Decision time new tow vehicle Part 3 Ford

[islandtrader]

I know there are a bizillion opinions on tow vehicles. So I thought I would try a different approach.

I know what I want for a physical plant! All I am looking for right now is what 2 or 3 things do you really like about your Ford (2018 and newer).
What 2 or 3 things don't you like? And finally what do you wish you should have on your truck.

Ford guys this might be a little different take since Ford has a new model in 2021.

Ram and GMC/Chevy guys stay out of this post. You have a thread already.
Just getting ready to make a choice in the next few months and all 3 have nice features and power plants. So now I want to hear what you think about the choice you made.

P.S. No bias on my part, right now I have a Ridgeline (06)
__________________

[CRH]

I like:

Powerscope towing mirrors
Trailer blindspot monitoring
Trailer tire pressure monitor system.
LED bed lighting
360 degree camera system
Aluminum body
Tailgate step
Carpet delete

I dont really have any dislikes

[islandtrader]

Originally Posted by CRH

I like:

Powerscope towing mirrors
Trailer blindspot monitoring
Trailer tire pressure monitor system.
LED bed lighting
360 degree camera system
Aluminum body
Tailgate step
Carpet delete

I dont really have any dislikes

Carpet delete...not a bad idea...depending on how you will be using your truck.

[JonDNC]

Love the seats. Platinum gives heated, cooled, massage seats. The best on long travel days. Power towing mirrors, no carpeting front or rear (perfect for dog etc. ). Love the diesel and engine braking. Also the logical layout of all controls (better than 2019 GMC AT4.

Perfect truck would be Ford interior, GMC cameras and heads up, GMC Tailgate and RAM-boxes in the bed. Don’t want much do I [emoji6][emoji56]

[DanHogHunter]

I have a 2020 F150 and I agree with most of the likes above. I want to add one dislike, and I really don't like it!, the engine shutting off when you stop. I know I can hit a button to stop that or put in sport mode, but I don't want to have to do that at all.


The reasons I don't like it are, it's very disconcerting to me to have the engine stop every time I stop at a stop light and I've read (and it make sense to me) that it is hard on the battery.


I also know that there are aftermarket fixes for this.

[rtaylor537]

Avoid the diesel. Expensive, maintenance costs prohibitive, mileage not much better than a gasoline engine and towing characteristics not different than an F250 gasoline model. When the engine needs repair plan to mortgage your house. As you can read I’ve had a bad experience with my previous F250 diesel and replaced it with a F250 Lariat gasoline model. Much happier. Been towing a30ft Excella since 2002.

[pappy19]

Originally Posted by rtaylor537

Avoid the diesel. Expensive, maintenance costs prohibitive, mileage not much better than a gasoline engine and towing characteristics not different than an F250 gasoline model. When the engine needs repair plan to mortgage your house. As you can read I’ve had a bad experience with my previous F250 diesel and replaced it with a F250 Lariat gasoline model. Much happier. Been towing a30ft Excella since 2002.

I agree with the gas engine, and I would also suggest the addition of the snow plow option, even if you live in Florida. It gives you a lot for your money.

[daleyocum]

I wanted a F150 as daily driver, not a 250, so it took Bilstein shocks and a Weightmaster suspension upgrade to handle the porpoising. Airbags would have done it to.

The payload numbers, like all 1/2 tons, can vary all over the place depending on your options. I had to be content with the mid-range XLT package to get my 1850lb payload.

I love the Backup Assist but I know many don’t use it. Great truck, just a tad under spec’ed for towing a 25’ or longer trailer.

[TravelingJim]

I have a '19 F250 Lariat wit the 6.2 gas engine and love it. We tow a 2016 International Serenity 30RB. Over the past few week, we have been traveling through Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. We have tackled a few 5 - 6% grades, both uphill and downhill with no problem. Of course, we slow down quite a bit going uphill, but that was expected.

We have about 12,000 miles on it and are completely satisfied with the quality, ride and comfort.

[CRH]

Another happy Ford gasser here. I have the 6.2 and 4.30 gears. The truck is rated to tow 15k. It tows the AS easily. I have towed 12k with the truck. I was happy with the way it performed.

I also got the snowplow option. I figured it might come in handy if I wanted to put a cargo carrier on the front. I got slide in camper cert and 5th wheel prep. I have no plans for either, but am ready if I change my mind.

[DR M]

ok here are my 2 cents on the subject.

likes:
digital speedometer
diesel cause of the engine braking
ARE topper with the front drop down window (can clean the window in back of truck)
heated and cooled front seats with massagers

dislikes:
sun roof (never use it)
retractable side steps (something to break later)

In order to get the push button start you got the dislikes in that package. We thought the f350 road a little better than the f250 and the crazy part was it was 3k cheaper than the f250 with the same package. Who knew?????

[PatLee]

I do not understand why so many people do not like the auto-off when stopped feature and seek to circumvent it. We RV people put a lot of emissions into the air when we tow. I like that my Ford truck is helping by not unnecessarily idling away, wasting fuel, polluting Planet Earth. If we all let the feature be, the amount of pollutant released would be significant. BTW - if your trailer is attached, the auto-off function doesn't work. This feature, along with removing 700 pounds of metal, is how Ford came up with their improved MPG figure.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by islandtrader

I know there are a bazillion opinions on tow vehicles. So I thought I would try a different approach....

Well, I have long been a Ford guy, so stayed out of your RAM and GM threads. I used to work in a Ford dealer, long ago, as did several family members. And I worked in a heavy equipment dealership for 24 years, much of it in service and customer support fields.

Respectfully, I think the trucks are all pretty much fine. There used to be some bad vehicles, years ago. Now there aren't so much bad vehicles, as there are different combinations of colours, seats, sound systems, etc. The rest is for all intents and purposes equal across the competitors. Ford has addressed their problematic earlier outsourced diesels; RAM appear to have addressed their poor cab/chassis/transmissions, as they always had a reasonable diesel engine; GM appears to have expanded beyond their good transmission. All very comparable now.

I have owned multiple Fords, and part of the reason was that I had dealership connections, so issues that did arise were handled promptly. When I moved to BMWs, I cultivated a relationship with the dealer management team, and had a similar good experience. I drove past several other BMW dealerships to get to the one I chose to use.

What does vary is dealer support across brands, depending on where you buy, live, work, and travel.

For trucks, I would choose Ford, because of the dealership support. GM would be close. RAM a step back, but that can vary geographically. You may have a good RAM dealer close by, IDK.

You may want to consider the dealer experience, and not just the optional equipment experience. Just my $0.02

[mikeinca]

I have a 2017 F250 which was the first year of the new aluminum body so there are minimal differences with your specified 2018-2020 model range. That said:

Likes
Effortless, relaxed diesel towing; level terrain or steep mountain grades it doesn't matter...power to spare. Turbo diesel not affected by altitude.
Very comfortable, quiet long distance cruiser. Platinum seats with heat/cool/massage are wonderful on long trips.
Excellent fit and finish and quality control. In 3 years I've literally had nothing go wrong with the truck.
Favorite options. Power running boards. (They are wider, stay cleaner, and drop lower for easy access than fixed units plus they give the truck a better look. They are powered by a single electric motor on each side so not that complex.) Integrated TPMS in instrument cluster for trailer. Pull out tailgate step with hand grip.

Dislikes
Not much to complain about. The standard shocks are a little soft; replaced with gas pressure Bilsteins. Wouldn't mind if a bigger fuel tank than 34gal was available in the 6.5" bed.

[pandj12]

I had the same original question and was waiting for someone to comment on the new 7.3 gas vs the 6.2 as far as mpg and towing experience. I know the 7.3 was new in 2020(I think).

[WhereStream]

The rear-view camera (actually, all the cameras).

Radically easier to put the ball under the coupler using the camera.

Has turned hitching up the trailer into a one-person job.

I have the SUV, the Expedition, not the F150, so I could not get the extendable side-view mirrors. Wish I had those. Other than that, I prefer the Expedition.

[DewTheDew]

I believe you are looking for a 1/2 ton? We had a 2017 F150 to tow our 2017 27FC and while it had sufficient power (we had the platinum, 3.5EB with all the goodies) we were running out of payload and I could feel porpoising and a somewhat squishy ride when loaded up. Last fall we upgraded to basically the identical truck (platinum, diesel) 2019 F250. Aside from drivetrain and ride, they are almost identically equipped.

I liked most of the things like retractable running boards (esp on the F250!), heated/cooled seats, cameras everywhere, lights everywhere, power everywhere. I like that it has ApplePlay. The seats are, to me, comfortable and towing has always been good and is amazing with the F250. The only dislike is that the outside temperature is not on the dash, it is on the Nav screen and when I am using ApplePlay for navigation (Google Maps) I cannot see the temp. When it is close to freezing I like to keep an eye on that. That's it; I like everything else.

Ironically I got the Ford F150 because it had a higher payload than Chevy or Ram because of the aluminum body. Plus the Ram was at the end of its cycle and was "old tech". By 2019 when I was looking to move up to a 3/4 ton both Chevy and Ram were upgraded and I chose Ford basically because I was used to it. I am not fond of the way Chevy looks but I have always liked the Ram and owned a 3/4 ton V10 back in the late 90's that was great. Like jcl said; they're all pretty good. Keep an eye on actual payload numbers from the door jam and I would suggest that you will want at least 900 lbs over your tongue weight. I probably would have gotten the gasser but it wasn't quite out when I needed to buy so I got a 2019 at a good price rather than waiting several months for the 2020 7.3.

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by DanHogHunter

I have a 2020 F150 and I agree with most of the likes above. I want to add one dislike, and I really don't like it!, the engine shutting off when you stop. I know I can hit a button to stop that or put in sport mode, but I don't want to have to do that at all.

This thread on the F150 forum tells how you can permanently disable Auto Stop/Start. I disabled mine years ago and have not missed it.

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/forsc...-truck-348987/

[AFTER TAXES]

Originally Posted by islandtrader

I know there are a bizillion opinions on tow vehicles. So I thought I would try a different approach.

I know what I want for a physical plant! All I am looking for right now is what 2 or 3 things do you really like about your Ford (2018 and newer).
What 2 or 3 things don't you like? And finally what do you wish you should have on your truck.

Ford guys this might be a little different take since Ford has a new model in 2021.

Ram and GMC/Chevy guys stay out of this post. You have a thread already.
Just getting ready to make a choice in the next few months and all 3 have nice features and power plants. So now I want to hear what you think about the choice you made.

P.S. No bias on my part, right now I have a Ridgeline (06)
__________________

get the COYOTE motor......u will be very happy

[Daquenzer]

I have a 2017 F150 XLT super crew. Payload is 1800lbs. I just ordered a 2020 model with the following changes: went to 20 inch tires that increased rear axle capability 200lbs and my towing capacity to 12,500lbs from 10,500lbs. Also put in tailgate ladder and side steps to get in the bed.

Dislike:
Porpoising. Bought roadmaster suspension system that eliminated it and reduced rear squat. Can't get BLISS in the XLT trim.

Likes:
1. Plenty of power in the 3.5 Ecoboost to pull my 28'.
2. Bliss System for everyday driving and also for towing.
3. Rear camera makes hitching a breeze.
4. Rides quite well and gets excellent mpg for everyday driving.
5. I have the trailer back up assist. Don't use it for the AS since I have a pro pride hitch, and it is fairly easy to back up. It works great for my cargo trailer. That's why I got it again on my 2020.
6. More payload than GM, Chevy, and Rams with similar set ups.
7. 36 gallon tank.
8. Definitely get max payload package.