The old-school mill produces enormous torque across all rev ranges.

Ford surprised everyone when it unveiled its new gasoline V8 truck engine. Blue Oval supporters applauded Ford’s return to a simple, single-cam pushrod mill that produces a lot of lazy power. Detractors, on the other hand, were happy to complain about Ford’s technological lapse by offering an outdated design.

It has plenty of power, regardless of what your opinion is. The Fast Lane Truck took a 7.3-liter-equipped 2020 F250 Tremor to a chassis test for confirmation of its power. The truck produced 358 horsepower (267 Kilowatts) as well as 407 pound-feet (552 Newton-meters), of torque at its rear wheels. This is a significant improvement on Ford’s stock rating, which was 430 hp (321kW) and 475lb-ft (644Nm) at its crankshaft. It’s also a good deal considering the heavy-duty underpinnings and Ford’s 10-speed auto transmission.

Some may feel that those power figures seem a little too soft for an engine with 7.3 Liters of displacement. However, context is important in this situation. We draw your attention to the above dyno graph. Although there are many smaller engines that can produce more peak power and torque, truck buyers who are interested in towing or other heavy-haul activities such as towing will immediately notice a wide torque curve and large power at low revs. Ford’s new 7.3-liter engine is designed to deliver usable power at any engine speed. It seems Ford has hit the mark. Although peak horsepower sounds great for bench racing, this dyno plot suggests that this block could easily tow your neighbor’s house all the time without making a sound.

This doesn’t mean that this engine won’t one day become a supercharged powerhouse. The engine fits under the hood in a Mustang. A little forced induction might open up new levels of power.