The Ford F-250’s 7.3L Godzilla V8 is one of the best–built, old-school HD gas engines on the market… but it’s not perfect. And for me, the one real weak point is Ford’s decision to run a variable displacement oil pump. This engine was designed to be simple, durable, and reliable — a throwback to how V8s used to be built. But the variable oil pump feels completely out of place. It’s there purely for fuel-economy gains, not longevity, and I would’ve much rather seen a fixed-displacement pump in a

Today I took the 2025 Ford F-250 with the 6.8L Mini Godzilla V8 on my full towing loop through the Appalachian Mountains — the exact same loop and exact same 14,000 lb trailer I’ve used to test every HD gas engine in the segment. I’ve towed this route with the 7.3L Godzilla, the 6.4L HEMI, and the 6.6L GM L8T, so I know exactly how each engine behaves under load. And honestly… this 6.8L Mini Godzilla did way better than I expected. It’s not quite as strong as the 7.3L, but it’s surprisingly clos