DuraYuk
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They make the 6.6 gas v8 which is down on power and torque. You can also get engine braking from high compression alone. I think Jake brakes are a lot more effective and the terminology gets mixed up a lot of times.The 2 reasons why diesel powertrains are preferred for towing heavy are 1. fuel economy and 2. exhaust braking capabilities for going down grades.
You don't need "torque" to tow and go uphill - you need power. However, engines that tend to be more fuel efficient in a towing application tend to have high torque because of the frictional losses at high RPM.
Automakers could theoretically develop a big block NA V8 to provide as much or more power than a diesel like the L5P Gen 2. The problem is that for applications that need that amount of power also need the exhaust braking capabilities for slowing that load down.
Turbo gas engines make good power and torque down low but still consume a fair bit of gasoline under load.