Ford has released details on the 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel V8 for its 2011 F-Series Super Duty line, and this engine is definitely not short on complexity. It's also the first Ford diesel engineered in-house since the company parted ways with Navistar, the manufacturer of all recent Powerstrokes.

The first thing you'll notice is the inboard exhaust arrangement — the exhaust manifolds are in the center (in the "vee") while the intake is on the outside. It's the same arrangment as on BMW's 4.4-liter, twin-turbo gasoline V8. But Ford touts the 6.7-liter as the first diesel "inside-out" V8 application and with GM postponing its next-gen diesel, this is true. The reversed design aids turbocharger response and helps with packaging, naturally, and says Ford, provides easier service access to major components.

The turbocharger housed in the vee of the new Powerstroke is not any old turbocharger. It's a single turbo with two compressor wheels driven by a single turbine. Though the two compressors actually operate in parallel and not sequentially, Ford calls this ball-bearing unit a "single-sequential" turbocharger — needlessly confusing says our engineering editor, diplomatist Kavanagh. The benefit of this design is a broader compressor map, resulting in quicker boost response and improved low-end torque.