I drove them at a Ford Drive event back in 2010 actually, and all the 2011's were pre-production models. They had them all as equally equipped as possible for an even comparison between the 3.7 V6, 5.0 V8, 3.5 V6, and 6.2 V8. They also had competitor trucks there (tundra, ram, titan, 1500) to compare. They had an 1/8th mile track set up with a tree and time board. I'm a drag racer at heart, so I went in that line umpteen times LOL. My times were within a tenth each time for the 6.2 and 3.5. The 3.7 was a dog. The 5.0 felt better than the old 5.4 but still nothing to write home about. The 6.2 was faster out of the hole, but the 3.5 once 60 feet out with the turbos spooled had a harder pull, and by the 1/8th they were always near tied. They had a score board with the fastest times of the day, and out of the dozen times listed, a half were 6.2 and a half were 3.5, they were that close in the 1/8th for similarily equipped trucks (same cabs, rears, etc.).
They also had a towing circuit, you could tow 6500 lbs with a 6.2 or a 3.5. Now I'm always towing my ~7,000 lb trailer + race truck around so it was a great comparison. The 6.2 towed a lot better than my old 5.4 (even supercharged 5.4), but the power curve of the 3.5 I liked for towing even better. And I liked the feel of EPAS better than the hydraulic steering of the 6.2.
All personal preference. As for the exhaust sound, I have a 2000 HD just shy of 800 rwhp that I hop in when I want to make some noise and go fast. For a DD, I'm fine with a quiet exhaust. I wouldn't put a noisey catback on a 3.5 because I"m not crazy about the 3.5 sound, but the turbo spool and BOVs are a nice trade off if I can't have a V8 tone.
And no, I didn't like the 3.5 enough to get a lower model non-raptor. An FX-4 does nothing to tickle my fancy, a Raptor makes me grin every time I turn the key for the truck as a whole, not the engine itself. I wanted a Raptor no matter what engine came in it, but if I had the choice, it would have been the 3.5L.
I'm actually more interested to see the potential of that thing than the slightly revised 5.0. Guys have already gone 7's in street driven 5.0 Mustangs, so the new updated 5.0 it'll be interesting to see what it does bone stock compared to the older 5.0 bone stock, but it isn't going to be a big surprise with what it can do once modded. The new 4 banger ecoboost stang on the other hand, I can't wait to see what that does stock with ~300 hp, then once modded. Certainly won't beat an equally modded 5.0 stang, but it'll be impressive for being a 4 banger, and much lighter as well.
Certainly that ~1500 curb weight difference doesn't matter right?
I drove an EcoTurd, 5.0 and 6.2 before buying the Raptor. Having a truck that couldn't get out of it's own way and sounds like a Honda Accord wasn't for me.
I've put both on the scales, it's not 1,500 lbs difference. Explorer Sports are 5,200 lbs with driver and go 14.5 stock, and with an intake, tune, and down pipe they've gone 12.8's. My Raptor was 6,200 lbs with driver at the track and I've gone a best of 14.9 with a catback. With a tune and intake I'm expecting maybe 14.7s. If it were a 3.5 EB, I'd have no doubts it'd be capable of lower 14's if not a high 13. Especially with the general (and relatively accurate) rule of thumb of every 100 lbs = 1/10th, so 1k lbs heavier than the Sport = 1 second slower, that puts 12.8 to 13.8 with just 3 bolt on mods. No way is my 6.2 going 13.8's without a twin screw blower or a big *** shot of nitrous!
Yes once FULLY modded, the 5.0 has a ton of potential, and the 6.2 could make retarded power with a blower, or bored/stroked with ported heads and cams, but that stuff is STUPID money lol. $5-10k easy even for a blower/full exhaust/tune/fuel/supporting mods. An intake, tune, and catback don't gain you much hp with a 6.2. An intake, tune, and downpipe gain a significant chunk of power with the 3.5 for all of what $2k.
PS....I find it funny that half the arguements against the 3.5 ecoboost are just calling it an ecoturd or girly v6 or wimpy exhaust lol. Pretty lame arguement points to make rather than things like mod potential, tow capability, power ratings, fuel economy, etc. The 3.5 supporters dont' call the 6.2 a six point **** instead of six point two lol. The cheesy names to try and bash the 3.5 just make the 6.2 owners sound a little jelly lol
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