Ford F-150 EcoBoost vs. Honda Ridgeline

[Timberdog]

Things I like about my Ridgeline:
1. lots of room for the family.
2. enough power to haul my toys and gear and still get descent gas mileage.
3. cheap for insurance.
4. has a trunk to secure my crap.
5. fits in my 16' x 24' garage with room to spare.
6. bed can haul pretty much what a full size truck does with a 6.5' bed.
7. cheaper to maintain, ie, tires, brakes, exhaust, etc. than a full size.
8. AWD is excellent in the winter and doesn't affect fuel mileage. Try driving around on slippery roads with a full size truck without winter tires or weight in the back.
9. dual action tailgate.
10. easier to park.
Also, technology in the Ecoboost isn't new. How long have turbo's been around. Reliability has always been an issue. Remember, it's a Ford.

[IanRTL]

Originally Posted by Timberdog

Also, technology in the Ecoboost isn't new. How long have turbo's been around. Reliability has always been an issue. Remember, it's a Ford.

That's sort of like saying, "how long has the internal combustion engine been around?" because turbos have been around nearly as long. As far as I know, the first one was back in the 1880's, but they weren't really used until the teens and 20's in airplanes. Just as the internal combustion engine, turbo technology has come a LONG way in the last 100 years or so. The basic idea is the same, but gone are the days of turbos only lasting 40-50k miles. If Ford's Ecoboost turns out to be very reliable over a long period of time, good for them. Like I said, I'm still not sold.

[Rickman]

FORD

Fix or repair daily.

Nuff said!!! Don't beleive the commercials claiming their reliabilty has gone way up!

And like mentioned, how can you compare a full size with a mid size truck!

[Timberdog]

fair enough but if it makes you wonder why other car companies haven't jumped on the turbo bandwagon. as you said time will tell.

[devincicrashjk]

Its not just a turbo. they have direct injection and varible timming on the exhaust and intake cams.

Vtec is just on the intake.

But take a look a fuelly and the ecoboost milliage isnt better then the ridgeline mpg for 90% of them.

But they do have more hp and tq for the little more gas they use but there isnt a single one thats anywhere near the advertised 35 mpg where. the ridgelines ar

e very close to factory specs for mpg

[AndrePS]

This comparison test was horrendous.
I just wish I could dump that Eco boost in the RL. Well, really wish Honda would boost their own motor. Another gear and shed some weight and I'd e a happy camper.

[egjoni]

I was reading an article on the Ecoboost engine test that the Speed Channel did in California. It was amazing. They put an F150 on a rolling pad for over 400 hours putting about $160K miles on it. Then they hooked it up to a trailer hauling about 10k lbs of logs and drove all the way up to the mountains of Oregon. Then they drove it all the way to Miami and entered some sort of a baja version race. Anyway, with all that beating, they opened up the engine and it was still within manufacturer's specs. That engine is bulletproof. Wish they would put it on an RL!

[rollinhonda]

Originally Posted by AndrePS

This comparison test was horrendous.
I just wish I could dump that Eco boost in the RL. Well, really wish Honda would boost their own motor. Another gear and shed some weight and I'd e a happy camper.

I would bet on a VCM solution, with an updated direct injection V6. This is what Honda did with the Acura RDX after dumping the turbo 4.

[Rickman]

Originally Posted by egjoni

I was reading an article on the Ecoboost engine test that the Speed Channel did in California. It was amazing. They put an F150 on a rolling pad for over 400 hours putting about $160K miles on it. Then they hooked it up to a trailer hauling about 10k lbs of logs and drove all the way up to the mountains of Oregon. Then they drove it all the way to Miami and entered some sort of a baja version race. Anyway, with all that beating, they opened up the engine and it was still within manufacturer's specs. That engine is bulletproof. Wish they would put it on an RL!

Don't be fooled. That was a Ford show/commercial, paid by Ford!

[rollinhonda]

Originally Posted by Rickman

Don't be fooled. That was a Ford show/commercial, paid by Ford!

It could still be valid, but it's only one vehicle, one engine, etc. It has little to do with the reliability of tens of thousands of trucks across the country.
No doubt other mfrs do similar tests, mostly on test beds that simulate aging and long term usage. Does not make great hype for TV ads, etc.

Age acts on vehicles too, as fluids leave residue, gaskets, seals, etc. start to change properties over time, etc.
Taking a fresh engine and putting over 100K miles on it over a short term is not quite the same thing.