the cause of the fouled plug but I got a little nervous with all the EB problems I was hearing about and traded it on a 2017 5.0L Platinum FX4 in July of 17. Liked the 17 a lot but the 5.0l was sluggish even with the 3.73 rear end. The EB definitely has noticably better low end and mid range torque than the 5.0l had. I like this new truck although I miss the appearance of the past platinum models. I can definitely say I like the power and fuel mileage of the EB better although when towing any kind of load It seems the 5.0l gets just as good of mileage as the EB. My experiences may be different than others as all 3 of my trucks have had a leveling or lift kit with 34” or 35” tires. This truck has a 2” leveling Kit with 295/60/20 Toyo Open Country AT III tires. The day I bought the truck new and drove it home over 100 miles it got 22.3 MPG. Now with the leveling kit and 34” tires it gets 18ish on the hwy, 16 or so mixed use and about 14 stop and go in the city. Towing my 18’ tandem axle utility trailer with my can am defender on it, it gets 11ish. My speedometer hasn’t been corrected for the larger tires so those numbers may be off a hair but that’s what the gauge on the dash show. All 3 of mine have had the 36 gal tank and since Ford started putting the bigger tank in the F-150’s I wouldn’t buy one any other way. Mine has the max tow package but wish it had the towing mirrors. I did the notification thru my Ford pass app that my truck is effected by the cam phaser recall. I haven’t brought it in yet but from what I’m hearing is all they’re doing is reflashing the ECU. No sure how that can correct a cam phaser issue?? Anyway, congrats on your purchase and hope you enjoy. It’s a good looking truck!

You can turn the auto dimming high beams off in the settings on the dash if you want. I keep mine turned off and just put them on when I want to use them.

I've been experimenting with the auto high-beams a bit and they seem to work pretty well, although I'm not sure if I'll use them that much. A buddy of mine just bought a 2020 Lariat model and showed me how he unclipped a wire on his battery to kill the auto-stop/start feature. Good to know.

I'll likely keep this truck fairly stock for now and enjoy the ride quality and power. When the tires wear out, I'll bump up a size or two. The other truck has mud tires and a winch, so I don't need to fool with this one too much right now.

I have almost the same truck, xl super crew, max tow package, 3.55 locking rear, 3.5 ecoboost, 10 spd, 36 gal tank, brake controler and all with tow package.
Only issue was the radio screen that had a recall, been replaced and the insulation in door pillar due (recall) that was taken care of by ford.
Otherwise I've had no issues at all and I'm hard on it with tons of 2 track driving on ranches. Snow, mud, rocky, sagebrush driving.
I tossed out the factory crappy plastic undercarriage protection and put on real skidplates, front, under diff, transfer case, full gas tank plate, from RCI, best upgrade besides wiring in front, rear winch wiring.
I get about 16 to 19 in town, up to 24 on interstate driving.
So far I'm happy with it.
I had Ford delete all the exterior, interior auto lighting under the police package so I don't have it lighting up when I'm out night calling. All my lighting is done manually for what lights I want on.
The other part of the police package is deleting ALL vehicle chimes, but I kept them.
You do have to be a cop to have those done at the dealer, or have a auto shop do it if you aren't
Had my cop son take it in and have done, took all of 5 min.
This is one thing sales persons don't want to talk about

I’d take the 3.5 V6 Ecoboost Turbo over the 5.0 V-8 any day of the week. I’ve had two of them and they’ve been bulletproof with s lot more torque and power than the 5.0 I had.
I’m sold on them.

Regarding the chimes and what-not, many can be disabled using FORscan. I used it on my 2011 to turn off the key, door, and seatbelt chime; activate the OEM brake controller I installed, and other things. I think the functionality is even better on the later model vehicles.

I can't really comment on the F150 but I have a 2018 Camry with the auto high beams and they work fantastic. I never touch any of the light switches any more, just leave the auto headlights and auto high beams on all the time so they come on when they want then switch between dim/high when they want.

I'm curious how you determined that your so-called hand calc is more accurate than the ECU? Not picking on you per se, as this seems to be a somewhat common statement in general.

A spark ignited ECU isn't as precise at monitoring fuel injected into the engine as a modern diesel, but it's not shabby. When I was testing vehicles, we disconnected the fuel storage and used an aux tank with known amount of fuel over a known distance. Using the indicated volume dispensed from a fuel pump was not considered a good practice.

It sounds like you have some good experience there and I appreciate the insight. I try to use the same service station and fuel pumping protocol, but I don’t have any way to confirm the accuracy of the fuel dispenser. So far, the hand calc method is consistently 1mpg +/- less than the computer. Close enough for me really, and still not bad for a 4wd brick that weighs close to 5,000lbs and has nearly 500ft-lbs of torque. Never thought I’d be a fan of small-displacement, forced induction engines, but the last two new vehicles I purchased wore turbos and delivered impressive power along with fuel economy. Cool technology....

Still trying to figure out all the electronic do-dads on my 2020. The sport mode is fun.

Haven't towed yet, but heading to the farm in a week, so will get to try it out then.

now does this 6 work at low speed in deep sand? With no turbo, and low RPM, does it have the torque and power to roll through deep sugar sand?

More torque than the V8 and peaks it at something like 2500 rpm instead of 5800 (approx, from memory)


The F-150's 3.5-liter twin-turbo gasoline V-6 produces 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque.

F-150 V-8 produces 395 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.

In terms of measuring the fuel, I think the problem is trying to refuel to the exact same amount after driving a certain distance, especially with the auto-shut off and different temps. Instead, we'd weigh a fuel cell before and after testing with calibrated load cell or scale. The procedure is outlined in different international test standards.

If I recall correctly, on my last engine project, the data from the ECU (spark ignited) was pretty dang accurate on our dynos and for in-vehicle testing. Of course, it depends on engine manufacturer and ECU manufacturer. Modern diesels are dead nuts in their metering, but those injectors are also very expensive.

In the end, no matter what method you use it's accurate enough to indicate performance, share with others, post on Fuelly, etc. Better to share the info, than search for perfection. I just have a pet peeve about definitive statements when it comes to test procedures. And engineers are not immune to it, as they are sometimes the worst offenders. It's like an engineering degree is a license to make unfounded claims.

Pulling a 12' trailer is a breeze. I forgot it was back there. Big, massive step up from my old 5.4 liter.

I have a 2014 F150 with the ecoboost. It definitely has power and torque. I used to tow an aluminum gooseneck horse trailer with no problem. If I'm light on the pedal and keep the cruise control off I could sometimes get 19.X on the highway and mine had the older steel body. Cruise control really made the mileage suffer. I expect you'd get better mileage with the lighter aluminum body.

I also have a 2020 F250 crew cab LWB diesel. I'm surprised it doesn't get better mileage than it does, especially with a 10speed and aluminum body, compared to my 2016 Chevy crew cab 3500 dually with a steel flatbed. The 3500 was a tank and only got about 1.5 MPG less than the F250.

I have 56000 miles on my 2018 xlt fx4 with Max tow. Avg over those miles as I haven’t reset fuel monitor is 19.7mpg. And that’s with leveling kit on the front and bigger tires. It has plenty of power.

I am not very happy with my truck though. Hate the 10 speed and I have had numerous major issues. Won’t buy another Ford I don’t think

Just bought a camper. Maybe should move to a 3/4 ton now!!!

Out of curiosity, what's been the problem with the 10 speed?

I have a 2018 f150, XL super crew, max tow package, 3.5 twin turbo ecoboost, 3.55 rear, electronic locker, 36 gal tank. 10 speed, tow mirrors, trailer brake, spray in bed liner, short bed and the only issues were from recalls, other wise not one problem to date.
I bought a RCI complete skid plate kit to replace the crappy plastic ones as I run tons of 2 tracks and they are super for front, transfer, gas tank protection.
I get an average of 19mpg town and up to 25 a few times interstate driving, usually about 20 to 21 freeway though.