Took a FX4 5.0 Screw out for a LONG test drive yesterday.

Went from 2,000 Ft up to 4,300 ft back down, up dirt roads, snow covered roads, interstate, regular 2 lane roads, and then took it up on a strip mine to test the 4x4.

Truck was awesome. Trac control didnt work quite like i thought it should in the snow and mud, but it was acceptable. Dealer told me to test it out. Get down on it, spin the wheels, really try her out. And i did.

Averaged 16.3 mpg by the LCD screen. Drove it about 115-120 miles.

I was impressed by this truck. Compared to my Tacoma, it got WAY better gas mileage and was nicer and smoother to ride in. That new Power Steering is awesome. I could literally steer the truck with one finger on a dirt road. I was impressed.

Now to take the Eco on the same route and compare mileage. Will be a while before the dealer gets any of those in though.

This will definitely be my next truck. 5.0 or 3.5 TT is the question. Time will tell.

 

damn now that's a test drive! Nice of the dealer to let you take it out for that long and that many miles.

 

Yeah, i told the guy i wanted to see the "real world" gas mileage of both engines. So he said take it all day if you want. Just have it back by 5:00. So i picked it up around noon and had it back close to 4:00. I brought it back pretty muddy and dirty. I told the guy sorry. He said "NO Problem". Thats what the detail guys get paid for.

Seriously though, 16 mpg in a 5.0 over all kinds of terrain, up 7% grades, playing with select shift, spinning the tires, testing the 0-60 speed, testing the passing power uphill, really getting on the throttle, is damn good. I bet i could get easily get 19-20 mpg if i drove it like I had some sense. Hopefully the Eco will produce better numbers.

 

gears?

 

3.73.

Lets see what else.

Everything except for Nav system and Sunroof.

18" wheels.

 

That's impressive. Have you drive/do you currently have a 5.4L? Any comparison?

 

Father-in-law has a '10 4.6L XLT. I can tell a difference. Steering is better, power will literally throw you back in the seat.

The only thing i wasnt impressed with was the traction control. It has the locking diff, but in regular driving, its an open diff. I had one wheel in the snow and it almost stopped me in my tracks. I was going 30 mph uphill and decided to kick the right side of the truck in the snow. I dont think the power ever kicked over to the left wheel. I had to steer out of the snow to get traction again. Im not impressed at all with that. But I only tried that once. Maybe when i drive the Eco, I'll test the traction control a little better. Hopefully it will be snowing a lot more then.

 

Traction control will not move power over to the other wheel, it mainly brakes the wheel that is slipping. If you had a limited slip diffy, the power transfer would happened mechanically. In the locker versions, your only hope is 4x4 mode.

You can turn off traction control until you wheel spin above 35 mph.

 

You should of filled the truck all the way up, took for a ride, then filled it back up when you were done and hand calculated the mileage. The computer generated MPG things are never accurate. That's why they call them "lie-o-meters". If you wanted "real world" gas mileage numbers that is the only accurate way to do it.

 

If you don't burn the tank down very far, the lie-o-meter is going to be close enough. How do you know you are filling the tank to the exact same level both times?

 

The guy only put $25 bucks in it for me. There was no way he was putting $100 worth of gas in it just for a test drive.

And the "Lie-o-meter"...I've read/heard/and seen that this gauge is fairly accurate. Within 1/2 a mile or so at the worst. So if it said 16.3. That could be anywhere from lets say 15.9 - 16.7. But for the most part, its fairly accurate.

When i go drive the ECO, i'll bring along my Scan-gauge II and hook it in and compare the two readings. Gonna be a few weeks before the dealership gets any in though.

 

as i wait for the super duty trans to arrive from ford, cant wait to test drive the 5.0 and the eco,

 

I'm not a big fan of the traction control but in my 2011 F-150 I feel like it's much less intrusive than on my 2009. I don't know if it's any different but I like it better. I really wish Ford but make an option to turn off all 3 controls no matter what speed you go. When you're stuck and spinning your tires to get out of snow or mud it's almost impossible not to go over 35 mph.

 

Just read a thread on here from a guy who owns a 5.0 and he said his "lie-o-meter" is about 1.5 mpg's off... They all vary and aren't very accurate.

 

Mine has read .6, .59 and .5 higher than actual mileage on my first three tanks.