F-150 Ecoboost a no-show for Recreational Vehicle hauling

[Kev-Mo]

Disclaimer: Based purely on observation in between viewing some of the world’s greatest natural and man-made wonders – not a scientific study. Sample from four major US National Parks - while not at all conclusive, is indeed substantial.

 

Recently returned home from my Epic-4 National Park tour of 2014 in the 4-Corners area – Arches/Moab, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and the Great Sand Dunes. I will start by saying my 2008 Explorer V6 did a magnificent job hauling my family and towing the camper across some of the most difficult highways in America – twice over the Continental Divide (Eisenhower westbound and Wolf Creek eastbound) and through an Arizona dust storm. It has been a family workhorse since I got it and she seems to have a lot of years left in her.

 

Point of the post – F-150 a no show! For all the bragging about towing capacity etc., among the Large Trailer/RV crowd the F-150 appears to not be the vehicle of choice. This is observed in 4 National Park Campgrounds. Interestingly enough – the trucks that appears in every loop over and over are the Japanese Toyota Tundra, and the Dodge Ram. I looked and looked and did not see one single F-150 with the Ecoboost emblem in any of the places we stayed. Also, among the smaller trailers and popup campers, consumers are not selecting Fords as well- lots of Honda Pilots and Toyota Highlanders/4Runners. Did not see one single new Explorer towing anything for the entire trip. Did see lots of Explorer rentals though. Seems to be a market spot that Ford has missed or surrendered. Most folks that own high end RV’s can afford high end trucks. Considering that Ford sells 4 trucks for every Japanese Tundra, and 2 trucks for every Dodge Ram, the proportions do not show up that way in the campground loops! I would say the F150 is the least seen truck of the bunch.

 

The sell can be logically explained – Eddie the Toyota/Dodge sales guy: “…sure the Ford is a nice enough truck, but the Ecoboost is not going to provide any gas mileage benefit with a 7000-8000 lb trailer behind it, and you are going to be hauling your loved ones across the middle of nowhere in 100 degree heat, do you want a proven V8 vs. some new technology that has the added risk of overheating turbochargers. And the Ford 5.0 while based on proven technology is not quite up to the spec of the Dodge 5.6 and Toyota 5.7 so for the same price you can have 30 more HP…” Whether true or not – this is how the consumer selects to spend their money.

 

Observation points:

1. You would think that at Moab, there would be F150 Raptor on every corner – nope! Jeeps, Jeeps and more Jeeps. Also, a few highly modified older Toyotas. Had to look hard to find a Ford and they were not dirty. Occasional old Bronco would roll down the road covered in red desert dust.

2. F150 Ecoboost a no-show for the large travel trailer hauling crowd. Ford Superduty appears in equal proportion with Dodge and GM/Chevy – very interesting since Ford reports selling far more than the competition.

3. Other Ford vehicles not the choice of consumers, lots of Ford rentals but the families of America are choosing to spend their money on Honda Pilots and Toyota 4Runners to pull campers and smaller RV’s.

[akirby]

Isn't the 6.2L still available?

[fordmantpw]

We are going out on our first camping trip of the season this weekend. I will have to keep a look out and report my findings.

 

Isn't the 6.2L still available?

 

Yes.

[Arizona Mike]

Not too surprising. People who tow bigger trailers- in the 7000, 8000 + range, generally want the extra capacity of a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. In general, people only like to tow at about 75% of the rating. And most think know that the tow ratings are bogus marketing tools, not real tested numbers.

[akirby]

Wouldn't the Ford buyers opt for a Super-duty for that kind of task rather than a F150?

[RichardJensen]

An abundance of Tundras should illustrate to you that your observations are more or less irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

 

This alleged popularity of Tundras among the camping set certainly is not helping them out at all.

 

 

 

In purely speculative terms, I would note that RVers skew older/retired, and these people would be the baby-boomers who forswore domestic products back in the good ol' Pinto/Nova days. Their preference for a thoroughly inferior truck (I have driven Tundras and F150s, and only a fool would insist that the Tundra was a more comfortable or more capable truck) can be more or less discounted. You're not going to change their mind about domestic products, and they're not the future of the market in any event.

Edited June 24, 2014 by RichardJensen

[Kev-Mo]

Wouldn't the Ford buyers opt for a Super-duty for that kind of task rather than a F150?

 

Nobody is pulling 4-5k LB trailers with Ecoboost either! That is point - they are no-shows across the board.

[Kev-Mo]

An abundance of Tundras should illustrate to you that your observations are more or less irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

 

This alleged popularity of Tundras among the camping set certainly is not helping them out at all.

 

 

 

In purely speculative terms, I would note that RVers skew older/retired, and these people would be the baby-boomers who forswore domestic products back in the good ol' Pinto/Nova days. Their preference for a thoroughly inferior truck (I have driven Tundras and F150s, and only a fool would insist that the Tundra was a more comfortable or more capable truck) can be more or less discounted. You're not going to change their mind about domestic products, and they're not the future of the market in any event.

Tons of young families pulling popups to smaller travel trailers with 4 Runners, Highlanders, Pilots and Jeeps.

[mustangchief]

Tons of young families pulling popups to smaller travel trailers with 4 Runners, Highlanders, Pilots and Jeeps.

IMO...Ford people don't do "pop ups"

[RichardJensen]

Tons of young families pulling popups to smaller travel trailers with 4 Runners, Highlanders, Pilots and Jeeps.

 

What is your point?

 

Your non-disclaimer-disclaimer, and the extent of your post suggests that you think there *is* something significant about your observations.

 

Under what intellectually sound basis do you think that your anecdotal evidence is in any way, shape, or form, superior to the anecdotal evidence I could muster by counting cars in the Empire Mall parking lot this Saturday?

 

Because, again, clearly, you think there is something meaningful--otherwise why bother to type this all up?

 

I'm asking you: What do you think is so significant about this?

[Kev-Mo]

 

What is your point?

 

Your non-disclaimer-disclaimer, and the extent of your post suggests that you think there *is* something significant about your observations.

 

Under what intellectually sound basis do you think that your anecdotal evidence is in any way, shape, or form, superior to the anecdotal evidence I could muster by counting cars in the Empire Mall parking lot this Saturday?

 

Because, again, clearly, you think there is something meaningful--otherwise why bother to type this all up?

 

I'm asking you: What do you think is so significant about this?

 

Sorry RJ - Just telling a story .

 

I am shocked I didn't see a single Raptor in Moab - the 4x4 capital of the world. And I am more surprised at the lack of Fords hauling the RVs. I remember a day when Fords did all the hard work in the RV world. I know times change. There have been dozens of "I've seen lots of these on the road, I have not seen any of these on the road" discussions here. Why you so hard on me?

 

Just just trying to have a friendly chat around my sightings. Maybe the Ecoboost is not fully accepted by this market - which can be an interesting discussion.

 

I will add that the Econoline chassis owns the C-Class Motorhome market - 2/3 or better of which are rentals. Will be interesting to see what happens to the design of those vehicles as the Transit takes over.

 

Edited June 24, 2014 by Kev-Mo

[J-150]

I've been on a lot of jobsites in various construction segments... and Ive never seen a Titan nor a Tundra.

 

Lots of Ecoboosts.

 

I suppose its the difference between work and play.

[fordmantpw]

In my experience, I see very few Titans or Tundras towing trailers at the campgrounds we frequent. It's predominantly Ford, with a decent mix of GM and Ram. Most are trucks with very few SUVs. The state parks have a higher mix of the SUVs towing pop ups.

[Kev-Mo]

We are going out on our first camping trip of the season this weekend. I will have to keep a look out and report my findings.

 

 

 

Maybe lengthy anecdotal trip report sightings are not such a good idea.

 

Have a great time camping - Our trip was a blast.

[fordmantpw]

Maybe lengthy anecdotal trip report sightings are not such a good idea.

 

Have a great time camping - Our trip was a blast.

 

I will keep mine short.

 

Thanks! We are just taking a short trip (about 100 miles) for a 3-day weekend. I hope to make it out west in a few years as our kids get a bit bigger and are old enough to really enjoy it. Maybe I will have an EcoBoost F250 for that trip.

[Kev-Mo]

I've been on a lot of jobsites in various construction segments... and Ive never seen a Titan nor a Tundra.

 

Lots of Ecoboosts.

 

I suppose its the difference between work and play.

 

I know Ford sells a lot of trucks - my neighborhood is full of them. I am suggesting that by observation they might have not won over the RV towing market yet with the Ecoboost. And they might not even care - but I thought it could be an interesting discussion.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Kev-Mo

[grbeck]

From what I've seen, the aversion of Baby Boomers to the products of the Big Three does not extend to their full-size trucks. I know plenty of people who park a Honda or a Toyota car in the driveway beside an F-Series or Silverado.

 

Both Toyota and Nissan thought that those Boomers would flock to their dealerships when they offered the Tundra and Titan, respectively, because they now get a full-size truck that wasn't made by the Big Three. Didn't quite turn out that way.

[NLPRacing]

I just got home on Sunday from a 2 week trip to Disney World. We stayed at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground in our travel trailer that we pulled with our Expedition. I would say the number one tow vehicle I saw were diesel Ford Super Duty's (mostly 2011 & newer F250's). But I also saw nearly as many Dodge/Ram diesels and there were quite a few Ecoboost F150's as well. I was surprised to see so many Expeditions and so few Tahoes & Yukons. There was also a lot of Excursions, mostly with V10's. We're hoping to replace our Expy with a 2015 Ecoboost Expy this fall.

[RichardJensen]

 

Sorry RJ - Just telling a story .

 

I am shocked I didn't see a single Raptor in Moab - the 4x4 capital of the world. And I am more surprised at the lack of Fords hauling the RVs. I remember a day when Fords did all the hard work in the RV world. I know times change. There have been dozens of "I've seen lots of these on the road, I have not seen any of these on the road" discussions here. Why you so hard on me?

 

Just just trying to have a friendly chat around my sightings. Maybe the Ecoboost is not fully accepted by this market - which can be an interesting discussion.

 

I will add that the Econoline chassis owns the C-Class Motorhome market - 2/3 or better of which are rentals. Will be interesting to see what happens to the design of those vehicles as the Transit takes over.

 

 

I guess, I don't remember ever thinking that Ford 'owned' the RV market--I've never noticed a preponderance of any make on the interstates.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if the EB is not as popular as the 5.0L when it comes to towing campers. I expect a more conservative buyer in that segment.

 

Regarding the Raptor--on that front, I'm not the least bit surprised. The Raptor is not a rock crawler, and based on my experience in Moab, that's what you want there.

Edited June 24, 2014 by RichardJensen

[Kev-Mo]

 

I guess, I don't remember ever thinking that Ford 'owned' the RV market--I've never noticed a preponderance of any make on the interstates.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if the EB is not as popular as the 5.0L when it comes to towing campers. I expect a more conservative buyer in that segment.

 

Regarding the Raptor--on that front, I'm not the least bit surprised. The Raptor is not a rock crawler, and based on my experience in Moab, that's what you want there.

 

When I was kid in New Jersey - my neighbor had a 1970 Ford Pickup "Camper Special" with a huge in bed camper. I used to stare at that thing and dream of driving around the country.

[RichardJensen]

Read Travels With Charley and let John Steinbeck take you on the trip.

[jpd80]

I visited your country back in 2009 and noticed that F150, Silverado 1500 and the Dodge/Ram 1500s seemed popular LA but as we headed up to Vegas there were fewer, saw more SD and 3/4 ton trucks, SUVs and 4x4 especially when we headed North up through Death Valley, over the Pannamint ranges to Lone Pine and then on up the East side of the Sierras to Mammoth and Lake Tahoe.

 

It wasn't until we got to Tahoe that we began seeing F150 more regularly. Not sure about your trip Kev mo but IMO, I think the F150 and 1300s can be a bit regional and simply stay out of some areas where drivers choose other vehicles as you observed. I wouldn't call it earth shattering but simply realization that as big as the USA seems, the dispersion of seemingly popular trucks and other vehicles is not uniform.

 

If I wasn't aware of sales figures, I would have thought from my observations that the half ton trucks were only popular in major population areas..Clearly, they are more popular than that and my limited exposure to the network lead to a skewed observation.

Edited June 24, 2014 by jpd80

[SoonerLS]

I am shocked I didn't see a single Raptor in Moab - the 4x4 capital of the world. And I am more surprised at the lack of Fords hauling the RVs. I remember a day when Fords did all the hard work in the RV world.

They still do, but they're usually F-250/350/450s because they're built to carry the mail, so to speak.

[SoonerLS]

Both Toyota and Nissan thought that those Boomers would flock to their dealerships when they offered the Tundra and Titan, respectively, because they now get a full-size truck that wasn't made by the Big Three. Didn't quite turn out that way.

No kidding. Ford's year-over-year sales increase was greater than the Tundra's annual sales for 2013, and Titan sales pretty much define the "well, that's embarrassing" category.

[ZanatWork]

 

Sorry RJ - Just telling a story .

 

I am shocked I didn't see a single Raptor in Moab - the 4x4 capital of the world. And I am more surprised at the lack of Fords hauling the RVs. I remember a day when Fords did all the hard work in the RV world. I know times change. There have been dozens of "I've seen lots of these on the road, I have not seen any of these on the road" discussions here. Why you so hard on me?

 

Just just trying to have a friendly chat around my sightings. Maybe the Ecoboost is not fully accepted by this market - which can be an interesting discussion.

 

I will add that the Econoline chassis owns the C-Class Motorhome market - 2/3 or better of which are rentals. Will be interesting to see what happens to the design of those vehicles as the Transit takes over.

 

It's a different kind of thing in Moab. Every time I went through there, the 4x4s were much closer to "rock crawlers" than trucks like the Raptor, which can eat rough distances relatively quickly.

 

I do agree that Ford's presence with "serious off roaders" has taken some hits while Wranglers and FJs continue to attract the "No Fear" crowd. Hence, I'd love the Bronco to return.

 

In any case, Moab's 4x4 community also seemed to use older trucks they'd modified themselves...which isn't something I worry about in terms of market share.