6. GM 6.6L Duramax
The General Fires a Salvo
* Engine Type: Four-cycle, V-8
* Displacement: 403 ci (6.6L)
* Bore and Stroke: 4.06x3.9 in
* Aspiration: Turbocharged
* Fuel Delivery: Common rail Injection
* Governed Speed: 3,250 rpm
* Maximum Power: 360 hp
* Maximum Torque: 650 lb-ft
* Why We Dig It: After playing a distant third fiddle in the diesel marketplace, General Motors finally got mad enough to do something about it. With the introduction of the Isuzu-built Duramax in 2001, it got on the right track. The newest offering (the LBZ) is a refined beast capable of out-running the other two players in the Big Three's diesel power war.
5. International 7.3L Power Stroke
2 Million Owners Can't Be Wrong
* Engine Type: Four-cycle, V-8
* Displacement: 444 ci (7.3L)
* Bore and Stroke: 4.11x4.18 in
* Fuel Delivery: Hydraulic Actuated
Electronically Controlled Unit Injection* Aspiration: Turbocharged
* Governed Speed: 2,600 rpm
* Maximum Power: 250 hp
* Maximum Torque: 525 lb-ft
* Why We Dig It: The Power Stroke introduced more truck owners in the U.S. market to the wonders of diesel grunt than any engine before or since. Reliable and readily available these engines helped to start a horsepower and torque race of nuclear proportions amongst the Big Three and push diesel ownership into the mainstream.
4. MTU 16V-4000
Bringing New Meaning to the Words "Pleasure Craft"
* Engine Type: Four-cycle, V-16
* Displacement: 3,967ci (6.5L)
* Bore and Stroke: 6.5x7.5 in
* Fuel Delivery: Direct injection
* Aspiration: Turbocharged
* Governed Speed: 2,100 rpm
* Maximum Power: 3,650 hp
* Maximum Torque: They're too afraid to tell us
* Why We Dig It: MTU used to be the diesel wing of Mercedes-Benz, and its mastery of the subject matter is apparent with this engine. Although it's the size of a small (or large!) automobile, these powerplants are assembled with the precision of a Swiss watch. Do you need 3,600 hp in your boat? No. Do you want 3,600 horsepower in your boat? You bet!
3. VW 5.0L V-10
A Velvet Glove Filled With Mike Tyson's Fist
* Engine Type: Four-cycle, V-10
* Displacement: 300 ci (5.0L)
* Bore and Stroke: 3.188x3.759 in
* Fuel Delivery: Direct injection
* Aspiration: Twin turbocharged
* Governed Speed: 4,000 rpm
* Maximum Power: 310 hp
* Maximum Torque: 550 lb-ft
* Why We Dig It: Europeans have been mastering the art of small displacement turbodiesels for decades. That work translated beautifully in this masterpiece of engineering. Although 300 cubes may not be considered tiny, managing 550 lb-ft out of that displacement, in an aluminum block, and having it survive is pretty cool. Shoving a 5,000-pound SUV to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds ain't too shabby either.
2. Detroit Diesel Series 60
* Engine Type: Four-cycle, six-cylinder, inline
* Displacement: 778-855 ci (12.7- to 14.0L)
* Bore and Stroke: 5.24x6.61 in
* Fuel Delivery: Unit fuel injection
* Aspiration: Turbocharged
* Governed Speed: 2,100 rpm
* Maximum Power: Up to 515 hp
* Maximum Torque: Up to 1,650 lb-ft
* Why We Dig It: The Series 60 was the first fully integrated heavy-duty diesel with electronic controls--in some ways, setting the standard in 1987 for our current boom in electronically controlled diesel power upgrades. Its only downside is that it doesn't have the awesome sound of the old Series 53, 71, and 92 two-stroke diesels.
1. Rudolph Diesel's First Working Engine
The One That Started It All
* Engine Type: Two-stroke, single cylinder
* Displacement: 1,200 ci (60.0L)
* Bore and Stroke: large x huge
* Fuel Delivery: Compressed air peanut oil injection
* Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
* Governed Speed: Slow as death
* Maximum Power: 20 hp
* Maximum Torque: Your guess is as good as ours
* Why We Dig It: Without this piece of history, we'd have nothing to write about. Diesel was way ahead of his time and took a lot of heat for his theories and ideas. He died before he ever got the chance to see his design hit the big time. Old Rudolph's diesel was even the first diesel to run on biodiesel. Plus, his wife was an American woman. So, we could practically be related.