okif150

After owning both engines now I thought I would express my experience with both.

My first Ford truck was a FX4 2011 Screw with 5.0, 3.73 gears, 5.5 bed. I purchased last year and drove it for 8 months. It was a great truck. I managed to get the mpg that the window sticker advertised. I sold it after being laid off for two months. As luck would have it I went back to work 2 weeks after I sold it.

My second truck and current truck is a 2011 XLT Super cab, 3.7, 3.73 gears and 6.5 bed. Someone also installed a Undersover SE bed cover, Curt trailer hitch, nice side steps, and tinted all the windows to match the privacy glass with a windshield brow also. It also is a great truck. I can average 20 mpg all day. I have not bought a brand new truck in a long time and reserve myself to late model, low mileage vehicles. Both had just over 3000 miles when I purchased them. I paid 31.9k for the FX4 and 20k for the latest one.

Both are good trucks. The 5.0 motor is excellent, but so is the 3.7. The 5.0 sounds great and the 3.7 is very quiet till you floor it to say pass a vehicle, then it really sounds off. Actually it really sounds cool. In Oklahoma everyplace seems to be 100 miles away so I never really get to make short trips. The FX4 rides good but in comparision to the XLT, the XLT rides better and it much more fun to drive. I realize the FX4 was 4x4 and probably is the main reason for this ride and handling, but for an everyday driver the XLT with the 3.7 is definately more fun to drive. I have never driven a 3.5 EB so I can't speak of that engine.

When traveling down the same roads the 3.7 shifts more than the 5.0. I run my tires at 40 psi and full synthetic oil and get decent mileage. if someone wanted a truck and wanted good MPG, the 3.7 is hands down the better of the two. As stated earlier I can get 20 mpg all day long in my current truck. However when idleing, they both drop average mpg if looking at the dash mpg meter and at the same rate.

The steering, is excellent on both, but the 3.7 just has a better feel to me. Maybe its the weight difference and 4x4, but I prefer the steering in the current truck. It has better feedback to the steering wheel than the FX4. Again I still like the FX4, just passing on my experience. Braking again goes to the XLT over the FX4, again both are good, just the feedback and response on the XLT is better. FX4 has 18 inch wheels over the 17 inch wheels of the XLT.

Everything else is the same pretty much. The 3.7 performs equally as well as the 5.0 for in town and highway driving. I am sure under a trailer load or hauling something heavy there would maybe be a difference (I never real haul anything), but the 3.7 really stands out much more than I ever thought. I just assumed it would act as at small v6 and I just passed. I am not disapointed in my current selection and wish I had given it a chance earlier. It certainly will fit all my needs. Just want to mention there is also more room under the hood when you need to tinker, but I still hate the oil dipstick. It still is a bear to check.

Buz

Thank you for sharing your personal experience with both engines. As a 3.7 XLT scab owner also, I love the quietness of the engine and the cushioned ride. Also i love the 17" wheels. There is more rubber and less wheel for extra flex. The 20" wheels don't leave much rubber between you and the street.
Not much 3.7 support around here though since most of the members in this part of the forum are either 5.0 or 3.5 owners.

roconnor2012

I agree with the comparison between the two. My dad has the 2011 FX4 Eco and I like my 2012 XLT 3.7L a lot better. The 3.7 has better response and I feel like it almost has the same amount of power, that may be because mine is not 4X4 but I'm not sure. I love the sound of my engine better than the Eco, more throaty noise and a nice growl when you really step on it. That twin independent variable cam timing really is amazing!

BobLobLaw

I too love my 3.7. I use it to haul heeavy loads and I've exceeded payload before. Aside from riding nose high, this engine can handle heavy loads with ease. It does have to rev to about 4000 rpm when shifting but that's expected with a V6.

As for noise, a roush intake brought this engine to life. Its much louder now. A nice deep tone that resonates through the cabin. Added some low end torque as well

montanaman

For everyday living the 3.7 could well be the best all-around engine.

And 305hp is nothing to sneeze at - all of us old-times remember pulling loads with 160hp 351M & 400M motors, and somehow we managed to get our work done

BobLobLaw

Only 4 years ago the most powerful engine in the f150 was 300 hp. With a tune and intake the 3.7 can easily see over 310 torque

dirkdaddy

Thanks for all of the great perspective and reports, guys. I am the proud owner of a new F-150 XL reg cab/long bed with the 3.7 engine and 3.73 gears. This is going to be my farm work truck that will be mostly hauling moderate loads and towing some things as needed. One of the salesman I was working with tried to sell me a 5.0 when the original truck I wanted fell through, I said no thanks due in part to the reports I have read on here, and I couldn't be happier now that I have the 3.7 engine in my possession. It's going to work out great and is a peppy little engine, you just can't be afraid to rev it! I am considering an air intake as a possible add on, it sounds like it will really make the engine purr.

Jaredface

I've said it once and will say it again. The 3.7 may end up being fords best all around motor ever made....Power, economy and reliabilty

BobLobLaw

I'd have to disagree. I would say the best all around engine is the ecoboost. Similar mpg to the 3.7 but a lot more power. The payload on my supercab 4x4 3.73 is only 1280 lbs....

EBinMT

+1