Ford Super Duty Ditches 6.8L Engine, Making 7.3L Gas V8 Standard

It’s safe to say by now that people love Ford‘s 7.3-liter gas V8. Since being introduced for the 2020 model year, the engine—affectionately nicknamed “Godzilla”—has powered tons of Super Duty trucks and quite a few hot rods, too. It’s always been an optional upgrade to this point, with Ford offering the 6.2-liter as the base Super Duty engine before switching to the 6.8-liter, effectively a destroked version of the 7.3-liter. Not anymore, though, as Ford has ditched the smaller gas V8 altogether for 2027.

This was first spotted on a new Super Duty order guide by Ford Truck Enthusiasts, and a spokesperson from the Blue Oval manufacturer confirmed its validity to The Drive. When reached for comment, the Ford representative replied, “To better align with the needs of our customers, we are making the Ford 7.3L V8—our most powerful and popular gas engine—the standard gas engine across our Super Duty lineup.”

It’s wild to think that the 6.8-liter is already gone after just entering the lineup in 2023. I never heard any big criticisms about the Little Brother engine. From the sounds of it, enough people—and, likely, dealers—were spec’ing their Super Dutys with the 7.3-liter to make it a no-brainer. It’s only a $1,000 upcharge, and for that, power is bumped from 405 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque to 430 hp and 485 lb-ft.

Truck buyers aren’t always content with less power, even if it’s still plenty to get the job done. Case in point: Ford is also killing the standard-output 6.7-liter Power Stroke that made 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. What was previously dubbed the high-output version is now the sole diesel option, making 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. “By making our best-in-class 6.7L high-output Power Stroke diesel engine standard for 2027, we are prioritizing our most advanced diesel technology and ensuring that Super Duty remains the leader in heavy-duty capability,” the Ford spokesperson said.

Ram made a similar move for the 2025 model year, ditching its former base engine for the more powerful Cummins.

All of this is to say, Ford is making its most capable engines standard because that’s apparently what people want. It’s also a way to make more money on base offerings, as the high-output Power Stroke was a $2,500 option over the old standard-output unit. But what else is new?

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