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Towing with 2.0L Ecoboost


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I'm looking for a new tow vehicle to tow my ~3,200 lb. boat and was considering a new Edge. I currently have an older Nissan Murano that does a decent, not great, job of towing the boat. I was worried about towing with the CVT when I bought it but I've never had any trouble out of it in 145,000 miles. The specs on the Murano are close to those of the 2.0L Edge so I thought it may be an equitable replacement.

 

My daily commute is approximately 60 miles a day so I'm considering the 2.0L in lieu of the 3.5L for its improved fuel economy and better torque. I'll haul my boat approximately 200 miles round trip on the weekends and I'm not overly concerned about fuel economy when towing, just during my daily commute. I've driven the 2.0L and it seems pretty gutless at low rpm compared to my Murano. Does anyone have any real world experience towing with this setup? I can't imagine the 20L Edge hauling 3,500 lbs. without major failures down the road.

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Keep in mind your boat weighs significantly more when you go to yank it out of the water, although that is a temporary situation, but....

If you really want to tow something, get a used pick up just for that job. Nothing pulls like a real V8 and suspension made for towing.

We have a brand new 2.0 Edge and while I think it would 'tow' something, it's not even near the same league as our 16 year old Excursion with the 7.3 diesel. And believe it or not the 2.0 has more hp! But not near the torque.

Could the Edge tow it? Probably. Will it hold up doing that a lot? Probably not.

Edited by DRbillZ
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No experience towing :) I am sure if the Edge comes with a tow package, that it could haul the boat. The engine is not much of a worry. But if it has the 6F35 transmission, you should do frequent fluid changes on it for sure. Don't take that 150,000 mile change interval (or whatever that is now) seriously. Because there is no Ford warranty that goes to that mileage (125K is the max I believe).

 

I am surprised though you say it felt "gutless" at low rpm. Perhaps the test vehicle had a hose that popped off (a very simple fix), because it will then drive like a naturally aspirated 2.0, which WOULD be gutless in an Edge. Torque comes on pretty low in the Ecoboost engines. Of course a tune would bring it alive, but I think the test vehicle had an issue. I would try another one. Raise the issue with the dealer, give them your frank opinion and make them check it over.

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I've driven a couple of Escapes and one Edge with the 2.0L Ecoboost and to be honest I found all of them suffered from heavy turbo lag straight off the line. I did drive the new Mazda CX-9 and found it to be pretty lively but it has a 2.5L turbo with 310 ft/lbs of torque at 2000 rpms. I live in the south with high heat and relative humidity. Does heat and/or high relative humidity adversely affect the 2.0L Ecoboost? I have a friend in Florida who has a turbo Hyundai and he swears his engine is heavily impacted by these factors. Any truth to this or am I just expecting too much?

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It makes 245 hp from just 2 liters. The 6.6 L Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am developed 180 hp. Seriously, what more do you want?

Also, this is a family car. It isn't made to be a race car. If you want quick look into the 2.7 eco boost Sport model.

Edited by DRbillZ
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I am wondering if people who are talking about 'turbo lag' on these engines aren't instead confusing this with the delay that is typically associated with the throttle by wire systems. When you go from idle and stomp the throttle there is a delay in response - a slight hesitation - as if the system is trying to figure out if you 'really' want to do that. When the input continues - it responds.

 

I've found that - when I drove the 2.0 in my Escape - if I squeezed the throttle more gradually - I could get a better launch. I never got really good at it as I was trying to save fuel more often than not - but I did notice this to be true.

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3200 is pretty close to the max 3500 (2.0/V6 with the tow package). You'd be better off towing with an Explorer 3.5 V6 EcoBoost 4WD. If you do get the Edge, I'd say get the AWD with the 2.0 and the tow package.

 

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/15rvtt_ford_edge_r1.pdf

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/16rv&tt_ford_edge_sep28.pdf

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  • 4 weeks later...

3200 is pretty close to the max 3500 (2.0/V6 with the tow package). You'd be better off towing with an Explorer 3.5 V6 EcoBoost 4WD. If you do get the Edge, I'd say get the AWD with the 2.0 and the tow package.

 

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/15rvtt_ford_edge_r1.pdf

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/16rv&tt_ford_edge_sep28.pdf

I concur on the AWD, especially when towing a boat (slippery ramps, plus the ramp shift more weight away from the the front drive wheels).

 

If you get the 2.0 EcoBoost, be sure to feed it PREMIUM when towing !

 

 

 

It is weird that the 2.7L V6 EcoBoost can not be ordered with the Trailer Tow Option so it is limited to 2,000 lbs. I'll be it has to do with the fact that the 2.7L is only available on the Sport model with those (ridiculous) super low profile tires.

Edited by theoldwizard1
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