2016 Ford F-150 XLT Sport SuperCrew 2.7 EcoBoost: The Oppositelock 75k Mile Review

"BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo" (bluemazda2)
08/12/2019 at 20:45 • Filed to: Oppositelock Review, Trucc, You really are plumbing new depths this week

After just over two years with us from new, Trucc™ rolled past 75k miles earlier today.

Never in my life did I expect to fall so deeply in love with a car in such a short amount of time.

If you don’t know the story, my dad used to have a 2004 Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 SuperCab 5M I chose out new when I was a child at our local Ford dealership when he was looking for a car. He bought it simply because I liked the red truck with orange letters. After 218k miles, it was totaled after a rear end accident in Miami. He tasked me with finding the perfect F-150 for him via cars.com, so I spent a few weeks looking. After plenty of dishonesty and shady moves from about a dozen Ford dealerships, I found the perfect (for me) F-150 at a Ford dealership in Fort Lauderdale. A leftover 2016 Lithium Gray F-150 XLT Sport SuperCab with the 2.7 EcoBoost. It was loaded with just about every option minus the sunroof and 20” wheels. When I sent him the link, he knew I was looking based on my taste, but he decided to go and check it out anyway. This was the last dealership before we’d have to expand the search radius to the Treasure Coast up to Orlando. A few hours later, I was told he was signing the final papers and got a great deal. Thus, for the second time, I chose out a truck for my father. He said pictures didn’t do it justice—that it was love at first sight.

Ragner™ and Trucc™

After 75,000 miles, I’ve found myself fallen head over heels in love with Ford’s new trucks more than ever.

What about the F-150 in itself?

Well, this is the 13th generation that debuted for the 2015 model year. It received a refresh for the 2018 model year with a bunch of powertrain improvements. There’s an F-150 for everyone, even if you’re a Mexican Stinger GT owner who hates trucks for no apparent reason.

(Full Disclosure: Ford wanted me to drive this F-150 so bad that they offered a dumb thicc discount to my dad on a leftover 2016 so he could shut up and buy a truck.)

Exterior - 10/10

As previously explained, I chose this one exactly to my taste, right down to the gloss Lithium Gray color with the two tone sport wheels. The current gen F-150 is easily the best looking truck on sale and it’s honestly such a pleasure to look at. The Sport has body colored bumpers, which definitely adds to the aesthetic appeal.

Interior - 8/10

The XLT is the second rung from the bottom in terms of trim levels, so don’t expect a King Ranch or Platinum leather-clad interior. This one has the black sport cloth interior with the 40/console/40 front layout and a console shifter. I honestly prefer this to any other interior. It has dark aluminum look trim on the doors and center console with some chrome accenting. The seats are exceptionally comfortable, especially on long drives. The plastics are relatively cheap, but not as bad as others in the segment. This is a similar interior to the base Raptor, so it gets a thumbs up from me.

Performance - 9/10

You may be asking yourself if I’ve gone insane giving it such a high rating, but guess what, it deserves it. If you’d told someone a decade ago that a 2.7 V6 truck could go head to head with a brand new 220 hp GTI, they would’ve laughed in your face. What a time to be alive, though. We have a 2.7 EcoBoost V6 with 325 hp and 375 lb-ft. helping the F150 hit 60 in 5.8 in 4x2 guise with the 3.73 rear. The handling, although not as sharp as in sporty cars, still proves amazing for a truck. This thing isn’t too far off what the Passat feels like around turns. It feels remarkably planted and stable, whether darting around town at 45 or eating up miles on I-75 doing 80. The 6R80 automatic is smooth and quicker than expected in said application. The best part? Vicious kick downs.

Trucc™ goes to Mexico

Running Costs - 8/10

We went into EcoBoost ownership knowing that it would be more expensive than Coyote or Cyclone ownership in the long run, but it honestly hasn’t been as bad as we had been led to believe. Other than 5k mile oil changes and routine maintenance, it’s very reminiscent of what the Ranger was like to maintain. Other than using 93 in it for max EcoBOOST, it’s cheaper to maintain than the Passat. We do intend on keeping it for a long time, so we do this with pleasure to see it around in years to come.

Performance of Intended Function - 10/10

Is this Motor Trend? No. Will I still use one of their criteria for car of the year in this review typed mostly from my dining room on an iPhone? Absolutely. Joking aside, this truck does everything it should do excellently. Even then, it manages to go above and beyond expectations by being comfortable, quick, fun to drive, fuel efficient (when I’m focusing more on Eco than Boost), and lovable. I couldn’t have asked for a better new truck to be a member of our household.

Total: 45/50

Bonus Round:

- Is it practical?

Yes. It can tow over 7500 lbs, carry five 6’+ men, withstand Costco trips, and even carry a dog.

- Is it economical?

When I’m driving? No. I get like 14/19 because I put the Boost in EcoBoost. If you drive like an civilized human? Yeah, my dad gets the stated 19/26 on the dot.

- Is it fun to drive?

Yes. It can wipe the smile off an EcoBoost Mustang or GTI owner’s face if you happen to come across one. It can also handle much better than it has any right to.

- Will it break down all the time?

No, it’s neither a Dodge nor a Chevy.

- Is it easy to park?

Yes. The F150 has the 302A Equipment Group, which includes Sync 3, rear parking sensors, and an excellent backup camera.

- What if I go to a shopping centre and get chased by baddies in a Corvette?

Idk, sounds like a you problem.

- Is it green?

No, it’s Lithium Gray.

- Can I afford it?

No, that’s why my dad bought it, not me.

- What if I’m asked to take part in a beach assault with the Royal Marines?

Pickup trucks seem to be a preferred mode of transportation for armed forces, so I think I’d do fine.

DISCUSSION (34)

Spanfeller is a twat > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/10/2019 at 06:50

My favorite F150 is the Expedition

I kid, the 2.7 ecoboost I rented in California was just about perfect. Now, if I could spec one it’d be short bed, single cab.

Gerry197 > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:10

I whole heartily agreed. Out of my fleet of sports cars, sedans and hatches I’ve owned in my 45 years of life, it turns out my F150 2.7L Ecoboost to be one of my all-time favorites.

Mine is a supercab with a standard bed, XLT “middle spec” variant. The utility, comfort, speed, reliability and fuel efficiency out of a single package is impressive.

It’s honestly faster 0-60 & quarter mile than either my E46 & E90 sedans, gets better mileage than the E46, seats six passengers in relative comfort, can tow over 8,000 lbs (w/ my spec) and gets me almost mid-20s mpg on the highway.

Also, in less than 3 years of ownership, I had a huge amount of equity in it. If it was my typical German sedans, I would have still been upside down on my loan. In fact, I rolled in a $4000 negative equity (VW CC) when I bought my F150, and in 3 years I was already in the black on my loan. People forget about the high resale on these full size trucks.

I do enjoy getting new vehicles and after 4 years of ownership, I traded her in on a 2019 RAM Rebel, which honestly is probably the best truck on the market today. But I suspect with the next gen F150 coming in the next year or so, I maybe looking to making the switch again 3/4 years down the line.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Spanfeller is a twat
08/12/2019 at 11:11

Kinja'd!!!

I did just that.

JustAnotherG6 > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:11

My primary bone of contention with the F-150 (besides needing a 3" drop, chop and channel) is the stupid tone that sounds anytime a door is open. Do-de-do, do-de-do, over and over again. I don’t know why but I just want to punch it in the face.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > JustAnotherG6
08/12/2019 at 11:12

I actually love it. It sounds closer to a BMW or Porsche chime than it does one to a lower spec American pickup truck.

JustAnotherG6 > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:16

I haven’t sat in a new BMW or Porsche in a while... I may have to fix that and see if it is as bad. Either way, if I had one, I would find that module, rip it out, and dance on it’s discarded corpse.

Tripper > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:21

My dad has the same truck 2017 edish, cept it’s red with the long bed. He adores it. It’s nice to have access to it now that I’ve sold the ranger. Otherwise it’s huge, and only has two pedals so its a Buick to me.

Nibby > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:29

Since I have a very similar truck, 2018 F150 2.7L EcoBoost 4WD crew cab XLT with 302A as well... I think the facelift looks better. The interior is fine, definitely a bit nicer than my Ram was. Sync is much better than the previous gen Sync. I’ve gotten 28mpg a couple times but usually around 23-25mpg hw, 17-19 city. I’m averaging around 22MPG right now but that’s due to 2 road trips in the past month.

I will say it is comfy on road trips but the ride on my 2015 Ram 1500 was definitely better. And it handled better... the turning radius on the F150 is atrocious.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Nibby
08/12/2019 at 11:34

But how does it stack up against the ‘93 Ford Tempo GL 3.0 5M?

Future next gen S2000 owner > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:41

That’s a lot of miles in a few years. I bought my Taco new in ‘16 it only has 47K on it.

Nibby > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:45

Nothing can.

Pickup_man > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 11:47

I was really hoping to get into a ‘15+ when I was shopping for my truck, but just couldn’t find one in nice condition for my price which is why I ended up with a ‘14. I’ve always been disappointed in the interior of these 15+ trucks though. Not that they’re a terrible place to spend time, but they’ve always felt so cheap to me and I’ve never seen one where the center section fits properly. None of that would have been bad enough to prevent me from buying one, but I really fell like Ford went a couple steps backwards with this interior.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Pickup_man
08/12/2019 at 11:50

The fit and finish in ours is excellent, but I am aware that most of these get treated like work trucks and might get beaten around more much more than ours.

Pickup_man > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 12:06

It’s not even that. We get to borrow new trucks for my job so I’ve been in multiple F-150 s/250s , all brand new, from XL’s up to Platinum’s and I have yet to see one that fits right. That and the plastic on the doors just feels rough and cheap. It’s not a bad interior, but I still think it’s a step backwards compared to the last two generations, and the Ram completely blows it out of the water. GM’s interior is horribly outdated and ugly as hell, but I still think the fit and finish is better than Ford.

I’m glad you’ve got a good one though.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 12:39

I’m glad you like it; many miles it’s driven. But I wanna see how well these eco-poof truck engines are doing after TEN years, and after hard work, towing, et cetera. I have a ‘97 Safari (Astro) van with 240k miles on it and yes, a rebuilt trans (120k mi so far) that had the original flaws reinforced and yes, a GM reman 4.3L engine with about the same as the trans. Only four speeds in the trans, and only something like 160 rated horsepower. But well understood and very maintainable. These uber-complex vehicles scare the daylights out of me from a maintenance perspective.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Pickup_man
08/12/2019 at 12:41

I rode in a Platinum recently, two or three years old, and I was shocked by how cheesy the interior was.

Pickup_man > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/12/2019 at 12:45

Exactly why I bought a 5.0 recently. The Ecoboost motors are awesome, and have proven to go high miles , but I plan to keep this truck until it’s 20 years old with 200k -250k miles, I trust the 5.0 far more to get me there with a whole lot less risk of expensive replacement parts.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/12/2019 at 13:24

A family friend just traded his 215k mile 2012 F150 EcoBoost that towed a boat almost every day for 7 years for a 2019 Raptor.

He had no problems other than routine maintenance and regular wear items.

I trust these EcoBoost engines.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Pickup_man
08/12/2019 at 13:47

Yes. Thoroughly proven and well understood power train and plenty of helpful YouTube repair videos!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 13:48

That’s good to hear.

Spanfeller is a twat > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
08/12/2019 at 14:02

Good

PyramidHat > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 16:25

- Will it break down all the time?

No, it’s neither a Dodge nor a Chevy.

Grade A pisstake, there.

How’s everything holding up in general? A lot of flex and squeaks? (no, I didn’t used to own a ‘94 Sierra 4x4...why do you ask?) How about running gear, suspension, etc.. - anything that might give up the ghost over 100K?

PyramidHat > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 16:26

The Tempo always wins these contests...you know that...

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > PyramidHat
08/12/2019 at 16:32

Everything is fine. Nothing to report for squeaks or rattles other than the random crap scattered throughout the cabin. This thing has held up much better than my 2015 Passat.

Most of his commute is smooth highway, so there’s not much stress on the car like 80% of the time.

shop-teacher > Tripper
08/12/2019 at 16:59

I like Buicks.

benjrblant > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 17:02

I feel like the key here is routine maintenance. Changing ALL the fluids frequently, doing everything advised in the service manual, keeping everything in spec, etc etc.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > benjrblant
08/12/2019 at 17:04

This is exactly what we do.

Tripper > shop-teacher
08/12/2019 at 17:15

There is nothing wrong with Buicks but “Buick” is the first thing to pop into my mind when I think of an uninteresting car. (at least modern Buicks). So I refer to all cars that strike me that way as...Buicks.

For instance my office is full of Buicks. (S classes, A 6's, entry level 3 series, Range Rovers, a bunch of N issans or things that look like them ) Then there is a Toyota 86, a 991 911, an RS5, a 60's fiat 124, and a very nicely kept Volvo S60 (I’ve never seen this car dirty and the driver looks like a contract killer)

BEER4Bonnieville > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 19:14

Nearly 4000 at 80?

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > BEER4Bonnieville
08/12/2019 at 20:41

In 4th with my foot almost all the way to the floor, yes.

RPM esq. > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/12/2019 at 21:24

Sounds like a good truck, but this was the inevitable review that makes a mockery of attempting to standardize a review format for all cars . 10/10 exterior for a pickup truck (sure, a reasonably handsome one, but come on)? 9/10 performance? 8/10 running costs for 14/19 mpg on premium?

I admit I’m delighted to learn that my C63 AMG should get an 8/10 for running costs, since it gets pretty comparable gas mileage to what you get (actually better on the highway) , also runs on premium, and also r equires nothing but oil changes and routine maintenance. It even has a longer service interval. I guess it’s a 15/10 for performance.

Steve in Manhattan > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/13/2019 at 00:55

So it’s time to start shopping for dad’s next truck because, well ... you obviously need this thing all to yourself.

Future Heap Owner > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
08/13/2019 at 01:51

I approve of the TAE trolling

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Future Heap Owner
08/13/2019 at 01:52

Someone had to do it.