My 17 XLT is equally as smooth as my 2010 5.4 platinum max tow F150, but quieter under ALL load conditions, has more power, gets better mileage and has better air conditioning (including faster heating and cooling seats). Only thing it lacks beside a pickup bed, is decent size door pockets (much smaller bordering on useless on the expedition), and the F150 seats were deeper and more comfortable. If you had a bad experience with a rental, that's all it was, a bad experience, it happens with complex mechanical things. I've yet to come across an owner of the ecoboost expedition who wishes it was the 5.4 instead, which could also be the stupid high costs of these things, no one will admit to making a 50k dollar mistake.