The 2017 Ford F-150 with the 3.5 liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 was upgraded with the second-generation of the landmark engine that continues to be the top engine option for power and towing.

An engine that will carry on into the redesigned 2018 Ford F-150 and beyond, the second-generation 3.5 liter Lima V6 now comes mated to a class exclusive 10-speed automatic transmission and got a healthy bump in output to 375 horsepower and an astounding 470 pound-feet of torque.

The additional power for 2017 came by way of several enhancements to the engine starting with the addition of port fuel-injection to work hand-in-hand with its direct fuel-injection. The engine can use either or both fuel-injection systems for the best of both worlds.

Boost comes on faster and stronger with redesigned turbochargers with lighter impellers and computer controlled electronic wastegates that allow for boost and therefore power output to be more precisely managed.

Also new in the second-generation EcoBoost 3.5 is an electric water pump to keep it running while the engine is off with its new auto start-stop system. A variable-displacement oil pump and a redesigned valvetrain, and a lighter stronger crankshaft round out the changes.

Following the airflow here can be a challenge as the intake plumbing is quite vast. Air enters up front through a snorkel and then into the filter box on the driver side. It then flows up and splits through large resonators to the turbochargers mounted low and out of sight on either side of the engine’s vee.

From there, tubes take the boosted charge to an air-to-air intercooler mounted ahead of the radiator and behind the front bumper before the air flows back up into a single throat throttle body and into the composite intake manifold.

The fuel-injection system is for the most part hidden. On top of the valve covers you can see fuel-pressure regulators that handle the flow into the direct injectors hidden down below them. The intake manifold hides most if not all of the lower pressure port fuel-injection system.

Servicing the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 here can be a bit more challenging than some starting with your oil change. The filter is buried down below where reaching it around other plumbing can be a bit of a task. Checking and filling your oil however is easily done at the expected locations up at the top.

The main fuse block and battery are located together on the passenger side of the engine compartment along with the windshield washer fluid. The main coolant reservoir is right at the front center abover the radiator.

Brake fluid check and refills are easily done with the master cylinder being reachable in its uncluttered location at the driver side fire wall. The air filter box is much the same way, entirely accessible without much brain damage.

The 2017 Ford F-150 3.5 EcoBoost in the 4×4 Crew Cab we tested is rated at 17 mpg city, 23 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined. In our week with it we achieved 16 mpg combined which is reasonably good considering the AC on at all times, which for the most part kept the auto-start-stop function from kicking in.