Turbocharger Yay or Nay?

[Mark J]

I am looking at used Ford SUV's in the 2014 to 2018 time range.  I am finding that a lot of these vehicles were made with turbocharged engines.   These don't appear to be particularly high performance vehicles--it's not a Shelly Cobra Escape .  They just appear to be Ford's for regular driving.  But it's always been my understanding that turbochargers were high maintenance and expensive to repair.  Not something you want on a daily driver.  Has reliability improved?  Anyone here have experience?

[pkinneb]

I have owned several turbocharged vehicles over the last 20 years and not had reliability issues with any of them. My current F150 is a twin turbo ecoboost hybrid engine and I love it. I do run premium in my vehicles but its not required.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

+1 to @pkinneb. 

I also have a twin turbo f150 and while the turbos will eventually need replacement, at 92000 miles they've been great. 

It seems like naturally aspirated engines are on the way out as turbo is cheaper HP. IMHO. 

[Tpt life]

There are two types of turbos, one for low rev high torque, and one for high rev enhancement. I drove a VW with a 1.8t, and loved it. The turbo was mostly only engaged under load at low speeds. It allowed a smaller engine to get heavier weight up hills and up to speed. 

[JohnG]

I put a turbocharger under the hood of my tesla but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything?

 

[treeslayer]

3 hours ago, Mark J said:

am looking at used Ford SUV's in the 2014 to 2018 time range.  I am finding that a lot of these vehicles were made with turbocharged engines.

Hey Mark, be aware there is a class action lawsuit regarding the Ford 2.0 EcoBoost engine, i know i have one, PM me for more details if you like

[wtnhighlander]

1 hour ago, JohnG said:

I put a turbocharger under the hood of my tesla but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything?

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 10/23/2024 at 6:09 PM, JohnG said:

I put a turbocharger under the hood of my tesla but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything?

 

There might be some luggage blocking it?

[Mark J]

I am curious why Ford uses twin turbos, instead of one?  Unless one is for low rev and the other for high rev?

Also the Escape  Edge and Explorer I looked at only got 17-18 mpg city.

 

Correction:  I meant Edge, not Escape.

[pkinneb]

Not sure on the twin turbo's but I suspect it takes that to get the torque they used to see in the V8's. My 2021 F150 hybrid has gotten an avg of 21.6 in the 22K miles I have driven. Most of that is driving at 70+ mph, if I stay under 70 I can see 24/25 mpg all day long. I live in the country so very little full electric driving but the electric assist does provide a nice 0-60 of around 5 seconds which is fun in a full sized truck lol

[DerekMPBS]

My wife and I both have 2020 Ford Edges.  Hers is a titanium with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine, and mine is a 2.6L EcoBoost.  Both are turbocharged.  I have 76K miles on mine and she has 63K on hers.  We've had zero issues with the turbo or the engine in general.  Her car has had no issues in the 3+ years she's had it.  Mine has had several issues, but none engine-related.  We get about 21 MPG in the city and 24-25 on the highway.  Mine has substantially more power than hers - it's an ST model, so it's designed for higher performance.  She claims hers rides better, but I think mine is tuned with stiffer suspension and corners better.  I like windy roads, and she can't stand them, so I don't get to drive on them when she's with me.

[wtnhighlander]

9 hours ago, Mark J said:

I am curious why Fo

Also the Escape and Explorer I looked at only got 17-18 mpg city.

 

Wow, that seems low. I average 19.7 mpg in my non-turbo 5.9l V8 Ram. 

[Botch]

On 10/24/2024 at 6:08 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Wow, that seems low. I average 19.7 mpg in my non-turbo 5.9l V8 Ram. 

Ugh.  That's about my mpg on a recent non-turbo 3.2L Toyota Taco.

I had to replace the turbo in my first Saab 900 once, 200K total miles; no issue in my second Saab, sold at 169K miles, no issue in my third Saab, sold at 230K miles, no issue on my new '18 Audi, (only 36K miles, I don't drive much anymore).  The nice thing about the turbo is a 5.7-sec 0-60, but still get 34 mpg on the highway (for the Audi; the Saabs were similar).  

[Mark J]

I miss spoke in my post above.  I was looking at the Explorer and Edge, not the Escape. 

I'm just going by what I can find on the internet for the older cars I've been looking at.  A 2014 Escape I looked at was rated at 21 city.  

[Mark J]

So I see now that Ford has been making widespread use of turbos (Ecoboost) in its vehicle line up for a while now, and not just the high performance versions.  And I guess there are enough on the road that I can have some confidence.  

Once upon a time, I used to follow the auto scene very closely.  Nowadays, well I bought a Ridgeline in 2018, and even after all this time I couldn't tell you what's under the hood.  You press the gas and it goes, so there must be something there.

[legenddc]

On 10/23/2024 at 3:55 PM, Mark J said:

I am looking at used Ford SUV's in the 2014 to 2018 time range.  I am finding that a lot of these vehicles were made with turbocharged engines.   These don't appear to be particularly high performance vehicles--it's not a Shelly Cobra Escape .  They just appear to be Ford's for regular driving.  But it's always been my understanding that turbochargers were high maintenance and expensive to repair.  Not something you want on a daily driver.  Has reliability improved?  Anyone here have experience?

I would look up any Technical Service Bulletins for those and see what the costs to fix them are.

If you're open to other brands, we bought a 2015 Mazda CX-5 with the 2.5l engine in 2014 and haven't had any real issues with it.

[wtnhighlander]

@Mark J, my son drives a 2014 Edge, non-turbo V6, and loves it. Good service, nice amenities, but he drives maybe 3- or 4000 miles a year, tops.

My parents had a 2017 Edge, but had to replace the engine, and later the transmission failed, all with fewer miles than my son's car. They drive a 2018 Toyota Highlander now....

How's that for a couple of confusing data points?

[Mark J]

Here's something of interest.  There are several mega used car sites that aggregate listings for many dealers, and most dealers around here are on most of the sites.  One of the mega sites is Car Fax, and I have discovered that for some of their listings they include a link to the particular vehicle's original window sticker.   Not always available, but super useful.  

As it happens the Edge I was looking at had the sticker link and the city MPG is 17.  

[Botch]

On 10/25/2024 at 12:33 PM, Mark J said:

Here's something of interest.  There are several mega used car sites that aggregate listings for many dealers, and most dealers around here are on most of the sites.  One of the mega sites is Car Fax, and I have discovered that for some of their listings they include a link to the particular vehicle's original window sticker.   Not always available, but super useful.  

As it happens the Edge I was looking at had the sticker link and the city MPG is 17.  

CarFax was a lifesaver for me.  I really loved the Jaguar F-type, and I found a used one locally that I could afford; got the VIN and was able to download the service history.  I cancelled the printout when I realized how many pages long it was!  

[wtnhighlander]

@Mark J, we found my son's car via the CarFax site. Trade in at a reputable l9cal dealer. Having confirmation of accident involvement, or lack of, is a real benefit.

[legenddc]

On 10/26/2024 at 1:38 PM, wtnhighlander said:

@Mark J, we found my son's car via the CarFax site. Trade in at a reputable l9cal dealer. Having confirmation of accident involvement, or lack of, is a real benefit.

Just be aware Carfax isn’t 100% accurate and things can show up on the report after you bought a car. 

[treeslayer]

after the engine failed on my 2016 Ford Edge i found this site https://carcomplaints.com very helpful for any vehicle anyone is thinking about purchasing, regarding the Edge i have there is a form to fill out regarding the class action lawsuit against Ford regarding the engine failures, you are able to search any vehicle on this site

[Chestnut]

Late to the game but as far as reliability changes on turbo engines from the 80s and 90s forward Yes there have been huge improvements.

The main improvement was convincing the public that there is value in a turbocharged engine and that it's not a reliability black hole. A lot of brands known for their reliability have been making turbocharged engines for European/Japanese markets for a long time (Subaru, Volvo, Toyota, etc.) The reason is this. A smaller engine can fit in a smaller car reducing weight and thus increasing fuel mileage, while offering performance like a larger engine. The caveat to this is you can also burn a LOT more fuel if your right foot isn't calibrated properly.

I have 2 turbo Subaru vehicles, and 2nd hand experience with other turbo vehicles. There is a failure possibility but reliability has improved dramatically since the 90s with advancements in machining tech. Also if a failure happens the repair costs has come down a long way.

On 10/24/2024 at 9:53 AM, Mark J said:

I am curious why Ford uses twin turbos, instead of one?  Unless one is for low rev and the other for high rev?

Simplicity, in a V engine you have exhaust on 2 sides you either need to use 2 turbos or pipe exhaust to a common location. Most vehicles these days are using cast or integrated exhaust manifolds so mounting 2 smaller turbos one on each bank is just easier. There are a lot of really really complicated fluid dynamic consequences to all scenarios so often it's choosing the power band you want. Ford chose a good low to mid range power band. Typically 2 smaller turbos work well there.