Because pickup trucks usually carry heavy loads other than their bodies, acceleration is important in getting these vehicles to move. That’s why torque numbers are just as important, maybe even more, as horsepower in this segment. This explains why Ford and Ram have been engaged in a perpetual battle of “can-you-top-this?” with regards to the amount of torque their models can produce. Well, it’s Ford’s turn atop the mountain after the automaker announced that for 2018, the Super Duty line’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel engine packs 450 horsepower and 935 pound-feet of torque, edging out Ram’s 6.7-liter Cummins inline-six turbodiesel engine by five pound-feet of torque.

It’s an incremental gain, but don’t tell that to these two companies. In their minds, any number that puts either of them on top counts as a significant victory. This constant game of one-upmanship between Ford and Ram has been going on for the better part of two years. Remember back in 2015 when Ram’s Cummins engine came out with 865 pound-feet of torque to wrestle the crown away from Ford’s 860-pound-feet torque output? It didn’t take long for the Blue Oval to upgrade its Power Stroke to 925 pound-feet of torque. Ram quickly answered back by boosting the Cummins’ output to 930 pound-feet for its 2017 models. It’s been a year since any response has come from Ford, but now it’s back on top, taking the crown from Ram yet again by the slimmest of margins. All it took was a redesign of a cylinder head and changes in fuel and turbo boost calibration.

Now it’s Ram’s turn to come out with a response. I don’t know how long it’s going to take the Chrysler-owned company to return fire, but you can expect that it’s coming, regardless if it’s tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. That’s life in the pickup segment for these two automakers. It’s not the flashiest of competitions, but it sure makes for good entertainment.

Now if only General Motors can catch up…

References

Ford Super Duty

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Super Duty.

Read more Ford news.