I've owned one of each. I started with a 2011 Gen1 and I sold that and moved directly to a 2017 Gen2. I loved my Gen1. It was silver with the black graphics and I even added some additional graphics to advertise my business (think AR-15 graphics on the doors, lol). It was very cool looking. When I moved to the Gen2 the ONLY thing I missed about the Gen1 was the sound of it. That is it. The Gen2 is a much better vehicle in my opinion.
Pros of Gen1 over Gen2
it sounds way cooler!
Pros of Gen2 over Gen1
it's quicker
it gets better MPG
it has a bird's eye view 4 camera system (a VERY cool and useful feature, especially when parking)
it has an awesome moon roof
it has a better infotainment system (apple carplay support!)
better tailgate step system
lockable, soft-drop tail gate
bed lighting
six auxiliary switches in a better location (and much easier to wire)
paddle shifters
push-start ignition
collision warning system
I'm sure there are more I am not thinking of at the moment. On mine, sometimes the transmission does some odd hard shifts or doesn't downshift when I think it should, that is really the only thing I find annoying with it - seems to happen more in normal mode than in sport. Not everyone experiences this though, but I do get it from time to time. So far it's not frequent enough for me to leave it with the dealer. They did do a "software reset or upgrade" one time that helped, but did not eliminate it.
My Gen2 has not required any repairs so far, other than the one time I left it with them to do their software trick on the transmission.
My Gen1 didn't require any repairs either but I did have the dreaded driveshaft "clunk" that Ford repaired for free.
