[hankpage]

I owned a '94 12v 5.9l for 10 years and was very pleased with it's 160 hp and 400 ftlbs. It gave me 25-26 mpg hwy and 11 to 13 towing. When I replaced it in '04.5 with a 24v 5.9l 325hp 600ftlb I was not surprised that my hwy mpg dropped to 22-24 mpg. but amazed at the 14-16.8 towing the same trailer. The theory that "You have to feed the ponies" seems to go out the window when it comes to towing with a diesel. My opinion is that the lighter smaller V8 will not develop the torque low enough in the power range to be used in the heavier 3/4 ton market. When it comes to torque you can not compare an inline 6 to a V8 of the same size even in gas engines. (ask any short track stock car racer)
I don't want to start a "Mine's bigger than your's" argument ... this is my opinion based on my experience none of which with light duty engines ... all with medium and heavy duty diesels. I just don't feel that smaller lighter engines will hold up to the demands that folks put on their 3/4 and 1 tons. I too would love to see 30mpg+ in a 3/4 ton but in the real world I don't see it having tow ratings even close to todays 3/4s.