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Ford just moved the goalposts with its new Power Stroke diesel truck. Well, not so much as moved them, but hooked them to a hitch of an F-250 Super Duty and drug them 20 yards downfield. Its new diesel engine makes an astounding 500 horsepower and an astonishing 12,000 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers are about 15% more than anything else on the market.

Do Ram and Chevy need to launch their own monster diesels to compete?

Which diesel engine makes the most power?

Front 3/4 view of 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ Dually at construction site
2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LTZ | Chevrolet

For several years Ram held the top spot with the diesel it gets from Cummins in the updated 2500 and 3500 trucks. Rams come with three versions of diesels, a standard 6.4-liter that makes 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft, while for 2023 the 6.7-liter Cummins Standard-Output Turbo Diesel makes 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque, while the mighty 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel produces 420 horsepower and a 1,075 lb-ft of torque.

The new Power Stroke is the most powerful diesel you can buy at your local dealer. Detroit’s Big Three have been fighting to make the most powerful trucks since day one. Gas engines are getting more powerful, but the real race is on to make the best diesels. And, for diesels, it’s all about the horsepower and torque numbers.

Chevy may be the first to answer Ford’s call. The horsepower and torque numbers off the 2024 Silverado HD will increase, but still not bust through that magic 1,000 lb-ft mark. The 6.6-liter Duramax turbo diesel V8 will get a boost to 470 horsepower and 975 lb-ft of torque. While those numbers don’t sound mind blowing, the new Chevy diesels will get a new 10-speed Allison automatic, and the extra cogs will be able to keep the engines in their sweet spots longer.

For 2022, the Chevy 6.6-liter Duramax turbo diesel makes the least power – for now. The Duramax makes 445 horsepower and 910 lb-ft. But, it’s paired with a 10-speed automatic that allows it to stay in the powerband more often.

But how much do these diesel trucks tow?

At some point, towing gets to be an exercise in just numbers. In most states, you need a CDL to tow more than 10,000 pounds behind any vehicle. A standard Ram 1500 truck can tow more than that. So, these trucks are designed for the folks who either really need the biggest, baddest, diesel on the block, or those that do serious work.

In F-450 trim, with the new High-Output diesel, a Ford can tow up to 40,000 pounds. Ram held the record for a while with its 6.7-liter Cummins. It can tow 37,090 pounds. Though Ram killed the diesel in its Ram 1500 trucks, the 2500 and 3500 trucks still have diesels.

The 2022 Silverado HD can tow a maximum of 18,500 pounds; however a new Silverado HD is on the way and that new truck should be able to tow 26,000 pounds, up from 24,000 pounds.

How much horsepower does a Ford Power Stroke engine have?

A gray F-250 on a road
Ford F-350 Limited | Ford

Ford now makes two versions of its Power Stroke diesel, and they both make incredible amounts of power. The regular 6.7-liter Power Stroke makes 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque, while the High Output 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 Diesel now makes the monstrous 500 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft in the upcoming Super Duty trucks. Those two engines both trump the gas-powered engines offered, which come in 6.8-liter and 7.3 versions that make 430 horsepower and 485 lb-ft or 405 horsepower and 445 lb-ft, respectively.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.