experience with Frontier -> F150 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Towing and Hitching
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-20-2019, 11:47 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
Posts: 743
experience with Frontier -> F150

The wife and I towed our 19 with a Frontier for several years. We found the truck to be a perfectly adequate tow vehicle. But, we did not find it to be particularly comfortable.

On our trip to Newfoundland last year (where the locals joke "the Brits drive on the left of the road; we drive on what's left of the road...") we finally decided that if we're going to make long-haul runs (some days 10 or more hours in the truck), we wanted a more comfortable drive.

This past March we pulled the trigger on a new (2018) F150. 2.7l engine, 10-speed transmission, mid-sized cab, mid-sized box, relatively high trim package (Lariat, 502A).

We've done a thousand or so towing km on it since, and I thought I'd report how it feels for anyone considering a similar change.

First, the ride... It is, without a doubt, a superior and more comfortable ride. When I was testing the truck, I drove my Frontier around and found some bumpy roads, and roughly categorized them into "smooth"/"bumpy but not a big deal"/"uncomfortable"/"painful". I took the F150 over the same roads, and found everything was a full category better -- that is, the stuff that was painful in the Frontier was still uncomfortable in the F150, but without a doubt it was better. Now that we're towing, those results hold up (I think -- I'm comparing the reality of the F150 against the memory of the Frontier, so it's harder to be certain).

(btw, I also test-drove the RAM on the same day over the same roads and found its ride over those roads to be very slightly superior to the F150. We chose the F150 over the RAM for other reasons.)

The engine/transmission combination is also far superior to the Frontier. The F150 has had no issues with the 6-8% grades I've driven over in the last few months. The Frontier would have managed these grades, but would have had to downshift a lot. The F150 does downshift, but does so very smoothly and doesn't downshift nearly as far.

And, of course, all the bells and whistles that come with the higher trim level add a lot of creature comforts.

Overall the upgrade was a big improvement.

Was it worth the cost? Well, you'll have to decide the value of your own money yourself. But I believe it is definitely worth considering.

Having said that, all is not perfect. The really rough roads are still rough. The truck/trailer combination still porpoises more than I like. I may still end up getting a weight distribution hitch just to reduce the bounce.
__________________
Doug

2013 Escape 19 ("The Dog House") , 2018 Ford F150
dbailey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2019, 12:36 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
The ride comparison isn't surprising, simply because the F-150 has much longer wheelbase. A performance increase isn't surprising, because the current F-150 has generations-newer engine and transmission designs than the Frontier (which was introduced 15 years ago); the 10-speed alone (versus presumably a 5-speed in the Frontier) makes a huge difference. It is reassuring to see that the expected benefits are actually there.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2019, 02:06 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
Posts: 743
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
It is reassuring to see that the expected benefits are actually there.

Agreed on all points. The 2012 Frontier was a bit of an antique design, so I was expecting a big improvement. It was nice that theory and reality coincided.


(A favourite saying: in theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.)
__________________
Doug

2013 Escape 19 ("The Dog House") , 2018 Ford F150
dbailey is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:53 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.