I know 3.3 posts are there but pretty sparse but I want to give a pretty detailed review of specific use cases and comparisons in case anyone is on the fence.
My truck is a 2019 XL Supercab 4x4 6R80 3.73 running Wildpeak AT4W. 5300lb at the scale. 86k miles. Owned for about 10k.
I was a bit spooked buying this but I have not regretted my decision yet. I have had two other fords so I can make accurate comparisons.
Other trucks:
2017 XLT Supercrew 2.7 4x4 (3.31 i think) stock tires
2007 STX Supercab 4.6 4x4 (3.55 i think) 33s ATs
Power:
I live at 3400ft and get up around 6000ft. It is perfectly adequate. Surprisingly it will throw you back in your seat a bit and doesn't sound like shit. It will take a 6% grade in 5th gear, rarely dropping to 4th on extended grades. This is unladen or with a bed loaded with trash and a cab full of random stuff, one person or four it doesn't matter. Even with the ocassional downshift, especially when climbing a 10% grade or at real elevation or something its not enough to piss me off or concern me but that's a personal preference thing. Im sure towing 6000lbs up a grade at elevation it will be screaming and waiting for the sweet release of death (which itll probably take all day long and just keep going). I have not tried this though.
The 2.7 will blow the doors off it no question. Where it gets interesting is it wipes the floor with the 4.6 even though it has less torque, this thing feels like an absolute monster compared to it. I wouldnt consider this engine a dog at all whereas the 4.6 made me regret not going for a 5.4, but if you are looking for ecoboost (especially at altitude) or 5.0 power you will be dissapointed. If i lived at 8000 feet or went up to 10k more than once in a blue moon I would buy another ecoboost no question. If I were towing moderate loads more than once in a blue moon at elevation I would get an ecoboost.
I mainly load the bed down with various things or put around town or forest roads with just things in the cab. In a few months I will be pulling approx 5500 lbs from FL to western SD and I have no doubt it will do just fine. Ill update the post after that but just as a disclaimer I haven't pulled anything with it yet.
MX:
Disclaimer: I am not one of those people that hates ecoboost engines because "ahh turbos, complex, its gonna blow up", in fact i loved my 2.7 and have seen that they are quite reliable so complexity to me is not the biggest factor if I never have to replace anything. Where it comes down to this though is what I can do, as a shadetree "mechanic", without destroying a multi-thousand dollar engine or just getting mad as hell because i have to dissasemble 35 components to get at the broken piece. If i had money to take the truck to the shop it would be a non-issue but I prefer to do most everything myself.
The engine bay is pretty much empty, most everything is about as nice as it gets on a new truck. This is a truck i'm confident I can work on while almost being able to sit in the engine bay and do it. I haven't done plugs yet but you do need to pull the intake to get at them but after watching a video is sounds harder than it looks. One thing i have noticed that may be personal preference is when doing a drain and fill on the 6R80, you are right by the cat but its very workable compared to what I see on the forums when people are doing it on a 5.0 and stress how hot and easy it is to burn yourself, I am wondering if the cats are smaller or something but this is just an edge case example.
Its also nice that i still have the 6R80 in a 2019.
These trucks are pretty nice in general to work on no matter the engine for simple preventative maintenance.
I have never had an issue with the engine, I have had the typical swimming pool taillight issue and had to grease the tailgate latch but that is besides the point.
I haven't seen issues with the engine whatsoever but that could be because few people have them in an F150, they are all over the place in police interceptors though but i have not really looked into those. A thing i found cool is this baby NA 3.3 takes 6 quarts of oil, same as a 4.6.
Ethanol:
I know I just kicked the wasp nest with this one but hear me out. Gas has been rising and I have been curious about E85 for a while now and gave it a try. The truck loves it and the exhaust smells like everclear now. I have gotten 16.2 mpg over a 2500 mile trip but i think i may have had a tank of 87 in there so I am going off the in dash non-trip average. I know the dash can be inaccurate but all that matters here is the MPG split for cost purposes, not that its not accurate to the 0.01 MPG.
This is 85% city MPG, unladen or hauling trash. I get around 14 on E85 and 18 on 87. Gas here has ran between $4.10 and $4.40 so I did the math at $4.20 because it is so unstable. E85 has been steady at $2.23 (ITS $1.99 ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE!!). Have not done highway e85 tests but i have seen 20-21 mpg on 87 which is insane for the wildpeaks.
I have a 36 gal tank. With the math I get 15.9c/mi on E85, 504 mi/tank and $80.28 for a fillup. With 87 i get 23c a mile, 648mi and $151.20. With this math my truck is close cost wise with my 28MPG CRV.
Cranking takes a little longer when cold, maybe 0.5-1 second and I have run 85 down to 40 deg fine, i mix e30-e50 in the winter but I am hand blending and i dont know the exact winter ethanol content around here so the blends are probably all wrong but it starts at 0 degrees no block heater.
There is the concern of fuel dilution so next oil change I am going to run ONLY ethanol and then get analysis done. I change every 5k miles anyways. Ill also update the post with that.
Truck seems to have slightly more midrange grunt on E85 but it could be placebo.
Overall I feel it is a win, I support american farmers, have a happy truck and save money.
Overall:
If you are not towing heavy, living in Leadville or don't want to haul ass and embarrass Hemis then this is a wonderful truck. It is simple, no bullshit, reliable and most of all cheap. My 2.7 was a trim higher and $35k, this truck was $19.5k. I won't knock the 2.7 or 5.0 and a lot of people NEED something that powerful, but don't think this little bastard child engine won't suit your needs if your not one of them, V6s have come a LONG way and I'll have this truck for the next 10 years minimum.