2.0 ecoboost towing

[fishawk]

I recently bought a 2013 explorer with the 2.0 Ecobust engine. It has every option except 4WD and a towing package. The salesman and dealership told me that I could tow my 3200lb boat without a problem. They also said that I would only need the class III towing hitch and not the complete towing package. They said as long as I don't tow it up mountains or drive coast to coast I wouldn't have a problem. It does not have the manual shift option where u can change gears by pushing a button on the gear shift lever because it has a "down hill assist" button there in it's place. The 2.0 seems to have plenty of power but I'm still a little shy of towing 3200lb with a 4 cylinder. I still have plenty of drive train warranty left from Ford and I bought an extended bumper to bumper warranty good for 125,000 mi, which is backed by the dealer and not Ford. The dealer told me that I would not void the warranty if I towed with it. I do have a truck that I tow my boat with now but though it would be nice to be able to use the explorer at times.
ANY INPUT OR THOUGHT APPRECIATED. THANKS IN ADVANCE.

 

[182RG]

Ford limits the 2.0 Ecoboost to 2,000 lbs, per their guide. This is the guide for the 2012, but specs should be the same:

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/12FLRVTT_ExplorerJul1.pdf

 

[wifes2011xlt]

That sales person knows how to sell...not how to tow.

Leave the boat towing for your truck and leave the light duty stuff for your explorer.

P.S. did you misspell "ecoBOOST" on purpose? EcoBUST....that's pretty funny

 

[Ecobeast]

So since you failed to do your research as a consumer, your reaction is to knock a product that is clearly advertised to not exceed towing 2,000 lbs? Falls in line with the rest of the worlds' not-my-fault mentality. Who buys a 4 cylinder vehicle to tow? Sorry for the harsh words, but this is your fault, with whatever clever colloquially you come up with.

 

[ocracokeBound]

So since you failed to do your research as a consumer, your reaction is to knock a product that is clearly advertised to not exceed towing 2,000 lbs? Falls in line with the rest of the worlds' not-my-fault mentality. Who buys a 4 cylinder vehicle to tow? Sorry for the harsh words, but this is your fault, with whatever clever colloquially you come up with.

If he was at a Ford dealership, then shame on the salesman. If not then yeah, when buying a used car if you are not armed with information it is a loosing battle. To the OP, it could torch the tranny there is special cooling with the tow package, heat is the killer of transmissions. "The dealer told me that I would not void the warranty if I towed with it", you need this in writing, preferably in blood.

 

[fishawk]

Yes, I did buy it at a Ford Dealership and no way am I "knocking the vehicle".
Fact is I like it very much. I didn't buy it to tow but the salesman said that I could so I investigated. Sorry if I stepped on your little toes Ecobeast.

 

[ocracokeBound]

Yes, I did buy it at a Ford Dealership and no way am I "knocking the vehicle".
Fact is I like it very much. I didn't buy it to tow but the salesman said that I could so I investigated. Sorry if I stepped on your little toes Ecobeast.

Then the salesman is at fault, because there is no way that tranny will handle the load.

 

[Ecobeast]

Yes, I did buy it at a Ford Dealership and no way am I "knocking the vehicle".
Fact is I like it very much. I didn't buy it to tow but the salesman said that I could so I investigated. Sorry if I stepped on your little toes Ecobeast.

No worries, my little toes are fine. My 3.5 EB tows just fine

 

[fishawk]

No worries, my little toes are fine. My 3.5 EB tows just fine

And so does my HEMI.

 

[edino]

So since you failed to do your research as a consumer, your reaction is to knock a product that is clearly advertised to not exceed towing 2,000 lbs? Falls in line with the rest of the worlds' not-my-fault mentality. Who buys a 4 cylinder vehicle to tow? Sorry for the harsh words, but this is your fault, with whatever clever colloquially you come up with.

There is fundamentally nothing wrong with a 4 cylinder towing; in Europe 99% of the van's and cars that tow are 4 cylinders, and they do fine. How they are engineered to perform under load is what matters; not the number of cylinders. (I am referring to average loads up to 4000-4500lbs)

 

[chefduane]

So what is the issue here, the displacement & power of the engine or ruggedness of the trans? If the ecoboost engine can handle the load then why not mount an external tranny cooler which is the primary unit in the trailer package anyway. If the trans is not spec'd for the load, then yes, I would stick to only light loads. Regardless, it sounds like OP was just determining IF he could pull the boat with the EcoB, not that he WAS going to pull the boat.

 

[edino]

So what is the issue here, the displacement & power of the engine or ruggedness of the trans? If the ecoboost engine can handle the load then why not mount an external tranny cooler which is the primary unit in the trailer package anyway. If the trans is not spec'd for the load, then yes, I would stick to only light loads. Regardless, it sounds like OP was just determining IF he could pull the boat with the EcoB, not that he WAS going to pull the boat.

But it does beg the question why the max is 2000lbs? Especially considering, that for example a 1.2L 4 cylinder FSI from volkswagen sold in Germany has a tow rating of 1400kg (3100lbs).

Explorer being such a big SUV, 2000lbs sound ridiculous low to me for any SUV!

Why is that?

 

[1995E]

But it does beg the question why the max is 2000lbs? Especially considering, that for example a 1.2L 4 cylinder FSI from volkswagen sold in Germany has a tow rating of 1400kg (3100lbs).

Explorer being such a big SUV, 2000lbs sound ridiculous low to me for any SUV!

Why is that?

You may have forgotten that this Explorer is heavier by around 2,000 to 3,000 pounds ( Golf is 3,126 lbs vs the Explorer's 4,600 lbs ) so there goes your tow rating. Cooling is another issue. Turbos are wonderful but you have to have a beefier cooling system to cool all that heat that would have normally just went out the exhaust pipe. All that extra fuel per stroke is extra heat as well. There's a reason why there wasn't a Ford Explorer Interceptor Utility Ecoboost 3.5L until very late in the model year.

Also, American cars are built to be reliable and to avoid lawsuits. Europeans don't sue like we do.

I found this good vehicle on VW Golf towing. It has a surprising tow limit of 1600kg. Impressive indeed.

 

[Fla_15_XLT]

So since you failed to do your research as a consumer, your reaction is to knock a product that is clearly advertised to not exceed towing 2,000 lbs? Falls in line with the rest of the worlds' not-my-fault mentality. Who buys a 4 cylinder vehicle to tow? Sorry for the harsh words, but this is your fault, with whatever clever colloquially you come up with.

Goes back to the too-often-truism of car salesmen:

How can you tell if the salesman is a lying, clueless dolt?

Listen while they're talking - they self-identify.

On a used car, it's tough to tell what the exact equipment level is, and what the capacities and capabilities of the vehicle are. As the originating poster found out to his chagrin, the salesdroid isn't going to give you information worth a spit.

For towing a moderate-size trailer, the the 2l Ecoboost isn't rated for a meaningful tow load, and the particular vehicle was ill-suited for the poster's stated purpose. While he deservers a bit of a 'noodle-slap' for actually counting on anything a salesdroid says as truthful and accurate, the dealership principals deserve a much harder one for employing lying clueless weasels.