It's the $6,895 question: When buying the '08 Super Duty, should you order the V-10 gas engine or the brand-new Power Stroke 6.4L, dual-turbo diesel V-8? We didn't even bother to consider the standard 5.4L, V-8 gasser. The V-10 is rated with 32 more horsepower at the flywheel than the 5.4L and only adds $600 to the price of a Super Duty, but the $6,895 diesel produces 193 lb-ft more torque and does it at 3,000 rpm or less. Even though we hate to admit it, there is more to life than just horsepower and torque, so we had to know for sure.
In addition to strapping gas and diesel versions of the '08 Super Duty to a load dyno, we tested their fuel economy, raced them down a dragstrip, measured acceleration while towing 8,500 pounds, and observed noise levels with a decibel meter. We also logged hundreds of miles that included elevation changes of more than 4,000 feet and driving conditions that ranged from nasty city gridlock to cruise-controlled highway rides-and we even spent a little time in the dirt.
The test vehicles were two similarly equipped '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4WD, extended cab, shortbed pickups with the automatic five-speed Torqshift transmissions. The V-10 gas truck had the FX4 off-road package, while the diesel was a Lariat edition, the only significant differences being more power seat motors, a power rear window, and dual-zone automatic climate controls in the diesel. The gasser weighed in at 7,050 pounds with a full tank of fuel, and the diesel came in at 7,710 pounds. The V-10 tester had 4.30 gears (4.10s are standard), and the diesel is only available with a 3.73 ratio, but as the acceleration runs proved, the gas truck was still at a disadvantage while launching.
The MSRP of the diesel we tested was $51,040, and the gas truck had a sticker price of $45,055. Neither one is cheap, but a Super Duty F-250 XL, 2WD, regular cab with the six-speed manual starts at just $23,305, which means the cheapest V-10 is $23,905, and the cheapest diesel can be in your driveway for about $30,200.
Take a look at the data collected and ask yourself, Would I pay $6,895 more for the diesel? We asked ourselves that question and came to the conclusion that our jobs are not in jeopardy-diesel is now, more than ever, the best choice for powering a heavy-duty pickup truck.
Dyno Test
Scott Clark and the staff at Spectre Performance hooked both of our F-250 extended cab trucks to their Mustang MD-1750 load dyno so we could get baseline horsepower and torque ratings at the rear wheels. The diesel pushed out exactly 200 more lb-ft of torque and 67 more horsepower because the gas truck would not hold Fourth gear long enough to reach the advertised rpm for peak power. The gas engine likely has more horsepower than our dyno data shows.
6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke Diesel290 hp at 2,969 rpm516 lb-ft at 2,814 rpm
We tested two '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4x4, extended cab, shortbed trucks with automatic transmissions. The green one (left) came with the new dual-turbo, 6.4L, V-8, Power Stroke diesel engine... | 
6.8L, V-10 Triton Gasoline223 hp at 4,032 rpm (rpm limited)316 lb-ft at 3,458 rpm
...and the red truck was equipped with the 6.8L, V-10, Triton SOHC gas engine. Here are the easiest ways to tell the difference between '08 Super Dutys on the streets: | 
The diesels have red, plastic honeycombs inside the fender vents by the front doors; a ribbed, aluminum rear differential cover; and dual venturi tailpipe tips. |
MPG Testing
The trucks were fueled and weighed (7,050 pounds gas and 7,710 pounds diesel-a 600-pound difference) before the fuel-economy testing began. It consisted of mostly unloaded driving on city streets and highways (oh yeah, and seven passes down the dragstrip), along with towing and hauling with the diesel truck. Why no towing or hauling mpg figures for the gas truck? Only one trailer was available and only one transmission needed to be hauled, and both drivers chose the diesel. Go figure.
6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke dieselCity traffic: 69.10 miles/3.78 gallons = 18.28 mpgTowing 8,500 pounds and highway traffic:351.90 miles/22.47 gallons = 15.66 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control:72.90 miles/3.82 gallons = 19.08 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround: 197.60 miles/10.02 gallons = 19.72 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control with Dodge transmission in bed: 174.40 miles/11.08 gallons = 15.74 mpg
V-8 Power Stroke diesel mpg averages865.90 miles/51.17 gallons = 16.92 mpg (including towing)339.60 miles/17.62 gallons = 19.27 mpg (unloaded)
6.8L, V-10 Triton gasolineCity traffic: 123.50 miles/13.80 gallons = 8.95 mpgHighway driving without cruise control:74.60 miles/7.88 gallons = 9.47mpgGridlock traffic: 33.50 miles/3.63 gallons = 9.23 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control: 73.80 miles/6.18 gallons = 11.94 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround:207.50 miles/21.00 gallons = 9.88 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control:181.70 miles/14.48 gallons = 12.55 mpg
V-10 gasoline mpg average694.60 miles total/66.97 gallons = 10.37 mpg
Calculating The Savings
One way to answer the $6,895 question is to calculate how long it will take for fuel savings to pay for the diesel option. At the time of testing, diesel was actually cheaper than gasoline-something we haven't seen in California for more than a year. In fact, it cost more than premium 91-octane gas just a few months ago. To make the math easier, we ran the numbers assuming gas and diesel both cost $3 and used the standard estimate of 12,000 miles of average yearly driving. When the calculator cooled off, we learned the diesel Super Duty will take about four years to pay for itself, and every mile after that can be considered part of the diesel bonus round.
($6,895 - $600 V-10) = $6,295 diesel option/$3 per gallon = 2,098.30 gallons12,000 miles per year/10.37 mpg = 1,157.20 gallons of gas per year12,000 miles per year/19.27 mpg = 622.70 gallons of diesel per year2,098.30 gallons/534.50 gallons saved = 3.93 years to break even
Towing Test: Steep Grade 15-65 Mph
One of the most important areas of 31/44- and 1-ton truck performance is the ability to accelerate while hauling a trailer. To simulate merging with highway traffic on a steep grade . . . well, we did just that. A 3,000-pound trailer was loaded with a jungle-gym-rollcaged Jeep Cherokee 4x4 (about 8,500 pounds total), and the trucks were timed in passes that started with a 15-mph rolling start followed by full acceleration to 65 mph. The diesel averaged 7.32 seconds faster than the gas and felt like it could perform the same feat with even more weight in tow.
6.4L, Power Stroke V-8 diesel
Engine type: V-8, iron block, iron headsDisplacement: 390.5 ci, 6,400 ccBore x stroke: 3.86 x 4.13 inchesCompression ratio: 17.2:1Fuel injection:High-pressure, common-railValvetrain:OHV, four valves per cylinderHorsepower:350 hp at 3,000 rpmTorque:650 lb-ft at 2,000 rpmOil capacity: 15 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,710 pounds
6.8l, V-10 Triton Gasoline
Engine type: V-10, iron block, aluminum headsDisplacement: 415 ci, 6,802 ccBore x stroke:3.55 x 4.16 inchesCompression ratio: 9.2:1Fuel injection:Sequential, multiport electronicValvetrain:SOHC, three valves per cylinderHorsepower: 362 hp at 4,750 rpmTorque:457 lb-ft at 3,250 rpmOil capacity: 7 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,050 pounds
Dragstrip Testing
After the trailer was unhitched, the gas and diesel trucks were raced head-to-head on the Los Angeles County Raceway dragstrip. Both trucks were placed in 4WD High with the wheel hubs locked and power-braked at the line for full-throttle launches. Standing on the brake and flooring the throttle in the diesel allowed boost to build to more than 30 psi, which made the Power Stroke pump out torque off the line and build speed faster than the gas engine-and it is a lot of fun. On the final run, we tried to squeeze a little more speed from of the gas truck by taking it out of Overdrive. Unfortunately, the Super Duty only offers Third gear below Drive, so shifting out of OD at the top of the track resulted in instant Third-gear rev-limiting and a slower top speed.