Ford recently began offering a new V8 in its heavy-duty pickup, the F250 – which I'm test driving this week and will be publishing a review of shortly.

It is a huge V8 – 7.3 liters – which amounts to 445 cubic inches, a gigantosaur of internal combustion the likes of which hasn't been seen in years, chiefly because of the pressure coming from the Washington regulatory apparat to make them smaller and smaller for the sake of higher ad higher gas mileage . . . if they're even made at all.

Ford's lighter-duty pick-up, the F-150 (reviewed here) comes standard with a little 3.3 liter V6 and offers several small V6s (2.7, 3.5 liters)  as options. There's  only one little V8 (5 liters) available, if you're very persistent as many dealers don't stock them. There is also a diesel V6, but it's not especially economical – and its very expensive to buy, making the buying of it a harder sell.

Same issue with the diesel V8s in the heavy-duty stuff. They are tremendously capable – and also immensely powerful. The 6.7 liter turbodiesel V8 that's optional in the F250 produces an almost surreal 1,050 ft.-lbs. of torque, enough to pull a house off its foundation.