I went to the auto show tonight and found a decent bit of info out.

I talked to the woman displaying the new F-150, ironcially she knew very little about the truck, besides what is given in the Media Package. So I talked to a few engineers finally being directed to the plant assembly manager.. or something to that nature... any way hwere is the good stuff.

There will be NO manual transmission in the first year of production (2004). In 2005 they will offer a Five Speed Manual and a updated version of the 4.2 L V6.

The manual Transmission will not be avilable for the 4.6 nor the 5.4 EVEN THOUGH they have both transmission available to fit onto the F-150 that are more than capable of doing the job. 6 speed manual in Mustang 4.6, and 6 speed manual in the new lighting 5.4L. I was discouraged to hear the reason behind it. He said that the whole team on the F-150 if they had it there way would stop all manual transmission in trucks, due to lower sales. Also some mentiond of the electronic throttle control.... however this was with another engineer, and she could tell her explination did not satisfy me.

I also gave them a few complaints (besides the transmission), I told him I thought the 4.6 Was a piece of junk in the F-150s compaired to the 5.4 and that their are many unhappy 4.6 owners. Also he was very reluctant to even talk about the inline 300, I was teling him how much people want it back.. he told me the 4.2 V6 was just as good and was an improve version of it. I just said, well nothing will be like the Inline 6 and he didn't hear anyting. I got the impression that alot of people weren't so keen on some things on the trucks, and he was tired of hearing stuff.

-Altough I must say the Lariat model of the F-150 does look alot better than in the photos. The photos do the truck little justice, My mood has been changed on them, although there is still a few things Im not a fan of. The interiror in general is a little off, and the console shift looks outta place. however I must say the truck will be a seller, I just wanna see it at work, not at play.

-I also seen the Cobra and the new stang.. they both look good. I asked why they don't just use the 5.4L, and she said "well the 4.6 get's 390. I said yeah but why not just drop int he 5.4 for an extra 200, and have a 500 Horsepower Stang, she replied "I guess it's never enough." The GT (40) basicly does just that, and it's a VERY IMPRESSIVE CAR! Doesn'te ven look like a ford (witht he rear engine design, and styling), but at a 100,000 price tag I dunno.

-Over all the auto show was pretty good and I am very impressed with what ford has done in some area and very dissapointed in other things they said.... It's a huge paradox... I just love ford so much I have to hate it sometimes. Oh also the 250-350 SD are getting an overhaul for 2005, and the ranger in 2004. The range is suspoes to have a wider frame, and sorta Increase it's over all scale like the explorer has.

Im gonna head back up there tuesday to ask more quesitions.

 

Thanks for the report FordDude4L. I suspect the 4.2 six is probably better than the 4.6 V8 in a truck and since the 4.2 will come with a manual, its the only one I will consider. The Power curve actually doesn't look bad. Only trails the 300 I6 by about 20 foot lbs and if you wind it up you can get over 200 hp. Not a bad little engine for a bent six.

INLINE SIX POWER! '95 F150 XL
300 Cubic Inches of Low RPM Truck Torque! And twin-I-beams too!
"Drive a stick young man! There'll be time for automatics when you're old and unable."

 

I totally agree, I think the 4.2 is a better engine than the 4.6. If they would offer the 5.4 with the six speed in the F-250/Lighting concept, I would be over joyed.

Once again I got the impression they are hearing a lot of similair complaints... and I thin one really easy way to solve that would be to bring back the F-150 customs... All I want is an XLT or Lariet 5.4 With a 6 speed. Although I would take that 4.2 over a 4.6 ANY DAY.

The 2005 production date is still 18 months away so you never know, they might get the drift that there are still some di-hard manual fans out there.

 

Why(!) do you guys think the 4.2L is better than the 4.6L?

I'd much rather have 231hp/290ft/lbs of torque than 202hp/255ft/lbs of torque.

Plus the addition of a OHC engine and a V-8. The 3.8L Ford was a POS, and the 4.2L is nothing more than a stroked 3.8L.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-14-03 AT 11:45 PM (EST)]Simple, The 4.6 put's V8's to shame, while a 4.2 is still a decent 6 cylinder. Although the best options would be the 300 6. I dunno I have just had a hell of time pulling a boat with the 4.6 and doing certian amount of work with it. The Mod 4.6 is a car engine, not a truck engine. I wish they would realize that. I want a manual with the 5.4 then I will be a total happy camper.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 01-15-03 AT 07:25 AM (EST)]Well, my motorhome has a 7.5L V8 with 245 hp and 390 ft lbs. :-)

The 4.2 has more horsepower than the 300 I6, but a bit less torque. I'd still rather have the 300, but all in all, the 4.2 looks decent for a V6. I don't have specs on the 4.2, but suspect it has a fairly strong bottom end. My mother has a Cougar with a 3.8. It runs great and has plenty of power, even at around 90,000 miles. My aversion to the 4.6 V8 is from a general feeling that small V8s don't do well in pickups (the six has fewer jugs, so they are bigger, and that tends to mean better low end torque). It is commonly heard at FTE that the 4.9 I6 is much better in a truck than the older 5.0 V8--unless, of course, you are building a hot rod pickup, but then you should be going 351 or bigger. So maybe the 4.6 is pretty good. Bottom line is I will take whatever they offer with a stick, but that usually is the smallest displacement engine. But FordDude4L said above that the Ford people indicated the 2005 would have an "updated" 4.2. Presumably that means better than the current 4.2. We'll see.

Now what is the deal with the 4.2 vs the 4.0 that is found in some Rangers? The 4.0 has just a tad less power than the 4.2. Anybody know how they compare? (Maybe I should/will post this on the appropriate engine forum since I am getting far afield of the thread topic).

Thanks.

 

>I totally agree, I think the 4.2 is a better engine than the
>4.6. If they would offer the 5.4 with the six speed in the
>F-250/Lighting concept, I would be over joyed.


You guys ought to check out the "4.2 V6" forum- you'll have a tough time finding anyone there that's happy with the 4.2. In fact, a number of them want to start a class-action suit against Ford because of all the problems this engine has had. I told one of the techs in our shop that this engine was history, and his reply was "good riddance!"

 

I just browsed the 4.2 forum and you are right. It doesn't look good. Maybe that is why they are updating the 4.2. Hope it works. If the engine is that bad, maybe they should update the 4.0 instead. Thanks.

 

wow I never realized that before. I know 2 people witht he 4.2 and theres ran good, never knew it was that big of an issue. It' no excuse for the 4.6 but it does make me want the 300 I6 to come back, and upgraded.