My dad bought a 2011 F-150 3.5L

[Dmace]

My understanding of this engine is that if you drive it like a V6 it'll get great mileage

Many people thought the same but even driving it like a V6 still returns about 20-23 mpg highway which is not much better than a V8...
http://blogs.cars.com/files/mileage-chart.pdf

 

[rankrank1]

Torque management is kind of a wet blanket on modern cars and trucks. Yes its put on them to add to the durability. Many modern vehicles are making enough power to hurt the transmission and drivetrain componets. On my 2010 Challenger, my wifes 300C and the 2007 Dodge Ram you noticed the torque management on the shifts. It backs off the power during and right after the shifts to take some of the shock off the drive line. On my Challanger I bought a power programmer called the Diablo Predator, and you can firm up the shifts among other things. Its like putting a shift kit on older vehicles. It will now often break the tires loose on the one-two shift.

Yep, running one of the Diablo Predators myself - powerful tool for a handheld. You can actually custom tune to an extent with the Diablo with some creative improvisation. At the time I bought mine a couple years ago it was the only handheld programmer with the capability to remove some torque management. Best alternative for me at that time in lieu of going laptop computer and custom software like EFI Live, etc which was too pricey for my needs plus did not want to invest the time to learn it.

 

[JoeinTX]

"Many people thought the same but even driving it like a V6 still returns about 20-23 mpg highway which is not much better than a V8..."

More buzz-kill. In reference to my earlier post, I think a lot of the current F-150 and I was really seriously looking at trading in the next 3 or so years for one of the Ecos but these numbers aren't impressing me so much. The new Dodge has a real-time mileage indicator as well as an "Eco" light that displays when you are achieving maximum fuel efficiency....i.e., right RPM, speed, gear, etc and I find myself keeping one eye on it all of the time and adjusting up/down to keep it on. All said the mileage tracker regularly tells me I'm somewhere along 21-22 MPG going down the highway at 70mph in OD at 1700-1800 RPM.

If the EcoBoost isn't delivering any more than that, and Ford is pricing it as a "premium" engine option as I've read, then I'll forget about it. I am curious to find out what the Ford 5.0 "Coyote" V-8 is doing these days......

 

[Ford850]

Here's a good example of why MPG results vary so much from one person to the next. Loaded over capacity and using the same drivers they got 22 - 32 MPG on the cross country trip. Speed was the main difference, but 60mph with a full load and still getting 25.5MPG looks great.

CleanMPG Coaxes 32 MPG from Ford F-150 EcoBoost Pickup - PickupTrucks.com News

Some interesting quotes:

"CleanMPG drove a two-wheel drive model from California to Georgia with a conservative 3.15 rear axle for maximum fuel economy. That doesn't mean they didn't use the truck like it was meant to be used. There were five adults in the pickup for most of the journey plus a cargo box full of camping gear and supplies that pushed the F-150's gross vehicle weight to 7,120 pounds -- 20 pounds over its 7,100-pound GVWR.

Here's a look at CleanMPG's observed Interstate highway steady state fuel economy at different speeds:

•70-mph - 22.3 mpg (6th gear with transmission's torque converter locked)
•60-mph - 25.5 mpg (6th gear with transmission's torque converter locked)
•50-mph - 31.6 mpg (6th gear with transmission's torque converter locked)
•45-mph - 33.9 mpg (6th gear with transmission's torque converter locked)
•40-mph - 32.6 mpg (6th gear with transmission's torque converter locked)"

 

[Dmace]

Speed was the main difference, but 60mph with a full load and still getting 25.5MPG looks great.

If you think any of those numbers are even CLOSE to real world then good luck trying to match them. "Hyper-milers" are known for stupid tricks just to get that extra 1/2 mpg no matter how difficult it is. Tricks like removing the spare tire and anything not welded down, coasting down hill with the engine off (no power steering or power brakes), un-safely drafting large trucks, running tires way over-inflated, etc...

Running on level highways using those "tricks", I bet any full size truck with a V8 would get within 10% of those numbers too...

 

[timswi]

If you think any of those numbers are even CLOSE to real world then good luck trying to match them. "Hyper-milers" are known for stupid tricks just to get that extra 1/2 mpg no matter how difficult it is. Tricks like removing the spare tire and anything not welded down, coasting down hill with the engine off (no power steering or power brakes), un-safely drafting large trucks, running tires way over-inflated, etc...

Running on level highways using those "tricks", I bet any full size truck with a V8 would get within 10% of those numbers too...

I heard that guy that runs the company on a radio interview....He has some absurd and downright dangerouse ideas for hyper-mileage...The worst is inflating the tires to max sidewall, not OEM...even if this were OK, you'll be buying new tires every 6 months when the centers burn off...other ideas are to look for on-ramps where you enter the highway only going downhill, practical?

He's also one of those morons that lets off of the gas 1/2 mile before the redlight and just glides until the light changes...Ever run into one of those loons in rush hour? They enjoy regulating everyone else's speed and cause traffic jams.

I love seeing the Prieus people staring at their screens on the interstate while going 45MPH to maximize economy...Wonder how they like seeing a GMC 4x4 coming up on them at 75?

Some of these loons are too much.

 

[Ford850]

If you think any of those numbers are even CLOSE to real world then good luck trying to match them.

Actually these are similar numbers to what Ecoboost owners are reporting. I just read a post from a guy who has this same truck (Crewcab and 3.15) and he's getting 26MPG going 65. That is even better than the story above, but he didn't have 5 adults and the bed fully loaded.
With the ft lbs this Ecoboost delivers, I'm re-thinking my axle choice if I get one. I planned on a 3.73, but I would rarely tow anything over 6000 lbs. A 3.55 axle would still give me 1960 payload and 9700 towing capacity while boosting the MPG.
The 5.0 v8 is the safe choice though. It delivers similar power most of the time, but the Ecoboost definitely has that "plus" in both power and MPG at times.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I'm guessing you're one of the morons that races up to the lights at 80 mph then runs the yellow or slams on the brakes and causes multi car pile ups. Whats the big rush to race up to a red light? 1/2 the time if you start slowing down gently it goes back green and you can fly through without stopping.

I have three traffic signals to contend with on my morning commute of 51 kilometres. If I hit all three on a green and do not have to come to a complete stop at each light, it makes a difference of about .5 litres per 100 kilometres on the mileage computer by the time I arrive at work.

Therefore, it definitely saves fuel to approach traffic signals by coasting down to anticipate the green light. Makes no difference to traffic flow, however to all the asshats driving behind me with a need to get to the red light as soon as possible, sorry for driving so close to the front of your car!

 

[JoeinTX]

"Therefore, it definitely saves fuel to approach traffic signals by coasting down to anticipate the green light...."

I am one of these people. I detest the imbeciles I see each and every day who are in such an all fired hurry to get to the next red light. They don't seem to know anything but "punch it" and "lock 'em up." I am also one of those people, when in heavy highway traffic, that allows at least 2-3 car lengths between myself and the car in front of me so that as I see the break lights flashing ahead I can coast and apply less break pressure to slow down and stop if necessary. The next set of imbeciles I detest are the fools, who when they see the 2-3 car lengths I've allowed between myself and the car in front of me, that just have to hit the gas and swerve around me so that they can gain an extra 30 feet to their morning commute before then having to slam the breaks because they've gotten entirely too close to the car ahead of them. Abject, absolute, SOBs the whole bunch of them......

 

[Hematite]

Getting back to the other OT aspect of this thread, nothing like 425 ft.lbs of torque in a 3400 lb vehicle:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh318/hk500/1966Charger001.jpg