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.
My Explorer performs even more poorly under those conditions than usual, because of the gear package it has in it (I think they're 3.55s, whereas the "performance" axle has a 4.10 gear ratio). This makes the vehicle a real slug as far as acceleration is concerned, but because I'm usually using it for longer trips I get very good fuel efficiency out of it.