Man, I don't normally get pulled in with the bait, but you snagged me...
The 6.2 is "terrible"? I would hardly call its track record/reliability or output terrible. Perfect? Nah, not by a long shot, but "terrible"?! Are we talking Ram ECO diesel engine terrible? 5.4 triton terrible? GM's 5 cylinder terrible? 4.7 dodge terrible? 6.0 powerstroke terrible? DOD/AFM terrible? Nissan's Cummins terrible? I really don't see it anywhere near those.
I did some digging on the ol' Googles... and it turns out the 6.2's first debut was in a racing application under the "Hurricane" development name (later renamed to "Boss").
https://www.motortrend.com/news/m5lp-1009-ford-motor-company-62-liter-v8-engine/ Pretty good read, I didn't want to copy and paste too much, but Ford/Roush modified the engine and used it in a 5th gen mustang estimated to be between 750-800hp. In 2008, ford ran the 500hp tuned 6.2 in the Baja 1000, and it made it through with no issues. Not a super human feat in itself worthy of holding a beer, wearing an American flag t-shirt and yelling about it in a southern accent, but they did it with eyes watching, which meant they had a lot of confidence with their reputation on the line. They did something that had never been done before, and it started a craze for the raptor that keeps gaining momentum.
The 6.2 had a late production debut in 2010 in the Raptor (and maybe the Harley edition truck?). It was never sold in a production vehicle before that. I believe it made it's way into other f-150 models in 2011, along with being a base gas engine (different HP and TQ rating, I assume from tuning) for the Super Duty lineup through 2016. In 2017, the E-series adopted the 6.2 and the engine was continued in the SD lineup with modified tuning and camshafts for more torque output. So... Ford thought the engine was good enough to place it in their heavy duty fleet service vehicles... I don't have a problem with that. The thing to note is, the engine had different specs when it went into the SD and E lineup. In 2010, the competition to the Ford 6.2 (chevy 6.2) was 403 hp/417 lb-ft of torque, with the Ford putting down 411hp/434 lb-ft of torque. So, at the time, Ford was king in the higher displacement power war for half-ton trucks. You have to remember, in 2008, we were coming out of a financial collapse and oil prices were nearing all-time highs. So, Ford engineers designed the ECO motor which had better MPG (off boost) and produced impressive numbers on a smaller displacement engine. Was it ready for the raptor yet? No... But I can be rather positive that Ford had the idea, at that time, to pull out the 6.2 from half ton use, due to government squeezing them on emissions and MPG requirements. Why not? The HO 3.5 stomps the 6.2 in every way imaginable, except that exhaust note LOL. But, that's just personal preference.
Your argument that the 6.2 was designed for commercial duty and the use of that as an argument to how ****** it is... I tried, but I can't find any evidence of that.
One neat thing to note, the 6.2 has only ever been used in the f-150, SD and E-series trucks/vans...
The 3.5 Ecoboost first debut was in a 2010 Linoln MKS:
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So... historical use might NOT be a good argument point here. Technically, my Grandma had a ecoboost before it was available in the trucks, and you can't use any arguement on output, because it was different for the Gen1 raptor too... Also, some other notable mentions: Explorer, Expedition, Flex, Taurus, Transit, Navigator... etc...
I actually get what you are saying, I just think you hate the 6.2 a little too much LOL. Or, at least the guys who fanboy it. The 3.5 is not for everyone, and neither is the 6.2... both are great motors, one is better, one remains classic...
