I know this is an old argument; and I know how it's going to turn out. 4.6L owners will say the 4.6L is adequate. 5.4L owners will say it's inadequate.... 5.4L owners will pretend to be 4.6L owners, and say the 4.6L is inadequate, and 4.6L owners will state they're 5.4L owners and that they're not impressed with the 5.4L. It's a Ford Engine right?

Well, for the 2-3 years I've been on here, I've said the 4.6L was adequate. I've also said that when I've driven in F-150's Expy's, etc with the 5.4L that I didn't notice a difference. That's true. I haven't noticed a difference- and yes, I even felt that the 2003 5.4L EB I test-drove was slower than my 4.6L 2000 XLT. Maybe it just felt slower....

Well, I had to go to Baton Rouge recently, and I rented a 2003 Expedition from Enterprise. It had 17,000 miles on it. (I know what you're thinking, if he has an Expedition, why rent one?)

That's true. I do, but mine is customized- and it attracts a lot of attention- so, when I go into unfamiliar territory, I usually rent a car, attention is good sometimes, not good at times, if you know what I mean. I rented one before when I went to New Orleans, so I thought I'd do it again.

I took it, drove it home and man, this one felt much smoother than the one I have (No Kidding, right- IRS) and it felt much more powerful... This MUST be the 5.4L V-8, right? I got it home, popped the hood and had 4.6L looking back at me. I don't know what Ford did, but that one felt quicker than the 2003 Navigator I test drove back in May- (Yes, I test drive a lot of cars. When you love cars like I do, yet you don't make Jay Leno's money, you have to do, what you have to do. I wanted it, but the thought of $900/mo for 60 months purchase, $845 on a 36 mo. lease, kept me in my 2000.)

Ford has done something with the 4.6L- I think it's pumping more than 231 HP; but the reason I wrote this thread is because of one thing. We sit here and argue about which one is more this, or that- But, when have you EVER seen a comparison between the 4.6L & 5.4L Expeditions, F-150's or SuperCrews? I've never seen one, the credentials are only argued on paper, and in Forums. The magazines rarely even test the 4.6L’s; they go straight to the 5.4L. I wonder why???

I have to wonder if by some chance the 4.6L V-8 is more competition for the 5.4L than Ford wants known. I'd love to see a reputable mag (Motor Trend) do a side-by-side performance comparison between manufacturers models, with different/popular drive trains- to see what's REALLY going on under the hood.

On paper, the 5.4L is the clear winner- but every 4.6L owner can't be lying, or suffering from engine-envy. I for one can claim no trophy for saying any falsehoods... Motor Trend, if you're lurking here, how about an honest, no holds barred competition across the engine lines from Chevy, Ford & Dodge, and let's see what's REALLY going on.

 

dude.... i got a 4.6 and i haven't done crap to it... i don't waste money on putting after market crap on my truck. I pull a 3000lb boat around the lower half of the U.S. and i like that engine. I got 150K on it and it's got plenty of torque out of the hole. One reason i won't waste money on my exp is that no matter what you add to it ... it's retail price still sucks

can't figure that out i love it.. it's more comfy than a tahoe? go figure...........................


i'll never stray
even if the engines aren't up to par..

dan davis
Bombsquad no "for real"

 

I hope to get a real world comparision soon. A friend of mine has a 2003 Expy with the 4.6L and I just bought a 2003 Expy with the 5.4L. Under normal driving, I don't think you would know one from the other. The 3.73 gears really get the thing moving. I traded in a 2002 F150 SuperCab with the 5.4L and 3.55 gears and this Expy feels as quick off the line as the truck did even though the Expy is 1,000 lbs heavier. But, I think where the 5.4L will shine is under load. I drove my friends back from the beach with 4 adults, 1 child and tons of luggage. It really worked to get up the mountains. It will be interesting to see if the 5.4L has an easier time of it.

Another note, the 4.6L in the Expy is rated to tow 5,000 lbs and the 5.4L is rated to tow 8,650 lbs.

 

There are more than just engine displacement that will affect your "seat of the pants" feel. But of course, displacement will make the biggest impact.

I've always driven 5.4 so I cannot contribute to any direct comparison. I have a 5.4 V8 King Ranch F150 now, and will soon get a 5.4 '99 Expy. It's my dad's and I always felt that it had a bit more "juice" than my F150.

 

I just trade in my F-150 (2001 Ext. Cab w/ the 4.2 V-6) on a 2003 Expy XLT with the 4.6. Of course the 4.6 feels fine to me since my truck had the V-6, but the real impressive thing is that I'm averaging almost 1 mpg better than the lighter V-6 truck! They are both 4X2's. City driving in the Expedition has been between 16.4 and 17 mpg. The 4.2 truck struggled to get 16 mpg. I wonder if my fuel economy will go up after I get past the break in period?

 

uh, ok.


I just bought a Expy.

While shopping, we grabbed a Expy. off the lot that had the Interior and Exterior color my wife wanted. Since I have no intention of using it for more than an around town family car, I didnt even think about what motor it had in it. ~Besides, its for my wife and all I cared about was her getting what would make her happy.

well, we took off on the test drive and when I drove it I was thinking to myself "wow, this thing must weigh alot because its way wimpier than my F-150 was." I had just assumed it had the 5.4 in it. When I asked the guy what it weighed, he didnt know of course. We get back to the lot and I want to see ~what I thought~ was the unimpressive new 3V 5.4L. (I didnt even know at that time that the 2003 Expy. still has the previous 5.4L)
So I then find out its a 4.6!! AHHHH, that explained it!

We immediately find a 5.4L and test drive it and it felt much more like I remember my 5.4L F-150 feeling like.

The moral of the story:

At the time, I was a totally unbiased and uninformed tester; perfect for a blind test. And I can honestly say, the 5.4 is MUCH stronger than the 4.6

Im not trying to argue, I dont care at all. Its just amazing how different preceptions can be.

 

I have both a 4.6 and a 5.4.
Well, the 4.6 is in my Thunderbird and I bolted a supercharger on it...and I have a 2000 EB Expy with the 5.4 which is our family ride.

Apples to oranges.

 

I agree the 5.4L is the way to go, inasmuch as I've got one and my dad's got a 4.6L Expy. However to be completely fair in your test above, you've got to consider what rear gear ratios each test driven Expy had. If the 5.4L had lower gears and the 4.6L higher, then you'd notice more of a difference.

 

I tow a 5000lb travel trailer.

My wife's 01 expy is a 5.4 with 3.73 gears, 2wd and it is the primary tow vehicle.

My 99, F150 was a 4.6, 3.55 gears, 2wd ext cab.

Tow a 5000lb travel trailer with both, without a doubt the 5.4 wins.


The expy towed the pants off the F150 but I wanted to use the F150 to tow the trailer on my private fishing expeditions. I traded it in for a Screw 2003, 5.4, 3.55, 2wd.

Problem solved. The new screw is a little lighter than the expy so the 3.55 vs the 3.73 is just about null.

If I never planned to tow a thing, I'd still opt for the 5.4 because you regain any diffence at resale/trade in time. Gas mileage is about the same, no matter what the sticker on the window said.

 

There have been times when I YEARNED for a nitrous oxide button on the dashboard even with a 5.4 mated to 3:73's. It moves around pretty good below 50mph but over that, I'd really like a solid rocket booster please.

 

How much different all of our buttometers are calibrated.

I can't tell a whole lot of difference between the 5.4L and my 4.6L when I TD'd that 2003 Expy EB. But, when I drove a 2003 XLT- it felt much quicker, and to my surprise, it had the 4.6L in it.

Bottom line, no two vehicles will perform the same. So, either both my trucks with the 4.6L were optimally assembled, or the 5.4L I drove was completed on a Friday at 4:27 PM.

I guess I need to drive a 5.4L and a 4.6L the same day, back to back to see if I can tell the difference.

 

I recently replaced my '01 Expedition with a '03. After living with the 4.6 in my '01 Expy I wanted a little more power. So I went into the dealership to buy an XLT Premium with the 5.4 in it, but came to find out that is a very difficult combo to come by. The dealer I was working with did not have any XLTs at all with the 5.4, but he did have several Eddie Bauer models with the that engine. After I had test drove '03s Eddie Bauer both on the Highway as well as in traffic I went back and asked the sales person if I could drive the XLT with the 4.6.
It surprised me to no end that the XLT with the 4.6 performed better than the Eddie Bauer with the 5.4. The 5.4 has a little more grunt off the bottom but the 4.6 was smoother, quieter and rev'ed a lot easier and faster than the 5.4. The salesman said that Ford has done a lot of work on the 4.6 engine going into the Expedition but not much to the 5.4 since it is due to be replaced by the new 3valve engine.
Needless to say I ended up taking the XLT Premium with the 4.6 home to the wife. The only thing that I do not like about the truck is the front brake dust.

I do have a question about the 4.6. Why is the horsepower rated differently in every car or truck that they put it in? Example in the Explorer the 4.6 is rated at 239 hp. The same engine is rated at 232 hp in the Expedition. Does anyone know why?

 

Haven't done much comparison except to hear a friend's wife complain about how slow her Expy was. We took it out for a test drive and it was slower than mine and had to work harder, she had the 4.6. I like my 5.4, it moves the family well whenever we travel. We travel with lot's of stuff. It has powered its way through snow, sand, and even making short cuts during traffic jams.
I got trapped in a Red Lobster parking lot by a bunch of fools trying to get in. Jumped the curve, rode through the shrubs, snapped some sapplings, over the hill and I was gone. My kids had a great time.
You should see my short cut to Las Vegas.

 

I think the differences in power from the same motor is due to exhaust routing/ design and maybe different calibrations

BTW, I will NEVER buy a first year motor from Ford again. that 3V has to prove itself for a year or two before I'll even look at it.

 

I just drove the Expy back 240 miles home. I thought my dad had a 5.4 but it's actually a 4.6. The main difference I noticed was that under highway speed in cruise control, it would downshift when climbing even a modest hill. I had cruise set at 80 MPH, with tach at a hair above 2000. If you know the terrain of highway 16 between Savannah and Macon, GA, you know that "hills" are actually quite low, and more like mere dips on the road. My 5.4 never did that, even when hauling a good bit in the truck bed. Overall, I think I'll like it. I just wouldn't wanna haul anything heavy with it.