I saw it if you were referring to me. It seemed similar to what I said just less detail.

 

I'm trying to figure out why anyone would consider this is a good thing. I have owned 3 5.4Ls and put over 250,000 miles on them. It is an ok motor and served me well but the new motors are so much better. My EB gets 3-4 MPG better than my 5.4Ls did while making more power. I also drive the EB harder and still get that much better fuel economy. The EB will hold 6th gear where the 5.4 would have to drop down out of 4th (the two gears are nearly the exact same ratio so it's a fair comparison) even though the 5.4 had a 3.73 rear end and the EB has a 3.55. I have also driven a couple of 5.0 trucks. Again they would trounce the 5.4.

 

Once again, your comparing the old 4 speed auto drivetrain. This sucked the power out of the 5.4L. The 4 speed auto sucked and it's no secret, that's why Ford lost business to the competition. It was the auto that sucked, not the 5.4L!

Car and driver tested the 2008 and 2009 F150s in the same trim. The 2009 with the 6 speed trans, was almost a full second quicker from 0 - 60 mph! That's a huge performance gain and that was just in the transmission. On top of that, the 2008 F150 was a lighter truck.

With the 5.4L and the 6 speed trans, you get a great torque curve that can be used to it's full potential with the better gearing of the transmission, then added with either a 3.55 or 3.73 axle.

Obviously there's reasons why Ford didn't put the 5.0L or Eco in the Nav/Expy. Being that these 2 vehicles are much more expensive than an F150, I don't think they were just cheaping out. In fact it most likely costs more to manufacturer a different motor, than just kill it and use a motor from the facilities that they already have making motors for the F150.

Perhaps they're using the F150 owners as Guineau pigs and once the bugs are worked out, they'll transfer the new motors to the SUVs. Hard to say, but Ford obviously likes the 5.4L.

As far as fuel economy goes, this new 6 speed does so good, that I was getting better fuel economy in previous Sport Trac 4.6L 3 Valve than my previous 2005 Nissan Pathfinder 4WD with a 4.0L and 5 speed auto. For that matter my F150 gets the same fuel economy as that Pathfinder. Remarkable for a truck with a 5.4L V8, that weighs 1000 lbs more than a midsize SUV with a V6, to get the same mileage.

While the 5.4L is a good motor, don't forget the EB does have a 55 lbs torque advantage. This will obviously help it stay in a higher gear regardless.

 

Ford did not lose any business as a result of their transmission. For the same period chevy was using a dated 4 speed and dodge was using a mediocre 5 speed. Ford lost business because their top line motor could not keep up with Dodge's 5.7 and Chevy's 6.0. I am not saying the 5.4 is a bad motor, I am saying it should not have been a range topping one. For years the F150 was popular despite the motor, not because of it. And I can agree with you on the fact that the 4.0 that nissan uses does guzzle gas. But it is also incredibly strong for a N/A v6, particularly given the fact that it has been around for 6 years. I had an Xterra and never at any point felt that the motor was lacking, even when towing.

 

I know many that passed on the F150 because it had a 4 speed instead of a 5 speed. It also went into my decision and why I didn't consider the F150 at that point. Also the rags of the time always commented how bad the trans was and how it crippled the 5.4L.

The Nissan 4.0L was OK, but even at 291 lbs of torque rating, my Pathfinder lacked considerably to the 4.6L 3 valves 300 lbs of torque in the Sport Trac. It's all about the torque curve and the 4.0L was not that great. It did have enough power to pull but it definitely wasn't effortless. It was a night and day difference towing, going from the 2005 Pathfinder to the 2008 Sport Trac. I also had a 2000 Xterra but it had the 3.3L 170 HP, 200 lbs of torque motor, definitely anemic.

 

All the large SUVs are stale compared to the current Ram and F-150. If Ford Offered the EB and a similar max trailer towing package in the Expy, I'd probably have one instead of looking for a 3/4 ton Burb.

 

Unfortunately they killed off the Expedition as that was one nice SUV. Not much of a GM fan, I'd rather buy a Toyota or anything else. Told the wife if she married me, there would be no GM vehicles in my driveway.

 

Suburban/Yukon XL 2500 offer 2000+ pounds of actual payload even loaded up with all the bells and whistles. Most the half ton SUVs are down in the 1100-1300 pound range, although I have not checked out the current Expy. While I don't like it as much as many other products, the 2500 Burb is a market exclusive.

The 3V 5.4L is nice, as is the 6-spd trans, but I like the GM 6.0L/6-spd better and the suspension and HD components are nice for a family and TT. I like the EB even more, but is in no SUV than can tow my TT.

 

I wish I could still buy a new Excursion. I do not like the Expedition, we will buy a 2500 Suburban for a family hauler before an Expy. That being said we have a 2010 F150 and 09 Explorer.