2011 Ford F-150 6.2 V8 – Short Take Road Test

2011 Ford F-150 6.2 V8 – Short Take Road Test «

2011 Ford F-150 6.2 V8 – Short Take Road Test

Ford’s F-series has been the pickup-sales king since the late ’70s, but in recent years, the F-150 has felt like it was powered by a circa-1978 powertrain. Until 2011, its top engine was a 5.4-liter V-8 making a wimpy 310 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. (Those totals climbed to 320 and 390, respectively, on E85.) Speed isn’t super-important for pickups, but horsepower and torque are when it comes to towing and hauling. The 2010 F-150 was rated to tow nearly six tons, but the engine felt like it could barely handle the truck’s own 2.5 or so.

That complaint is gone for 2011, dead along with the 5.4. Ford has comprehensively overhauled its truck-engine lineup for this year, with every one of the new engines being paired with a six-speed automatic. The F-150’s maximum towing capacity is unchanged, but the ability of the engine to handle a load without the driver feeling like he needs the aid of a mule team is greatly improved.

The top gas engine now is a single-overhead-cam 6.2-liter V-8 with variable valve timing that makes 411 hp at 5500 rpm and 434 lb-ft at 4500. It is standard in the F-series Super Duty and special-edition F-150s like the Raptor and the Harley-Davidson truck tested here (more on the H-D package eventually). The Platinum is the only regular F-150 to have the 6.2 on its options list; it costs about $2000 but requires the $565 Towing package be spec’d as well. (The most powerful engine available in other F-150s is a 365-hp EcoBoost V-6 that makes 420 lb-ft; those wed to eight-cylinder engines can have a 360-hp 5.0-liter making 380 lb-ft of torque.) Regardless of its host, the “Boss”—as the 6.2 was known in development—is a tremendous engine.

Leading the Pack

Those power and torque specs might look a little peaky compared with headlining numbers in the diesel arms race of the past year, but they are similar to the 6.2’s competitors. As installed in the Silverado and Sierra, GM’s 6.2-liter V-8 gathers its 403 horses at 5700 rpm and sees maximum torque (417 lb-ft) at 4300. Similarly, the 390-hp peak for Dodge’s 5.7-liter Hemi occurs at 5600 rpm, and the 5.7-liter makes max twist of 407 lb-ft at 4000. The F-150’s 6.2 tops the old 5.4’s peak 365 lb-ft from less than 2000 rpm almost all the way to redline. Its power delivery is a little lumpy when the engine is cold but smoothes out once things are warmed up. Unfortunately, shifts from the six-speed auto are slow and jerky at wide-open throttle no matter its temperature. This is, however, a complaint that disappears when the truck is used in a manner not better suited to a drag strip.

The engine is not just smooth but is also seriously powerful. The four-door, four-wheel-drive, short-box truck here, 6245 pounds as tested, sprinted to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. That betters the last 5.4-powered F-150 we tested by more than a second and a half. It was a similar story through the quarter-mile, which took 15.1 seconds (more than a full second quicker than the 5.4) and passed at 92 mph (5 mph faster). Not quantifiable but more enjoyable is the angry roar from the tailpipes, a function of the Harley-Davidson’s specially tuned exhaust system. Likewise, the 2011 F-150 sees tremendous improvement in the opposite longitudinal measure, braking. This truck needed only 176 feet to stop from 70 mph, although it needed a few tries to get heat into the brakes and tires before performing its best. Note to those who will need to perform a panic stop: It will behoove you to practice panicking a couple of times immediately before you do so for real.

Howzat a Harley?

As mentioned, the truck we tested wore Harley-Davidson regalia. Ford claims the 6.2-liter makes this the most powerful Harley-Davidson truck it has ever offered, apparently ignoring the more powerful Harley-Davidson truck it sold a few years ago. Available in two colors—black and silver—the Harley F-150 is distinguished from the outside by the orange scallop stickers on its flanks, as well as a six-bar grille and black headlight surrounds (harder to see on our black truck). The 22-inch wheels impart some serious clop over big bumps, and chunky “Harley-Davidson” lettering along the bedsides ensures that, even as the cab slips beneath the waves at the end of the pier, people know they are witnessing the demise of something more than just another Ford pickup.