Need Forums Advice 1.5 vs 2.0

[wireman]

This is all a matter of preference. If the 1.5L is good enough for you, then it's fine. I personally hated the 1.5L when we drove it, but for my girl (who is the primary driver), she felt like it was fine. I convinced her to get the 2.0L based on the fact that we were buying as opposed to leasing and based on what I have seen on the forums and the amount of recalls/issues I see in OASIS for the 1.5L, I figured it was a better option in terms of l being less problematic long-term. The additional performance was secondary for her, but definitely primary for me.

Now that she'd had it for a few months, she appreciates the bigger engine. I tuned it as soon as we got it, and it is a very fun and spirited drive. Any time we go out in the BS (my F150 is huge; lifted and doesn't fit in all parking garages), I look forward to driving it. If it had the 1.5L, I'd be riding shotgun on my phone and not behind the wheel.

10-4. The 2.0 was my choice. Drove a 1.5 and that was in 2021 before all the issues.
Not as smooth running as the 2.0.

My choice was to sacrifice gas mileage and have more power for my BL.
Everything is a compromise. Get what’s best for you and hopefully you made the right decision.

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[Jim Bow]

I have a 2025 model with a 1.5L engine. Coming from a 2020 Fusion Hybrid, I feel like I'm in a racecar. I'm also pushing 60 years old, and my days of thunder are long behind me .

 

[jkernitzki]

I have a 2025 model with a 1.5L engine. Coming from a 2020 Fusion Hybrid, I feel like I'm in a racecar. I'm also pushing 60 years old, and my days of thunder are long behind me .

Anything less than four cylinders is a lawn mower, motorcycle, or golf cart.

Pushing 70 here, I'm just getting started.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

I have never had this issue with my 1.5. You can prefer the 2.0, but that doesn’t make the 1.5 gutless.

IMO the BS BB I had with the 1.5 EB wasn't bad and was much better with the JMS Pedal Max. I have a 2025 XLT AWD Maverick now with the 2.0 EB. But I never had any complaints about the 1.5 EB and IMO the BS BB 8 speed seemed to shift a little nicer than the Maverick 8 speed does sometimes. I'm not sure if the Pedal Max made the 8 speed in the BS BB shift better or not. The 2.0 EB in the Maverick for sure has more power and torque than the 1.5 EB did but otherwise like I said I had no complaints with it.

 

[Schuelady]

I have a 2025 model with a 1.5L engine. Coming from a 2020 Fusion Hybrid, I feel like I'm in a racecar. I'm also pushing 60 years old, and my days of thunder are long behind me .

I agree with you!! I love my 2025 1.5L! Its enough power for me with no hesitation when stepping on the pedal!! If I want to drive a speedy vehicle I'll drive my Corvette!

 

[kenmitch]

Anything less than four cylinders is a lawn mower, motorcycle, or golf cart.

Pushing 70 here, I'm just getting started.

So I take it you've heard of the ancient Chinese proverb " Better half a V8 than 3 silly cylinders "

 

[jkernitzki]

So I take it you've heard of the ancient Chinese proverb " Better half a V8 than 3 silly cylinders "

That's a corollary to Confucius' observation, "an inch more to be seen a king, an inch less, a queen." I'm pretty sure he was talking about cars.

 

[rugedraw]

I personally hated the 1.5L when we drove it.

I wanted to circle back to this. My truck has been at the dealer for well over a week now getting the transmission rebuilt (maybe replaced; still not sure). Under 24k miles on my truck. 2021 Job 1 F150 problems. IYKYK. Not complaining........I will take new transmission with a smile. I plan on keeping my truck a while.

Point of this is, by coincidence, my loaner is a 2025 BS Big Bend with the 1.5L engine., After driving it for a week and FWIW, I retract me statement about hating it. I don't love it.......but I don't hate it either.

 

[Mark S.]

Point of this is, by coincidence, my loaner is a 2025 BS Big Bend with the 1.5L engine., After driving it for a week and FWIW, I retract me statement about hating it. I don't love it.......but I don't hate it either.

We've driven several different Ford Escapes (rental cars) over the past few years equipped with the 1.5L engine. Acceleration is not what you get with the 2.0L (not surprising given the 1.5L makes 50+ fewer ponies), but it's not inadequate for a commuter car. If you spend a lot of time on two-lane roads that require frequent overtakes then you likely won't be satisfied with the 1.5L. Passing at highway speeds is an exercise in patience. But if you spend the majority of your driving time in the city and you don't intend to test the limits of the vehicle offroad, then the 1.5L will not disappoint you. Plus, you'll get on the order of 20% better fuel economy.

FYI, we just traded the wife's five-year-old (2020) Escape Titanium with a 2.0L for a 2025 Escape ST Line Elite with the Hybrid powertrain. It couples a normally aspirated 2.5L Atkinson cycle gas engine with an electric motor. Overall horsepower figures are about the same as the 1.5L, but the majority of the low-end torque comes from the electric motor, and like all electric motors torque is nigh instantaneous. What that means in practice is the Hybrid powertrain retains all the low-end performance of the 2.0L engine while returning some 40 mpg in city driving. Acceleration performance in city driving is almost indistinguishable from the 2.0L, except the Hybrid employs a CVT which really smooths things out--no more abrupt shifts.

If Ford ever decides to put this powertrain in the Bronco Sport--which I find quite likely given Ford has discontinued the Escape for 2026--I believe it will become the powertrain of choice.

 

[rugedraw]

If Ford ever decides to put this powertrain in the Bronco Sport--which I find quite likely given Ford has discontinued the Escape for 2026--I believe it will become the powertrain of choice.

I'm sure some people would opt for it, and working at a dealer that sells/services 10 different luxury brands that offer hybrid vehicles, I can attest to what you're saying about the low-end torque you get from the electric motors added to a gasoline powertrain. However, the lack of a turbo and the CVT transmission would deter me from considering one. Call me traditional, but I like the feeling of a tranny going through its gears and I like something turbo'd because I tune all my vehicles.

I don't want to derail this thread, but I think Ford knocked it out of the park with the PowerBoost concept in the F150. A big V6 with 2 turbos, 10 speeds, AWD and an electric motor you don't have to charge to boost performance/fuel economy? Flippin' awesome. My only regret with my truck is not getting one of those when I got mine. Whenever they do introduce the new Android OS to the F150 and I trade mine in for the new one, it will be a PowerBoost for sure!

Btw: Sync 4 is beautiful on the BS. Damn shame it took Ford so long to bring it to these trucks seeing that its been been around since 2020.

 

[wireman]

We've driven several different Ford Escapes (rental cars) over the past few years equipped with the 1.5L engine. Acceleration is not what you get with the 2.0L (not surprising given the 1.5L makes 50+ fewer ponies), but it's not inadequate for a commuter car. If you spend a lot of time on two-lane roads that require frequent overtakes then you likely won't be satisfied with the 1.5L. Passing at highway speeds is an exercise in patience. But if you spend the majority of your driving time in the city and you don't intend to test the limits of the vehicle offroad, then the 1.5L will not disappoint you. Plus, you'll get on the order of 20% better fuel economy.

FYI, we just traded the wife's five-year-old (2020) Escape Titanium with a 2.0L for a 2025 Escape ST Line Elite with the Hybrid powertrain. It couples a normally aspirated 2.5L Atkinson cycle gas engine with an electric motor. Overall horsepower figures are about the same as the 1.5L, but the majority of the low-end torque comes from the electric motor, and like all electric motors torque is nigh instantaneous. What that means in practice is the Hybrid powertrain retains all the low-end performance of the 2.0L engine while returning some 40 mpg in city driving. Acceleration performance in city driving is almost indistinguishable from the 2.0L, except the Hybrid employs a CVT which really smooths things out--no more abrupt shifts.

If Ford ever decides to put this powertrain in the Bronco Sport--which I find quite likely given Ford has discontinued the Escape for 2026--I believe it will become the powertrain of choice.

Mark, how is acceleration when passing on the highway? 55 mph and above.

 

[jkernitzki]

Btw: Sync 4 is beautiful on the BS. Damn shame it took Ford so long to bring it to these trucks seeing that it’s been been around since 2020.

My guess is the BS’s build was baked in prior to Sync 4 being finalized, coupled with Ford’s history of introducing newer Sync versions on higher models first, anyway. IIRC, it was debuted on the Mach-E and F-150 first. I’m unaware of any changes to Sync versions during a model run between refreshes.

Same thing with FDE and the ‘25 BS’s as well, I suspect. We’ll have to wait for the next refresh to see it on the BS is my guess.

 

[Mark S.]

Mark, how is acceleration when passing on the highway? 55 mph and above.

Not the same as the 2.0L, but quite a bit better than the 1.5L. Not thrilling, but adequate.

For reference, my wife drives a long stretch of highway (180+ miles) weekly averaging between 72-74 mph. Her fuel economy increased from 30-32 mpg with the 2.0L to 34-36 mpg with the Hybrid. That's not a big difference. The rest of the time it's a mix of highway and city driving. For that type of driving her fuel economy increased from 28-30 mpg to 36-40 mpg, a significant increase.

Overall, she drives nearly 20K per year. We expect fuel costs (assume $3.50 per gallon) to decrease from ~$2500/yr to under $2000/yr. I would say the slight decrease in passing performance with the Hybrid engine is well worth the return on fuel economy.

 

[Mark S.]

However, the lack of a turbo and the CVT transmission would deter me from considering one.

Enthusiasts and traditionalists do not like continuously variable transmissions, but they make the most sense if you want maximum acceleration from a limited amount of power. Internal combustion engines make their maximum torque (power for acceleration) at a specific RPM. If you can keep the engine at that specific RPM the entire time you are accelerating then you will accelerate at the fastest possible rate.

Keeping the engine at the same RPM while accelerating sounds weird to people used to the RPM going up and down while the transmission shifts gears, but from an engineering standpoint it's optimal.

 

[Jim Bow]

Enthusiasts and traditionalists do not like continuously variable transmissions, but they make the most sense if you want maximum acceleration from a limited amount of power. Internal combustion engines make their maximum torque (power for acceleration) at a specific RPM. If you can keep the engine at that specific RPM the entire time you are accelerating, then you will accelerate at the fastest possible rate.

Keeping the engine at the same RPM while accelerating sounds weird to people used to the RPM going up and down while the transmission shifts gears, but from an engineering standpoint it's optimal.

I went to an eCVT in my 2020 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and it took me a while to wrap my head around not feeling the vehicle shifting and that this was normal. I drove it for 5 years, and now I'm getting used to my BB and feeling the shift points again. If the Fusion wasn't so awful in the winters I'd probably have kept that car, never put a dime into it, and it ran like a top and gave me 43 MPG. I was impressed with the transmission.

My work unit is a 2025 Explorer Police Interceptor. It's a hybrid, and I think it has the 3.3L V6. Coming from the Durangos and Chargers to these Explorers has been really disappointing. You hit the gas, and the car does very little. I'm not sure why they are so underpowered for Police Cars.

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