I bought my V6 4x4XL last year at a "tent sale". Got a great deal on it. I absolutely love it except for the lack of a rear seat. So, I went to the local dealer yesterday and test drove a supercab 4x4 4.6 5 speed. It had the same gears as mine. It was an XL. I was somewhat surprised about the difference in power in that and my V6. There is hardly any! I am definitely not knocking the 4.6 ers. That was my first time in one. It had more torque getting going. Other than that, the speedometer moved seemingly no faster than mine. I do not see the few thousand or so dollar difference in engines for my needs (I could only find the regular cabs with the 4.6 as XLT's last year). Again, not knocking the 4.6. Just wanted to share the experience.

 

i think that they are very close in hp #'s, ive read that ford bumped the 4.6 #'s up alittle more than what they acutally are, for that reason. why pay that extra amount for just alittle amount or power

 

yep, I test drove a 4.6 automatic while purchasing my 4.2.
the 4.6 did'nt have that much more get up and go than my 6

 

yep i test drove a 4.6 s/c when i had my v6. it had an auto in it. if anything i would say the 4.6 had less power. that's why i went to the 5.4. in fairness though it's really not much more expensive for the 4.6 over the v6 and you do get better pulling capabiities with it. (over the 6 that is)

 

I test drove a 4.6 reg. cab before I bought my 4.2 ext. cab. The difference was hardly noticeable. The 4.6 "sounded" smoother, but didn't "feel" much faster. As far as the 5.4 is concerned, I'd love to have the power, but I'd hate to pay even more than I already am for gas...

 

I just bought my new truck and I vividly remember test driving both the 4.2 and the 4.6 (it was last week in fact =). There is a slight difference between then two, it felt like, but the 4.6 has more get up and go. I went with the 4.6 more because I knew that later on down the road I could do more with it, and the resale value is much higher. It still gets decent gas milage (compared to the 5.4 guzzler) but can pull more. And the cost upgrade was only around $700 or so.
By the way, where did you find a 4.6 V8 with the 5-speed? I looked over the inventories in my area and only found like one or two. They usually mate the 4.6s with auto trannies.

 

It was at Bert Wolfe Ford in Charleston WV. It ran pretty good. Moses Ford also has one.

 

HMMM that is weird. I swear the 4.6 is handily more powerful than the 4.2. Not major but i can FEEL a difference. Romp on both engines to about 5k and see what happens. Just me maybe...

 

I test-drove the 4.2L V6, too, and could swear my 4.6 would stomp it silly, especially if there are hills involved.

 

The 4.2 and the 4.6 are about 10-15 hp apart. So the 4.6 COULD NOT stomp the 4.2 silly. 10-15 hp? ha! They are about even in my book. 4/10th's of a liter bigger? Eh-oh, I better watch out! Ya got me shakin' in my boots.

 

More like 26 or 27 hp difference and 40 lbs of torque. To me if really felt stronger. I mean really i am not gonna knock the v-6 guys but I like to tell people i have a V-8 in my truck

 

...it's the torque throughout the range that makes the difference, not just the peak hp. No reason to get personal about engine power; there's a reason people pay more for the 5.4 than the 4.6, and similarly, a reason people pay more for the 4.6 than the 4.2. Very different animals.

 

Yeah, I guess so. Engine size just depends what your using your truck for. Whether it be towing, or just cruisin'. I like v-8's too, I just didn't want to get a v-8 at the time I bought my truck partly because I did'nt need a v-8, and the high cost of gas at the time. And the v-6 costs a little less. It's all a matter of preference. Yeah I admit, I'm a poor boy. Well, I'd say a middle-classman. But I'm getting ready to go to college, so I did'nt want to get to deep in debt right yet. If ya now what I mean... All the more reason for me to get a v-6.

 

The only difference I felt was down low. Definitely felt torquier. But as the Rpm's came up, the difference was less. Again, not knocking the 4.6 as I would like to have had the extra money to get it when I bought mine. My little 4.2 has held up well against a similiarly equipped 4.8 Chevy (at least when I had stock size tires). A drag race from a 5 mph roll netted bumper to bumper results when I raced my buddyand we let off. Lots more hp than my last 300 six (yeah I know-less torque). But then again, I couldn't hold third gear to 90 mph with the 300 either. I bought mine to have equity in a couple of years to get a supercrew. I only have $13,000 in it and just the other day, the dealership was going to give me $16,000 on trade to the 4.6 5 speed extended cab. I am building a house and my old 300 was killing me on gas mileage running back and forth. I dont think I will end up with the 4.6 though. My next truck has to be an automatic so the wife can drive it and i cant handle all of the downshifting on the interstates where I live. Went through that with her Dodge 318 before it went down the road. Turd.

 

Hey guys,

I have a wife and three daughters, I am the DEFINITION of poor, regardless of how much I make at my job.

dave91gt: The only time you are going to feel the difference between the 4.2 and the 4.6 is when you have something tied to the hitch, and when you are looking for add-ones! Just my opinion.

Ken