Alright, I'm looking to by an F-150 for the first time, and I have to ask what engine people prefer. I need to have 4WD, but I dont need to pull anything. So, is the 4.6L a good idea because it get better gas milage or am I mistaken?

 

Get the 5.4. The 4.6 only 1 or 2 MPG better. The 5.4 won't have to work as hard to pull the truck around.

 

And for that reason, the mileage barely differs. Get the 5.4, the mileage is barely different (if at all) between the two, so treat yourself to the extra power. (you'll want it, these trucks aren't exactly fast).

PS welcome to the forums.

 

5.4 3v V-8

These trucks are extremely heavy. and honestly, the 4.6 is a car motor shoehorned into a truck application.

You can buy the 4.6 to "save" some money and MPG...that's a nice sounding fairy tale at least. Alot of people end up regretting that purchase and I've seen alot of posts on this forum and others about how to get any sort of performance out of the 4.6. Those that claim the 4.6 is sufficient are blissfully unaware the 5.4 is such a different beast, or they just bought a truck to have a truck and not use it.

As Ian said, the 4.6 may and I stress may only get 1-2 mpg better than the 5.4. smart driving and alot of cruise control has gotten me 20-21 mpg on the highway. I'll admit that pure city MPG sucks though...I'm usually at 13-14 mpg

good luck, and since you need 4x4, look into a FX4. they get better shocks, skid plates, unpainted fender flares, 5.4 standard and the bigger trans, and 3.73 gears....and some really nifty stickers and FX4 instrument cluster

 

The 4.6 is a perfectly decent motor, it's come a long way since it was first released in the F150. However, it's not going to save you a penny with respect to gas. It might actually cost you more in the long run. I say this based on the mileage I used to get in my former 98 and 03 F150's, both with 4.6's. My 07 5.4 averages about 17 highway, my 4.6's never saw more then 15.

It doesn't matter which option package you get, FX4 isn't any better then a XLT or Lariat or whatever. Yes they have slightly different items as part of the package. But pick one with a 5.4 and you get the same powertrain components. Yes the FX4 gives you the 3.73 gears standard, but most dealers order many if not most of their 5.4 powered F150's with 3.73s.

Regardless of which powertrain, option package or whatever you pick. The F150 is a great truck. Good luck

 

5.4 3v with Roush Duals Baby!..................

 

I considered the 4.6L for about 45 seconds after deciding positively on the F-150 as my next vehicle. I lived with the 2V 4.6L in a 1998 Mustang GT for 8 years. It's not quite the pig that some called it, but it really was no better than the 302 it replaced. I know the newer version of the 4.6 in the F-150 has a little more power, a little more torque, but IME, the pickup, any full size pickup is just too heavy.

Long story short–negligible MPG difference means the 5.4 is the only choice for the F-150, being the V10 is not an option unfortunately.

 

had a 4.6 in a 2002 supercab 4X4 with 3.55 gears got terrible gas mileage and had very poor towing performance and overall power.

Now have a 2008 supercab 4X4 with a 5.4 and 3.55 gears, what a difference in power and I get on average 2 miles per gallon better with the 5.4

I did the same thing in 2002 and bought the 4.6 thinking i was going to get better gas mileage, turns out i got worse mileage and had a truck that wouldnt get out of its own way while pulling a trailer.

 

anyone that is comparing a 97-03 truck to a 04-08 truck isnt a fair comparison. The 2004 5.4 got new heads, and with those heads came new valve timing, better intake flow, and better tuning. So of course its gonna get better mileage and be more peppy. Wait until the 3v 4.6 comes into the F150 then we can compare it again

I see 12-14 city and 19-21 highway. 2003 4.6 3.55

 

Check out the lariat or FX4 with the 4.10 gears. Assuming you are going new.

 

Haha! alright its as I thought. I had a feeling that it wouldn't preform well due to its size, and I can see everybody thinks the same on it. 5.4L it is!!!

 

I agree
2006, 4x4, 3.55, 4.6 here. 13-14 MPG City & 17-19 HWY

 

I say go with the 5.4 as there ain't much differnce in mileage. I had a 2000 4x2 reg cab 3.55 gears with the 4.6 it got 12-14 city and 19-20 highway. My 2005 4x2 reg cab with the 5.4 and 3.55 gears gets 12-14 city and 18-19 highway. Both trucks were driven the same way as daily driver and a heavy right foot most of the time in my city driving.

 

I've owned trucks with both engines. On cross country trips, I could squeeze 22 MPG from a 4.6L SCab (about 2 MPG more than a 5.4L SCrew). As a daily driver, there was no difference between the two engines as far as MPG goes.

The difference in power between the two engines was definitely noticeable. In my 4.6L SCab, I would have to drop the hammer to stay 55 MPH going over the steep hill leading to my house. The 5.4L FX4 SCrews I've owned aren't phased by the hill at all. In the 4.6L, I could tell when the A/C compressor kicked on (drop in RPM & speed). Not an issue with a 5.4L.

 

I have the 4.6 and even with 37's it gets me where I need to go. Its not a race truck by any means, but I don't really need to tow anything either. I've taken it through the mountains here over 10k feet passes and its done fine.

That being said though, if I had to do it again I'd buy the 5.4 in a heartbeat instead for resale value if nothing else.