Fans of naturally aspirated, large displacement V8 engines are in for a treat. In a world gone mad with downsized capacity and turbocharging, the Blue Oval has decided that right now is the perfect time to unleash a 7.3L V8 engine – that’s 445 cubic inches in Roman Catholic – upon the trucking world.
How does 430 horsepower grab you? What about 475 lb-ft of torque? While these numbers pale in comparison to the newly freshened 6.7L Power Stroke, they are very healthy outputs for a non-turbo engine in a company seemingly fixated on all things EcoBoost. The transmission is a ten-speed automatic, if you’re wondering.
In a great bit of news for the off-road community, the recently announced Tremor package will apparently be available with this Godzilla V8. We are itching for the chance to line it up against a Ram Power Wagon. Having another full-sized truck belting out a V8 roar to ricochet off canyon walls is a great thing, indeed. Pricing isn’t official but scuttlebutt pegs the Tremor package at about four grand and the 7.3L at about half that amount. In other words, you won’t need to splash out $75,000 to play with the good stuff.
The other huge news from Ford is a newly rethought 6.7L Power Stroke diesel. This time around, the engine will crank out 475 horsepower and – are you ready for this? – 1,050ft.-lbs of torque. That’s right, they’ve toppled the mighty Ram HD already. Marketing mavens at the Glass House are also taking great pains to point out that all Power Strokes will make four-figure torque, unlike the other guys who offer their brawny diesel in two different power flavors.
You know they also had to go and beat their competition over the head with towing supremacy, too, right? Ford says Super Duty pickup will have a best-in-class maximum gooseneck towing of up to 37,000 pounds, best-in-class maximum fifth-wheel towing of 32,500 pounds and best-in-class maximum conventional towing of 24,200 pounds with available Power Stroke. Maximum payload? That’d be 7850 lbs, achieved with a certain spec featuring the gas-powered 6.2L V8.
Elsewhere, the Super Duty earns a few handy gadgets like the company’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist, lane keeping alerts, and blind spot monitoring that covers the trailer. The trucks will be built at Ford’s plants in Kentucky and Ohio. Expect to see them on dealer lots by year-end.