[Alberta's Child]

Because of the way I drive, I'm not overly concerned about an "under-powered" truck. I generally don't haul heavy loads (I usually carry the kind of equipment that maxes out the volume without getting anywhere close to the maximum payload weight), don't tow a trailer, and don't do serious off-roading at all.

My Explorer is definitely under-powered with the 4.0-liter V-6 (it's most apparent when accelerating on highway entrance ramps), but as long as this doesn't result in excessive wear and tear it's really not a big problem.

[Little Pig]

That is the kind of thing I was referring to. The triton engines, at least the smaller one, will feel the same on on-ramps as that v-6 did in your Explorer. That ability to accelerate is a function of the torque the motor produces.

The best way to explain it is that torque helps you get up to speed and determines how fast you can get to that speed, and horsepower helps you maintain that speed and determines what the maximum speed is.