Well, we won’t delve into that arena any time soon, so how about a Diesel Power answer?
About a decade ago, it became apparent to me that diesels were becoming more powerful. I know from my own personal experiences that the first generation Power Stroke was a revolutionary engine in its day that could pull just about anything you could put behind it. But, what about lifting one?
At the time I had become swept into the emergence of the new Power Stroke and the second Cummins generation, lifted diesels were pretty rare finds. Most lifted ¾-ton and 1-tons were powered by 454’s or 460’s. But by ’99 the turn of the century ushered in a new wave of diesel technology that offered more power to trucks: The Power Stroke became intercooled, the Cummins became electronically-controlled and, while the 6.5L GM’s sat hiding in a dark corner, the rumor of a direct-injected mammoth of an engine was on the horizon (I think you’re all familiar with the Duramax). The increasing power obviously made diesel pickups more desirable when this happened, which led to more popularity, and eventually more lifted diesels. I think the ’08 Dodge up above showcases a truck that a lot (if not the majority) of our readers would not mind driving every day. All mileage, awkward size and entry/exit problems aside, who wouldn’t want to drive a truck so demanding of attention?