Powerboost or not

[Bikybahia]

I'm looking at buying a 2023 powerboost but have been reading a lot of complaints. Is the powerboost worth it or am I better off with a gas engine.

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[RandyNC]

I have a 2021 Lariat PB with 30K miles and zero issues other than minor recalls and standard maintenance. I love getting nearly 25 MPG on long trips. Well worth it IMO.

 

[Snakebitten]

You are going to get rave reviews from the folks that have trouble free Powerboost, and "don't bother" feedback from the fellas that didn't.

They are amazing trucks. And in my opinion settling in nicely at this point in the manufacturing cycle.

 

[fordtruckman2003]

It depends on your intended truck usage.
Many seem to use it for RV camping as a generator and I think that is a perfect usage. Also great for mobile office work. Supposedly Ford can't keep up with hybrid police SUV production. They love the hours of silent idling.

It's everything you get with a proven 3.5 motor plus hybrid that can save you some money on fuel.

I don't own one but I was heavily considering it from the day it was introduced. Just doesn't fit my needs so went with another option.

 

[Gros Ventre]

If you want performance these are rocket ships. The electric motor has wonderful off-the-line performance followed by the turbos kicking in. I had to relearn how to pass. In HS When I took Drivers Ed they taught me to floor it when passing and leave it floored until pulling back into my lane. Do that in the PowerBoost and you'll be looking at 100MPH. And Wyoming Troopers really don't like it if you bust 80... The towing performance from a stop is equally good because of that electric motor. The generator is pretty good, but be careful, it's a bonded neutral generator setup. The generator is a "full power" generator because the engine is so much bigger than the generator capacity (ie up here in Wyoming we get only 70% of a portable generator's out put because of altitude since a portable generator's engine is matched to the generator). Got plenty of flawless Wyoming miles on my PowerBoost.

 

[Atlee]

I'm looking at buying a 2023 powerboost but have been reading a lot of complaints. Is the powerboost worth it or am I better off with a gas engine.

Depends. For me, it has so far (20k+ miles) worked like a charm. I'll knock on wood now.

I got mine so I could leave my two Honda 2000 generators and all the gas needed to keep them running at home. I boondock a lot. It sure is nice to just plug in the trailer to the 7.2Kw panel in the truck bed.

If it got totaled tomorrow, I'd be in line to get another one.

 

[TheDIG]

I'm in the absolutely not camp. If I had a do-over I'd get the regular 3.5 ecoboost. I had the SSN issue (which seems to be fixed), bad battery, and a slew of other electrical gremlins that I'm still dealing with. Just been more hassle than its worth for me and I'm only at about 6700 miles. Not to mention that my PB has dropped about 17k in value in the last 6 months although prices are finally breaking since the 24's are around the corner.

 

[mxwrk]

Only a couple somewhat minor issues with mine fixed under warranty nbd...and I love the way it drives. It's also great knowing I can use the 7.2KW power onboard when needed in emergencies or camping. I loved the mileage before leveling it and adding heavier, bigger tires. I nurse it to maintain 20mpg now but I still find that acceptable for a full-size truck. Just keep in mind if you plan to modify the wheels/tires with something heavier you're looking at a 2-4mpg loss. I'd buy it again, option 2 would probably be the 5.0

 

[jeepin95]

My '22 Lariat Powerboost is my first truck coming over from the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee world and I love it. I've had a roof leak that I'm not convinced is fixed which is obviously not PB related. I also had the heat exchanger leak that is specific to the PB but still love it. My diesel Grand Cherokee got way better mileage all around and almost double the MPG towing our 3500lbs travel trailer, bit mileage wasn't why I got it. I love having the generator to power the trailer anywhere we go. I can also power parts of the house in a power outage if that ever came up.

The one thing I knew, but hadn't put high on my list when purchasing was just sitting in the truck with AC or to some extent heat without the ICE running all the time. They had become one of my most used capabilities. I often sit in my truck to eat during the day to get out of the office. My wife and I have both taken the truck to events for the kid that were far enough away it wasn't worth driving home to turn around and go back so were able to sit in the truck and work with power and AC or heat. For me if it isn't too cold I can turn on the heated seats and not need the heater, which seems to extend the ICE-off time needed to keep the engine warm.

 

[HammaMan]

There's not a vehicle announced that'd be a worthy trade for my PB, including a 24. Granted for it to be another ford it'd have to be far more revolutionary than ford is capable of, without the departure of the CEO. Too many poor decisions made with him at the helm. I also follow interviews of the lead engineers and have found a very unusual pattern in the number of female engineers sitting at the head of many programs -- far more than the 12% of engineering graduates they represent.

After some quick searches I've noticed the primary companies behind DEI/ESG initiatives have notable ownership of ford including blackrock (7.2%), vanguard (8.5%), and state street (7.7%); as yahoo notes, the board needs to pay attention to their 'preferences'. Kowtowing to whims of these companies appears, from my perspective at least, to be impacting the final product.

 

[Supercub]

I have two, a 21 and 22. Battery issue in the 21, blue cruise in the 22. One was fixed right away, the latter pending but not a Pw issue. I have powered the whole house in an outage, the Rev trailer on outings and some off site power.
This is what the country should be doing to bridge the gap from gas to electric. The latter will never be the sole answer in my lifetime.
And, in this day and age where the infrastructure is being made political. You best be able to take care of yourself. Good insurance.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

They are fine as long as they don't breakdown. If anything powertrain related craps out, I feel sorry for you. Ford has produced something that, for whatever the reason is, the dealers can't seem to fix. 3.5l Ecoboost would be my engine choice now. I could still be in a Ford, IF, they could have sourced all of the features designed for the models. For all I know Ford is still deleting features. But, if they are building something that has all the features you want, I'd power it with the Ecoboost. At least, Ford techs know their way around them.

 

[Supercub]

They are fine as long as they don't breakdown. If anything powertrain related craps out, I feel sorry for you. Ford has produced something that, for whatever the reason is, the dealers can't seem to fix. 3.5l Ecoboost would be my engine choice now. I could still be in a Ford, IF, they could have sourced all of the features designed for the models. For all I know Ford is still deleting features. But, if they are building something that has all the features you want, I'd power it with the Ecoboost. At least, Ford techs know their way around them.

The Powerboost have 3.5 eco boost engines. All they added was a generator and a large battery to drive an electric motor in the transmission. It is basically designed to take the truck off the line and avoid going into turbo mode anytime it can. Turbo is what eats the gas. All these trucks today have the electronics and all have some quirks/issues from time to time. The OTA is not quite perfect and probably accounts for many of these glitches. It’s across the board, not Powerboost. And, its across all makes as well. Frankly I’d have a 69-72 bronco with no electronics or whiz bangs, but good luck with that!

 

[stlgrym3]

unless you are using the truck for long stop and go commutes, or have a lot to tow on regular basis, i'd say go with the non-hybrid 3.5 ecoboost.

 

[Viper]

I love my 22 Limited PB, only had a problem with a cat converter covered by warranty!

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