anyone regretting getting the powerboost?

[stlgrym3]

i'm strictly asking those who do not use powerboost only features (extra towing capacity, onboard generator, etc) frequently like i do. a part of me wish i had just bought the 3.5 ecoboost. less headache to worry about down the road with the hybrid system. more mods available for the ecoboost too. powerboost's mpg seems underwhelmed. anyone in similar boat?

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[thebigdu]

I don't tow and haven't used the generator feature in the 1+ year I've had the truck. The EV idling is nice, but other than that, I do frequently wish I'd gone for the 5.0. I'll be sticking with the PB I have for the time being though.

 

[Ford4Ever]

Nope. Better on gas than any F-150 I've ever owned, awesome when I don't have to burn fuel when I'm stuck at a railroad crossing with the air conditioner on, and the ability to run things off of the 7.2 KW generator is a massive plus.

 

[Snakebitten]

Being a 3.5 Ecoboost fan for more than a decade, I feel like I'm getting my cake and eating it too.

It'd be OK with me if Ford offered all 4 of the motors with the Hybrid Powerboost option, but if they were only going to do it with one, I'm happy they chose their Halo motor for it.

 

[Buyer2021]

... more mods available for the ecoboost too

That's an interesting statement / observation

Just curious, what sort of mods are you finding for the 3.5EB truck which are not available for the 3.5PB truck?

 

[amschind]

Kind of. I wanted the gen 2 Powerboost, but a bumper to the driver's door of my old exploder in 9/2021 meant that I got the the first model year or paid 1.7x baseline in cash for a used vehicle. I went with a MY1 Powerboost.

Nothing approaches the PB in power except the UPGRADED grail trucks and the diesel 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. With upgrades including ethanol, bigger turbos and ceramic piston faces, you could build a sleeper PB that would destroy anything else on the road. Oddly, THAT is my big complaint: the truck has too much power for even the HDPP frame. A 2.3L tuned up and the 100hp motor from the aviator could probably approach 30MPG and sacrifice nothing on towing.

On my time scale for vehicle replacement, I believe that by the time I want a new truck, Ford will have moved EVERYTHING to the lightning platform with the choice between batteries and different ICE generators. We're at this weird juncture where batteries are all the rage, but at the same time the ICE is developing far faster right now than battery tech. A bunch of 80-100 year old ideas that were very tough to implement with 1940s tech and materials science are suddenly easy with ceramics and modern metals and microprocessor control. Everyone understood that a turbo-compound Deltic was the ne plus ultra of engine design in the 1950s, but the cost and manufacturing available then meant that other upgrades were far easier. Is a turbine engine better than a piston engine made from reinforced composite and ceramic? As a thought experiment, are we closer to battery powered OR piston engines airplanes?

I say all of this to point out that as a consumer, I don't make these dudes choices, but they do set my options. The gen 1 Powerboost was close to my ideal with some questionable decisions that made it worse but not bad. Going forward, I'm worried that non-technical factors will influence automotive engineering such that I'm grateful to tow a trailer 100 miles and paying twice what I pay now per mile.

 

[HammaMan]

The question is a little confusing as you can't drive the truck without using its core features being that it's a hybrid. The hybrid components come with a longer warranty -- I'm more worried about the ICE vs the battery / inverter / e-motor. Electric components are pretty simple. The killer of electronics is heat and all of its additional electrics sans the e-motor have their own cooling loop that can tap the AC if conditions warrant it. Accessories are pretty much the same.

As for payload, I just put air bags on it to eliminate sag. For the typical around town hauling I won't hesitate to put 2klbs+ in the bed, which is rare to need anywhere near that much. If I need to haul larger, I just use a trailer. If EV infrastructure and charging didn't suck, I wouldn't own another combustion vehicle. $10k worth of solar infrastructure can generate 200 miles of range a day average, easily, and power a house. Giving a finger to big energy and OPEC is a very satisfying feeling.

 

[stlgrym3]

Kind of. I wanted the gen 2 Powerboost, but a bumper to the driver's door of my old exploder in 9/2021 meant that I got the the first model year or paid 1.7x baseline in cash for a used vehicle. I went with a MY1 Powerboost.

Nothing approaches the PB in power except the UPGRADED grail trucks and the diesel 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. With upgrades including ethanol, bigger turbos and ceramic piston faces, you could build a sleeper PB that would destroy anything else on the road. Oddly, THAT is my big complaint: the truck has too much power for even the HDPP frame. A 2.3L tuned up and the 100hp motor from the aviator could probably approach 30MPG and sacrifice nothing on towing.

On my time scale for vehicle replacement, I believe that by the time I want a new truck, Ford will have moved EVERYTHING to the lightning platform with the choice between batteries and different ICE generators. We're at this weird juncture where batteries are all the rage, but at the same time the ICE is developing far faster right now than battery tech. A bunch of 80-100 year old ideas that were very tough to implement with 1940s tech and materials science are suddenly easy with ceramics and modern metals and microprocessor control. Everyone understood that a turbo-compound Deltic was the ne plus ultra of engine design in the 1950s, but the cost and manufacturing available then meant that other upgrades were far easier. Is a turbine engine better than a piston engine made from reinforced composite and ceramic? As a thought experiment, are we closer to battery powered OR piston engines airplanes?

I say all of this to point out that as a consumer, I don't make these dudes choices, but they do set my options. The gen 1 Powerboost was close to my ideal with some questionable decisions that made it worse but not bad. Going forward, I'm worried that non-technical factors will influence automotive engineering such that I'm grateful to tow a trailer 100 miles and paying twice what I pay now per mile.

there are gen1 and gen2 powerboost? which model years are gen1 and which are gen2?

 

[HammaMan]

there are gen1 and gen2 powerboost? which model years are gen1 and which are gen2?

No, not yet. Just what we've got. Gen 2 better be a PHEV w/ lightning's GVWR (8550)

Though I'd prefer the lightning to be a BEV w/ optional ICE power pack. Preferably with the use of tesla patents for the thermal management.

 

[amschind]

there are gen1 and gen2 powerboost? which model years are gen1 and which are gen2?

Sorry, that was confusing. By "gen 2" I am referring to an as yet unmade revamp of the PB.

 

[UGADawg96]

i'm strictly asking those who do not use powerboost only features (extra towing capacity, onboard generator, etc) frequently like i do. a part of me wish i had just bought the 3.5 ecoboost. less headache to worry about down the road with the hybrid system. more mods available for the ecoboost too. powerboost's mpg seems underwhelmed. anyone in similar boat?

If I didn't have a PB or were the PB not available, my next choice would be a F250 Diesel Tremor. But the PB is awesome and can't wait to see whatever Gen2 looks like.

 

[Karytas80]

I only have had my 23 PB for 4 months but I have no regrets yet. I have had some issues with turbo which was replaced by warranty and I had some bad experience with my local dealer but I still love my truck. This is my first pickup, so not sure how it compares to others but it has the power and the more I drive it, more I'm impressed with its mpg and how it drives. I only have used the 7.2kw on board power twice and I'm looking forward to use it a lot in upcoming our summer camping trips.

 

[Samson16]

i'm strictly asking those who do not use powerboost only features (extra towing capacity, onboard generator, etc) frequently like i do. a part of me wish i had just bought the 3.5 ecoboost. less headache to worry about down the road with the hybrid system. more mods available for the ecoboost too. powerboost's mpg seems underwhelmed. anyone in similar boat?

I enjoy smoking ecoboosts every chance I get. That alone is worth the money ?

 

[bp1954fromca]

i'm strictly asking those who do not use powerboost only features (extra towing capacity, onboard generator, etc) frequently like i do. a part of me wish i had just bought the 3.5 ecoboost. less headache to worry about down the road with the hybrid system. more mods available for the ecoboost too. powerboost's mpg seems underwhelmed. anyone in similar boat?

No regrets here. The only issues I had would have happened with any F150 (frozen door lock mechanism). The only reason I would not buy another one of any F150 is the service departments at the dealerships. They really need to step up their game and soon.

 

[HammaMan]

No regrets here. The only issues I had would have happened with any F150 (frozen door lock mechanism). The only reason I would not buy another one of any F150 is the service departments at the dealerships. They really need to step up their game and soon.

2nd, the dealer / service arena is just bad.

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