2023 F150 PowerBoost

[svtrit]

My 2024 F150 with 25,000 had to go in for a warranty repair after I found coolant puddles underneath it a few days. THankfully I caught it before the reservoir went dry.

Our fleet manager gave me a 2023 F150 PowerBoost to use while I waited for the repair of my truck. It has 105,000 miles on it, and looks like a truck that has lived life on the farm, though I did clean it up quite a bit a month ago when harvest ended. Other than the PowerBoost, it's similar to my non-hybrid F150.

The Ford Hybrid coach is a very cool tool to use to balance gas vs. electric driving. E-driving was not used during my country miles, but around town, I got to where I played the game to keep the engine from firing up as long as possible. The coach helps you by showing your throttle input in relation to battery charge, and provides a line at which the engine will kick on. I was able to get between 3 and 4 miles of E-driving on most the drives I took.

This truck was VERY clunky though when the engine turned on or off. I don't know if that is because it has 105,000 miles, or if it is the system itself, but it was on the verge of annoying. My new Sienna is so seamless you barely notice the transition, but, it's a CVT, new, and not a 10 speed transmission.

It was fun to run around in, but I am glad to have my non-hybrid truck back.

 

[fantastic]

Yeah, perhaps the hybrid adds more "clunkyness" to the drivetrain. I'd imagine it would be a truck that's lived a moderately rough life? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[panthermike]

I believe they made a change in the '24+ models to make it a much more seamless transition. Good catch on the coolant leak, that could have been much worse!

 

[svtrit]

Yeah, perhaps the hybrid adds more "clunkyness" to the drivetrain. I'd imagine it would be a truck that's lived a moderately rough life? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

It was a sales truck for most of the miles before coming here, but it wasn't necessarily an easy life. I'm comparing the clunkiness to other trucks of similar vintage and similar miles that are not hybrid. They are not as clunky when driving, though certainly have the 100,000 mile clunks. It doesn't happen on and off the whole time in a non hybrid compared to as you drive the hybrid system, which engages and disengages the whole drive.

 

[kam327]

I have a ‘21 PowerBoost with 40k miles. The ICE transition is almost always very smooth. I usually don’t even notice it turned on or off. The only exception is when accelerating from a stop; there is a slight jolt when the engine turns on. Nothing major, not like a harsh downshift or anything. I can easily live with it. I love getting 24mpg on my suburban commute in a full size land yacht with a 0-60 in the low 5 seconds.

 

[svtrit]

I have a ‘21 PowerBoost with 40k miles. The ICE transition is almost always very smooth. I usually don’t even notice it turned on or off. The only exception is when accelerating from a stop; there is a slight jolt when the engine turns on. Nothing major, not like a harsh downshift or anything. I can easily live with it. I love getting 24mpg on my suburban commute in a full size land yacht with a 0-60 in the low 5 seconds.

I’m wondering if the issue with our fleet truck is 100,000 work miles. The bushings, bearings, and other parts that work smoothly today are not smooth later. I’d like to drive a lower mileage one to find out.

I passed a car in it and it does hit ludicrous speed quickly!

 

[meep]

Good chance it needs transmission fluid change at that mileage. My 24 taco hybrid has a very similar architecture and yes, engine starts at launch aren’t bad at all but are certainly felt, even just from 4 cylinder starting vibes. It won’t surprise me if the hybrid pack compensates for crank position and compression strokes to ease the NVH, which the stellantis eTorque system does. Transmission clutch engagement plays into the equation as well.

 

[ctechbob]

It is probably due for some service.

That being said, my 2025 Pboost is super smooth most all of the time. Over time you learn when it might not be so smooth and learn ways to work around it.

For example. My driveway is decently steep and a lot of the times when I'm backing out, the truck will need to run the ICE and it jolts. Same thing leaving work pulling across the 4 lane highway that is RIGHT outside of our parkinglot.

Since these are both when the truck is stone cold the fix is simple. As soon as I get in and 'start' the truck I mat the throttle. Just one quick press to the floor and up. This spins up the ICE and gives it a moment to get settled before it has to go to work as opposed to an instant on LETS GO! I'm not a huge fan of immediately calling on a stone cold engine after it has been sitting for 8-12 hours, so this doubles as putting my mind at ease on a complete cold start.

Other than those two places (and similar) it is butter smooth. The 10R80 is just as smooth as can be and a big upgrade to the 10R80 that was in my Ranger. That transmission was just fine, but this is on a whole other plane.