This whole thread has become a little silly, but one comment by HS got me thinking. Torque is what provides pulling and accelerating power and horsepower is just torque x rpm. Torque is BMEP (brake mean effective pressure) acting over the piston surface and through the crank throw. Comparing diesel and boosted gas engines, (and ignoring some secondary effects from the Diesel vs. modified Otto cycle differences) if the boost in the gas engine gives you the same pressures as the 15:1 or 20:1 compression ratio of the diesel, they will be equally good on performance. As far as longevity, if the internals of the engine are built for the pressure loading, it really doesn't matter if it comes from diesel and gas. We know what happens if a diesel isn't built for the loads (cough, cough, Oldsmobile) and the same would be true for a turbo engine that isn't designed for the power output.
Because of the cycle differences, a boosted gas engine will probably never get quite the fuel economy of a diesel, but because the high pressures are constant in the diesel, a diesel will probably never be as light or low cost as a boosted engine. However, it definitely looks like Ford has hit a good compromise and it can't be all advertising. After 6 years, if the engine was a dud, sales would be suffering. By this time, we're all aware that HS won't buy one but I doubt that anyone in Dearborn is losing sleep over that. I'm ready to get in line for the 2017 10 speed version, since my last 6 cylinder truck (that I tow with) is over 12 years old.
