Anyway, she now has one of these as her daily driver and loves it for it's
room and utility:

http://www.lincoln.com/marklt/photogallery_exterior.asp


I was going through the features with some level of interest until I got to
the 4 speed auto trans. I couldn't believe it. I'm currently vehicle
shopping and I'm disappointed when the vehicle I'm looking at has only a 5
speed auto. 6 speed autos are starting to become the norm, with more exotic
fare beyond that. I never realized the F150 platform was still saddled with
that old of transmission technology.

"RG" wrote in message
.. .

Anyway, she now has one of these as her daily driver and loves it for
it's room and utility:

http://www.lincoln.com/marklt/photogallery_exterior.asp


I was going through the features with some level of interest until I got
to the 4 speed auto trans. I couldn't believe it. I'm currently vehicle
shopping and I'm disappointed when the vehicle I'm looking at has only a 5
speed auto. 6 speed autos are starting to become the norm, with more
exotic fare beyond that. I never realized the F150 platform was still
saddled with that old of transmission technology.


I don't mean to insult anybody but I think this vehicle is primarily
targeted towards women as a market. It's loaded with fancy stuff and looks
.... well .... sorta "pretty". My wife remembers sometimes that it has four
wheel drive but I doubt she has any clue as to how many gears it has nor
does she care.

IMO, a "real" truck is a 250/2500 or a 350/3500 series by your favorite
manufacturer. As someone mentioned the Lincoln is a fancy F-150 which, by
the way, was the chassis basis for all the full sized Ford/Mercury/Lincoln
car lines over the past several years until the recently introduced Ford
500.

Eisboch

..


I don't mean to insult anybody but I think this vehicle is primarily
targeted towards women as a market. It's loaded with fancy stuff and
looks ... well .... sorta "pretty".

I suppose, but the underlying platform, the Ford F150 certainly isn't
targeted towards women. My amazement as to the transmission was more
oriented to the underlying platform than to the Lincoln itself. I had just
assumed that Ford's bread and butter vehicle was a bit more up to date in
the area of auto transmission technology, especially since the Super Dutys
have had a 5 speed since 2003. Anybody know if he F150's main competitor,
the half-ton GM Silverado, is also a 4 speed auto, or are they using a 5
speed? I'm pretty sure the Dodge half-ton is still using a 4 speed, but I'm
not certain. It may not sound like a big deal to some, but when it comes to
getting the most out of the powerband of a given engine, especially when
towing, that extra gear makes a big difference.

"RG" wrote in message
. ..
.


I don't mean to insult anybody but I think this vehicle is primarily
targeted towards women as a market. It's loaded with fancy stuff and
looks ... well .... sorta "pretty".

I suppose, but the underlying platform, the Ford F150 certainly isn't
targeted towards women. My amazement as to the transmission was more
oriented to the underlying platform than to the Lincoln itself. I had
just assumed that Ford's bread and butter vehicle was a bit more up to
date in the area of auto transmission technology, especially since the
Super Dutys have had a 5 speed since 2003. Anybody know if he F150's main
competitor, the half-ton GM Silverado, is also a 4 speed auto, or are they
using a 5 speed? I'm pretty sure the Dodge half-ton is still using a 4
speed, but I'm not certain. It may not sound like a big deal to some, but
when it comes to getting the most out of the powerband of a given engine,
especially when towing, that extra gear makes a big difference.


I do not think it is that big of a thing on a gas engine. The power band is
fairly wide. Not like the diesels. Where top rpm is about 3000.

I do not think it is that big of a thing on a gas engine. The power band
is fairly wide. Not like the diesels. Where top rpm is about 3000.

I gotta go the other way on this one. This is one of those things where
more is really more. The extra gears get you a lower low and a higher high.
Makes for a quicker, smoother, and more economical vehicle. I love the 6
speed auto in my daily driver. 1st is quite low for quick starts, and 5th
and 6th are both overdrives. Great economy, and smooth as buttah. Auto
trans technology has come a long way in the past five years. The new 07
replacement for my car comes standard with an 8 speed auto. I'm guessing
you're at a point of diminishing returns there. Mercedes has a 7 speed in a
number of its cars.

It did make a huge difference in the diesel truck going from a 4 speed in my
2000 to a 5 speed in my 2005. Night and day.

"RG" wrote in message
...


I gotta go the other way on this one. This is one of those things where
more is really more. The extra gears get you a lower low and a higher
high. Makes for a quicker, smoother, and more economical vehicle. I love
the 6 speed auto in my daily driver. 1st is quite low for quick starts,
and 5th and 6th are both overdrives. Great economy, and smooth as buttah.
Auto trans technology has come a long way in the past five years. The new
07 replacement for my car comes standard with an 8 speed auto. I'm
guessing you're at a point of diminishing returns there. Mercedes has a 7
speed in a number of its cars.

It did make a huge difference in the diesel truck going from a 4 speed in
my 2000 to a 5 speed in my 2005. Night and day.


I've read that the 5 speed TorqueShift (which is really a re-designed
version of the older 4 speed) was developed specifically to handle the
higher torque of the 6.0L Powerstroke diesel when Ford retired the 7.3L.
It's features worked out well for heavy hauling and towing, so it is also
used in the gas Super Duties.
My son's '05 F-250 with the V-10 also has the TorqueShift. It appears that
the F-150 series still uses the older transmission.

Eisboch

"RG" wrote in message
. ..
.


I suppose, but the underlying platform, the Ford F150 certainly isn't
targeted towards women. My amazement as to the transmission was more
oriented to the underlying platform than to the Lincoln itself. I had
just assumed that Ford's bread and butter vehicle was a bit more up to
date in the area of auto transmission technology, especially since the
Super Dutys have had a 5 speed since 2003. Anybody know if he F150's main
competitor, the half-ton GM Silverado, is also a 4 speed auto, or are they
using a 5 speed? I'm pretty sure the Dodge half-ton is still using a 4
speed, but I'm not certain. It may not sound like a big deal to some, but
when it comes to getting the most out of the powerband of a given engine,
especially when towing, that extra gear makes a big difference.


That's probably why the Super Duties are recommended for any serious towing
purposes. The TorqueShift transmission is great ..... very similar in
operation to the Allison that GM uses. Interestingly though, Ford rates the
Lincoln Pickup as capable of towing around 8,600 lbs, "properly equipped".

Eisboch