The Ford modular 5.4 is bulletproof reliable. And its low end torque is nothing to laugh at. Even though I think the Nissan motor is technically superior, it does remain to be seen how reliable it will be.

On the other hand the Nissan engine is not really new. A smaller displacement version of the same basic engine has been in the Infiniti Q-45 for ten years, with very good reliability. The truck engine is a beefier block with larger bore and stroke, torque profile cams and does not (yet) have the variable valve timing from the car engine. Adding those computer adjustable valves would bump up both horsepower and torque even more. I look to see that in a couple years.

The Ford, on the otherhand, does have fewer moving parts (SOHC v. DOHC), and it did a very creditable job in getting a heavier truck moving while towing a pretty heavy load - better than either the Chevy or Hemi in one pretty good test:

[http://www.truckworld.com/Truck-Tests/04-4way/04-4way.html]

You'll even note that the 5.4 Ford actually had a better 0-30 time than the Nissan pulling the trailer, although the Nissan did get up to 30 miles per hour in a shorter distance. The difference was that the Nissan and Ford both have traction control, while the Dodge and Chevy did not, and Nissan's traction control actually cut in a little too much during that test. Incidentally, one can push a button on the dash of the Nissan and disable that feature if it is not desired.

All in all the Ford did better than Dodge and Chevy moving off with a heavy load, but did fade behind both the Dodge and Nissan above 30 miles per hour.

It is pretty well-known now in technical circles that the major cause of engine failure in Ford modular engines is use of the wrong weight oil. Some of the oil passageways in the OHC heads are very, very small and require low viscosity oil. It is vitally important that Ford owners use the specified 5W30 oil. Heavier oils on the bottom number, like 10W30 or 10W40 will lead to trouble as there will be oil return problems and the bottom end of the engine will starve for oil. We are in the production engine rebuilding business, so I know a little about this. But, as stated, if you use the right oil, these engines are bulletproof.

The Chevy is just not cutting it. But it is only 5.3 liters in size and we know that Chevy certainly has the parts out there to put more power into that engine if it decides to do so.

The Hemi is a nice engine (even though it is not a true hemi head). It is not an OHC design, but will probably be pretty reliable, although there are a lot of complaints by Hemi owners about some kind of "tick" the engine is making. Not hearing much about any engine failures, however. They do seem to catch up to the Nissans at high speeds (above 80-90 mph) if you really want or need to go that fast, suggesting that the advantage the Nissan has in gearing in the lower gears has been evened out when they get in top gear.

I'd like to see Ford put the 4 valve heads from the Navigator 5.4 on the pickups, cam them for torque and give us a good, efficient 5 speed auto tranny and I think the Ford engine would perform much better in real world comparisons. I think that the horses and torque are down because the heads are not breathing as well as the Nissan and Dodge.