Which engine for towing popup

[DadBald]

Looking like I'll end up with a used 2021 truck. I'm thinking about fuel economy primarily. Any engine would probably be fine for my use cases. I'm considering the Powerboost, 2.7L, or 3.5L, in that order, but the hybrid may be priced out of my budget, TBD.

We plan to take long trips in this with our ~3000lb popup; definitely not large by truck standards, but it's pushing my minivan limits. It's wide, but roughly the height of the tailgate.

I'll keep it to 70mph with the trailer, if speed limit allows.

Will the hybrid help any on a towing trip like this? Will the 2.7L stay in boost and kill mileage? Will the 3.5 stay out of boost and be better? Generally speaking of course. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[PeteCostanza]

I tow a 2021 Rockwood 2318G pop up with my Powerboost. I've also towed it with the truck I had before which was a 2017 F150 with 3.5Eco. The fuel mileage towing was the same for both trucks. The cool thing about the Powerboost is that you can power the pop up anywhere using the onboard generator. My towing mph is 65-70 and I get 15-16mpg. That was the same for both the 3.5Eco and the Powerboost engines.

 

[780]

I think you'd be fine towing a popup with a 2.7L. Regardless of the engine, you likely won't even know the pop up is behind you in an F150.

We towed our 3,000 lb pop up w/ a 2015 5.0L with a 6 speed.

Moved from the popup to a 21' hardwall with the same truck.

If you think you might ever go to a larger trailer, I would probably go with a 3.5 or a PowerBoost now.

 

[DadBald]

Yeah, definitely keeping my options open for a travel trailer at some point, but that's more of a 10-year plan and I suspect we may be in the market for our 2nd truck at that time. Just looking at the popup for now.

What might I expect for mileage pulling the pup with the 2.7L?

Fuelly shows the 2.7 as about 19mpg whereas the 3.5 is more like 16. That's a nice bump for daily use, but curious how towing looks in this size range.

 

[780]

Yeah, definitely keeping my options open for a travel trailer at some point, but that's more of a 10-year plan and I suspect we may be in the market for our 2nd truck at that time. Just looking at the popup for now.

What might I expect for mileage pulling the pup with the 2.7L?

Fuelly shows the 2.7 as about 19mpg whereas the 3.5 is more like 16. That's a nice bump for daily use, but curious how towing looks in this size range.

Never owned a 2.7. But most of your reduced gas mileage will be due to aerodynamics. I don't recall much of a MPG hit with my old 5.0L. When I started towing a giant brick shaped thing behind me is when I started noticing a difference in mileage.

Personally, If it were me and I was towing a popup a few times during the summer but commuting in the truck day to day the rest of the year, I would go 2.7L.

But, I'd opt for the 2.7 Payload pkg to allow you some extra payload room if you like to load the box up for camping trips. As you can see from my picture above, that is what we did. Mostly firewood.

 

[UGADawg96]

Funny.... We also have an Odyssey (2010) and an Outback (2013).

Very happy with our 2021 Powerboost.

 

[DadBald]

Funny.... We also have an Odyssey (2010) and an Outback (2013).

Very happy with our 2021 Powerboost.

Hah, yeah. Love the Outback, but it's throwing a bunch of nuisance codes and we're thinking it wishes it was a truck

 

[Snakebitten]

I've towed, not heavy, all over the country with the 2.7, 3.5, and now have the Powerboost.

If you aren't enamored with the onboard generator, or at least not enough for it to be THE determing factor, I'm certain that the 2.7 not only can easily deal with that wagon, but overall will be the best fuel economy.

It's also, in my opinion, the most trouble free of the 3, although I have had great luck with all the Ecoboosts I've owned.

 

[Samson16]

They are 3 good options, and all capable of getting the job done. I bought the best powertrain I could afford and since I plan on boondocking with a trailer, the 7.2kW pro-power was a fantastic bonus. The 2.7 is a good value and will certainly tow 3000lb without issue. The 3.5 is a monster and the PB is just, well, heaven!

 

[Calson]

More than a few people have complained about the 2.7L engine shutting down without any warning. I suspect that the turbo coolant overheated and the engine was shut down to prevent damage to the unit.

Forget about fuel economy when towing and focus instead on having enough power to be able to safely merge with traffic when entering the roadway.

 

[sbreech]

I've towed, not heavy, all over the country with the 2.7, 3.5, and now have the Powerboost.

If you aren't enamored with the onboard generator, or at least not enough for it to be THE determing factor, I'm certain that the 2.7 not only can easily deal with that wagon, but overall will be the best fuel economy.

It's also, in my opinion, the most trouble free of the 3, although I have had great luck with all the Ecoboosts I've owned.

I’ll second these sentiments. The 2.7 is more than capable for most tasks, including towing. We have a 2021 2.7 4x4 supercrew and have been towing a 3000lb Tab400 until we recently bought a new 5000lb 23ft airstream. Total combined fuel economy has been 23.4mpg, and that includes 4000 of our 16000 miles towing. The 4000 miles towing is 13.4mpg, and you should do better with a pop up if you don’t have a lead foot (by the way, the best color…)

The 2.7 has zero problems pulling out of rest areas to merge onto traffic while towing, and has no problems maintaining speed through the Smokey Mountains / Appalachia, and driving as a daily driver, it has proven to be pretty fuel efficient for a land yacht sized vehicle that is pretty much a blast to drive when you put in sport mode and goof a round a bit.

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