From my understanding, the V10 is the basis for one or more of the modular V8s, of which there are different varieties (the most commonly known being that one is known as being a Romeo block, the other a Windsor. I would venture a guess that the Windsor is the one based on the V10, as it is commonly known as the truck engine (offered in 5.4L and 4.6L, which also saw use in Mustang / T-bird / Police Interceptor applications).
Starting production in '91 or '92, the Romeo was a somewhat less spirited, pedestrian engine, and shares little to nothing with the Windsor. Good engine in its own right, but the Windsor was better in every way. AFAIK, 1996 was the first year of the Windsor 4.6.
I personally drove a '96 Police Interceptor to the junkyard in 2013 with no brakes due to a rotted frame and rotted brake lines, with 357,000+ on the original 4.6 Windsor engine. Other than the faded paint, the car looked, drove, and ran great. It didn't smoke, rattle, or leak a drop of oil. It was on its third transmission, the only major repair in its life as a county police car, and wearing several colors as a taxicab. I might also add that this car took a ridiculous amount of abuse before my ownership, even after being a police car, though it was also very well-maintained.
Many a NYC taxi went 700,000 miles or more with this same V8 before being retired, many still running and driving at that time, they simply could not be kept in service due to NYC TLC age limitations. I think that speaks volumes to the toughness of the V10, as the Windsor V8s are supposed to be based on that engine. I believe I may have even seen a Police Interceptor (98-02 model) that had a V10. Had to do a double-take, because that's the only one I ever saw. Not sure if it was factory or a swap, but apparently it can be done.
In later years, however, Ford began offering 3V versions of the V8 engines, which meant fancy new camshaft sprockets with phasers to alter valve timing, and they are known to be a huge PITA when they act up. I'm not sure if the V10 had this crap also, but if you ever find yourself needing such repairs, do not waste your time and money with aftermarket. I seem to remember something about the Dorman-branded phasers in particular rattling like crazy. You can find videos on YouTube that may give you more information on that.
But all in all, I've not heard anything particularly bad about the V10 or the V8s it sired. Just my $0.02. Thirsty, maybe, but they don't run on air.
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