Smaller engines but powerful output, for this particular review, we have the middle child, the naturally aspirated 2016 Ford F-150 5.0 V8 4X4 straight out of the Mustang. The Ford F-150, Ford’s workhorse slash luxury pickup truck used to be offered in the traditional big truck, big engine combination having a big V8 with tons of pulling power and the right sounds. But with today’s rising gas prices, it’s getting more costly to own a big truck with a big engine. So the question is; is there a replacement for displacement? With today’s technology the answer is a resounding yes, to purists it may feel unnatural but what can you do, in order to be competitive you need to come up with a stand out vehicle that will outperform the others.
The 2016 Ford F-150 5.0 V8 4X4 Packs a Punch
On the outside, the 2016 Ford F-150 5.0 V8 4X4 definitely evolved through the generations, always present is the muscular and boxy lines that screams I’m American and I am a Ford truck! The Supercrew features a back seat and rear passenger doors. Like all full sized trucks, the F-150 is a huge vehicle meant to be both luxury and utility and Ford pulls off the looks excellently.
Interior wise, gone are the days where utility trucks had bland interiors covered in either hard plastic or the cab’s sheet metal itself. Today, the 2016 F-150 5.0 V8 4X4 has all the luxury features of SUV’s such as heated and cooled seats with power adjust and supple leather. It even has blind spot monitoring and a utility spotlight built into the side mirrors. Interior looks continue the muscular and boxy theme of exterior and feels very premium.
The 5.0 Cayote V8 from the Mustang is tuned for low end power to keep things smooth from the get go and gets the job done quite well, however, it’s surprising that the smaller displacement 3.5 V6 twin turbo outperforms the smooth V8 requiring less throttle opening when put under load. The 5.0 is put under more stress than the smaller 3.5 and the 3.5 performs quicker than the 5.0 in acceleration. Compared to the 2.7, the 3.5 and the 2016 Ford F-150 5.0 V8 4X4 actually deliver the same fuel economy which only leaves the natural sounding 5.0 to be the only selling point of the V8 compared to the muffled turbo exhausts of the 2.7 and 3.5.