The 5.4 Triton engine has been around in its present configuration for quite a while. Why doesn't Ford figure out a way to get more ponies out of it? It's less than stellar performance, is the major reason for me holding off on buying a new F-150 or Expedition. I drive a 2003 Dodge Hemi right now but could easily become a "Ford Guy" again. My feeling -- "You loves the one you drive."

Tom

 

My question to you is, Have you driven a new F150?
The engine in it's current configuration has only been around since 2004.
Having driven a Hemi Ram and F150 5.4l 3v back to back my opinion is the Hemi has it's power band too high in the rpm range for me.
The 5.4 might be a little down on power but it moves the truck nicely without having to rev it so high.

 

I had an '03 Hemi 4x4, an '04 Silverado 4x4 with the 5.3L, and I now have a '06 5.4L XLT 4x4. I'm not brand loyal to any manufacturer- I buy whatever strikes my fancy at the moment.
Of the three, the Hemi & Chevy were the fastest in acceleration, the Ford is the slowest. I really don't care though, as it's still quick enough for me and I like the way the HP and torque come in down low for towing. I also didn't buy a truck to drag race anyone- we have an '06 Mustang GT for that.
The Hemi got the worst mileage (9-10 city/highway combined.) The Ford & Chevy are about equal (14-15 city/highway combined) and get pretty good mileage.
The Chevy was the quietest engine and interior, the Ford is slightly louder, and the Dodge much noisier & louder (not in a good way.)
The build quality of the Ford is equal to or slightly higher than the Chevy, and the Dodge was absolutely atrocious.
The Chevy never had to go back to the dealer for anything in the year & a half I owned it. The Dodge went back several times for fuel injectors, leaky front diff seal, and a couple of other things. Only complaint with the Ford so far is that it has that rotten egg smell from the catalytic converter REALLY strong when the truck is stopped and idling. Makes me wonder if I have an exhaust leak somewhere. Might have the dealer look at it at its first oil change.

Just my .02 after owning all three...

 

My last Ford was a 1998 Expedition, even though it was pretty hard on brakes, it was one of my favorite trucks. I put 150,000 miles on it. The last Ford that I test drove was a fully loaded 2003 Expedition. It was mighty slow.

Perhaps before I part with a bunch of money, I should test drive a new F-150.

By they way I have 90,000 miles on the Dodge. No problems. Nada. It even still has its original brakes.

Thanks for your comments.

Tom

 

well they could make it a DOHC but it would probally kill the gas mileage. If ford really wanted to beat the other manufactors in the horsepower game I'm sure they could but the loyal ford customers wanted an engine for towing and a truck that can do it and well in my opinion the new f-150 has got it all. If I wanted to go fast in a truck I woulda went and got a SRT10 or a Titan, but then again if I wanted to go fast and spend the money on the SRT10 I would just bought a vette just my two bits

 

The 5.4l in my truck is noisy, bad on gas, (10.4) city (13.7) hwy. It also feels real weak pushing the ford down the road. I just don't think ford has much bragging rights with the current truck / engine configuration. They can say the f150 is a towing rig all they want but wouldn't a better performing engine help in the towing department also? In addition, why don't they put at least a 5 speed auto in these trucks. That would also help in the performance, mpg department. Ford is getting by with the cheapest components to try to save money, end of story.

 

Ford designed the current 5.4L 3V to be torquey down low. It delivers 80% of its max torque at 1000 rpm.
I personally really like the over head cam modular design....very smooth and durable.
I also feel Fords overall build quality is better then Dodge or Chevy.
Nissan Titan....the dependability isn't good enough to justify not buying American (for me).
Toyota Tundra....Even though its going to be built in San Antonio Texas...something inside of me won't let me buy one. I'll stay loyal to Ford as long as they keep up the quality and value.
I've had a 1996 Mustang GT...loved it.
Current = 2004 Explorer, 2004 F-150

 

Best friend has an '05 Titan- without being unkind, let me just say I'll pass.
Toyota- we had an '03 Tacoma ext. cab 4x4 and I won't fall for their "better quality" ruse again. When it wasn't in the shop it was an OK vehicle, but severely underpowered and got poor mileage for what it was.
I too am all about buying American. Just because it's made here doesn't mean it's American- the check still goes to Japan...

 

Ford F-150 Top selling truck for how many years now? I think they are doing something right and I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion but your only opinion is Ford Sucks. I have now owned multiple 150's and have been extremely happy. If you are this unhappy with a truck purchase a Chevy / Dodge / Kia (100,000 mile warranty). or change your dealer. I have a great dealer that helps resolve issues that come up. Whenever you sell millions of trucks you are going to have some issues and anything I have come across has been taken care of immediately. Its all in how you approach the service dept.

 

It's not just the engine but also the detuning of the transmission that makes the 5.4 seem a little sluggish IMO. I use the Edge tuner on "transmission only" mode and it really makes my 2006 5.4 XLT a pleasure to drive.

 

If what you say is true and you still bought the truck, why? Everything you said other than the fuel mileage would have been obvious and noticeable before you bought it. Maybe you should have bought one of those super quiet Dodges with a 5 speed or one on those premium component powerhouse Chevrolets.

 

quite the contrary. a dohc would make the motor more efficient, and that's where the gas mileage is at. how hard the engine has to work - the average load that's on it at all times and how much gas it has to use to meet that load... i have two trucks, an 87 f150 5.0 and an 04 f150 5.4... the 5.4 with pretty much twice the hp, in a heavier truck, still gets better mpg than the 5.0...

i've also seen this in my mustangs, i had a 96 gt before the mach, and the mach beats it by about 3mpg in the city and 5-6 on the highway, while making roughly 110hp and 50tq more at the wheels.

you're right that ford could easily waste the competition in the hp game... the 5.4 has been known to hit some pretty crazy numbers even naturally aspirated...

 

One thing I can say is that the 4.2 doesn't have enough power for the weight. It has a good payload but it won't handle the weight. It is one of the only trucks that can hold more than it can move. It has really good brakes but it worries me that they arn't going to last long. My best drag time was a 18.68 at 79 mph. It gets good gas mpg for a f150 averaging about 18 mpg city and hwy. I could really imagine that a 5.4 would be alot of fun in my truck.

I think all the motors should be DOHC. Efficiency = Power, better mpg too.

 

As far as towing is concerned... don't even go there! I tow a 9200 lb Travel trailer on a regular basis with my Lariat Screw. It has the 5.4, 3.73, I also added a Flowmaster 50 series SIDO and an Edge Evo. I get great fuel mileage towing... average 10-12MPG. Solo I am seeing 17-18 on a winding country 2 lane at about 65 MPH. I could not ask for a better truck in a 1/2 ton. It does the job and does not hesitate one bit.

 

My ford has been a pretty decent truck, better than the GM it replaced (in reliability). But saying it out tows the GM is not true at my altitude. The 05 ford is without question down on towing power to the 04 GM 5.3 half ton it replaced. I tow a lot of miles (pulling a 5k car and trailer), and if I had to choose between the two based solely on how they tow..the GM would win.

Also, the GM had 32k on it when I traded it in and was on its original brakes, the ford has 19k on it now and the fronts are vibrating badly under braking. All that said, I prefer the ford to the GM...but that is not saying there isn't a LOT of room for improvement in both.

Bill