In a somewhat similar boat. Have an early second gen Tacoma with over 300,000 miles on it now. Looking to get a newer rig with safety enhancements and hang on to the Tacoma as well. Quickly found out that limiting yourself to only naturally aspirated engines these days is going to severely restrict your options. Given the state of the mid-size market (price, MPG, capability), I'm leaning towards a full-size now. I've been a Toyota fanboy for a long time, but have wandering eyes and am starting to look outside those walls. Have my eyes on a 2021 or newer F-150 Supercab with either the 2.7 or 3.5 Ecoboost.
The 3.5 Ecoboost is on its second generation after 2017. The earlier versions were somewhat predisposed to carbon buildup on the valves due to being direct injected (a common issue with all direct injection engines, not just Ecoboosts). In the second generation 2017+ Ford revised them to be port and direct injection which has resolved most of that issue. I haven't heard of any major systematic issues with the Ecoboost beyond that. As always, I operate on the belief that maintenance, and to a lesser degree, dumba** luck play a huge role in the longevity of a powertrain. The Ecoboosts have been around the block a few times and are so prevalent that a fundamental issue would have been widely known by now I would think.
I'm curious to know where you've seen reports of issues on high mileage Ecoboosts? Maybe I've missed something in my reasearch. A lot of the complaints I've seen on the newer F-150 Ecoboost platform are usually technology/infotainment related annoyances and then a handful of recalls for oddball things like wiper motors, electronic parking brake wiring, etc.
