Filed under: Truck, Chrysler, Diesel, Ram



Not long ago, 28 miles per gallon would have been a perfectly fantastic highway fuel economy rating on the window sticker of a midsize sedan, and here we are just a few years later, with a fullsize pickup laying claim to the very same number. According to Chrysler, the EPA has certified its 2014 Ram 1500 with 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 at that lofty number - a figure, not incidentally, that's better than anything available from the industry's midsize trucks. The drop-shouldered pickup gets a combined city/highway rating of 23 mpg, as well. All-in, the diesel six-cylinder churns up 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque dispensed exclusively through Chrysler's excellent eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic, a combination good for up to 9,200 pounds of towing capacity.

Understandably, Ram President and CEO Reid Bigland isn't missing the opportunity to thumb Ram's nose at its crosstown rivals: "To put the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in context, it gets six mpg better fuel economy than the best [Ford] F-150 EcoBoost. Overall, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has outstanding pickup truck capability with compact-car-like fuel economy."

All that power and economy doesn't come cheaply, of course. While a base Ram 1500 starts at $24,200 (plus $1,195 delivery), Ram says the EcoDiesel model is priced at $2,850 more than a comparably equipped 5.7-liter Hemi V8 model, and that's before the additional per-gallon cost of diesel fuel.

While not historically known as a hotbed of innovation, the fullsize pickup segment has been making massive advances as of late, from Ram's own coil-spring rear suspension and active aero bits to Ford's recent watershed announcement that the 2015 F-150 is going aluminum in a big way. With the Blue Oval claiming cuts of 700-plus pounds of weight out of its truck, it will be interesting to see how the Ram's diesel fuel economy figures stack up against the future truck out of Dearborn.Continue reading 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel nets car-like 28-mpg rating

2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel nets car-like 28-mpg rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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