Originally Posted By: earlyre
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
In a 4WD Dakota, avoid a 3.7-it's just not enough for the weight. (In a crewcab 4x4, it is truly painful.)
My Brother has a Crewcab 07 Dak 4x4, w/ the HO 4.7. plenty of power to get it moving, but fairly thirsty (for Premium)
that said, the 3.5 v6 in my Sable,( and MANY ford products, including f150s) has slightly higher peak HP, and only about 10 fewer torques in it's NA configuration.
in it's D.I. Twin Turbo configuration (EcoBoost), Fuhgeddaboudit.
not anywhere near an apples to apples comparison i know, but...
Premium? In a 4.7?? Shouldn't be required, although maybe it was for the "HO" version of the first-generation. It should be noted that the first-gen "HO" engine put out about 50 horsepower less than the standard 2nd-gen.
But you're right about the general trend in power and torque, and that's why the 4.7 is no longer built by Chrysler. The Pentastar V6 has 305 horsepower compared to the 4.7's 310. And if you need torque instead of high-revving power, well the 5.7 Hemi with MDS has the same or better fuel economy than the 4.7 did, while having a LOT more torque. The 4.7 got squeezed both from above and below until it was redundant in the engine lineup. Great engine, but with no application anymore. The 3.7 was totally out-classed by the Pentastar, as were the 3.3, 3.5L and 3.8L v6 engines. Chrysler replaced 5 engines with 1 in the Pentastar- some of the 4.7 market share, plus all of the 3.5 OHC in the Charger/Challenger, the 3.7 in Jeeps, and the 3.8 in Wranglers and minivans, and the 3.3 in minivans.