Heavy Duty Pickups (3/4 Ton +) - Diesel vs Gas General Discussion

I've started this chat to continue the never ending battle between Diesel vs Gas pickups without having to visit other forums . Actually, it's really just a place to share driving impressions/experiences with one or the other. I'm guessing there's a decent number of us who have HD pickups, so hopefully this will be helpful.

As I mentioned elsewhere I own a 2017 6.7L F250 Diesel and previously owned a 2010 2500 Ram Diesel, and 2013 3500 DRW Ram Diesel. I use it as a daily driver, and long-haul tow at least 4 times a year on fairly flat roads.

I'll start by discussing the 2021 F250 7.3L gas (Godzilla) vs 2021 F250 6.7L Diesel. I was recently interested in seeing if the 7.3L would drive better than or equal to the 6.7L. I'd already ruled out the 6.2L because frankly acceleration is important to me in my primary vehicle. Recently, my 2017 6.7L has been feeling a little laggy and "slow". IDK, maybe I've gotten used to it, or it maybe it's wearing a bit from its work duties. So I went and test drove the new 10spd's back to back.

As a reference, my 2017 6.7L with 74k miles driving profile. From a stop, pedal to floor, 1 thousand.. "come ooonnn"..., then back pressed against the seat constant mid/high power through the band up to the speed limiter. Once it gets going it just feels like a train, but immediate responsiveness can be lacking. I've towed 15,000lb fifth wheels, and 8,000lb hitch cargo trailers effortlessly. I'd prefer to have a dually for the towing, but managed just fine without.

I started the test drive with the 7.3L, 10spd. Before driving it, I thought an answer would be clear fairly quickly, but instead I found it offered complementary differences to the 2017 6.7L. It felt lighter, and arguably easier to cruise in around town. The longer I drove it, the more I enjoyed it. Probably due to less weight up front and more sensitive pedal. Initial jump from the line good, decent low/mid acceleration, nice powerful upper end with associated sound. I would probably deliberate back and forth between this and my 6spd 6.7L if the primary purpose is daily driver.

We then jumped into a new 6.7L 10spd. I doubt this impacted much, but it did have the Roush package that had different shocks. Anyway, it was pretty clear it was the winner. Off the line it was similar to the 7.3L (quicker than my 6spd 6.7), power through the whole range. The wheels were trying to break free through the first few gears which does not happen with my truck. That 10spd, and the slight power upgrade made the power more consistent, and reduced my sensation of lag. It was a marked improvement from my current setup. It just felt smooth and powerful.

Ultimately, I still want to like the 7.3L more, but I doubt I could keep from selling myself the 6.7L. Anyway, those were my initial driving impressions.