While diesel engines in pickup trucks are nothing new, most models that come packing oil-burning engines fall into the “heavy duty” category, with commensurate price tags. If you’re the type who routinely pulls heavy loads, or racks up serious mileage in the name of work, such an expense might make sense. If you’re the average homeowner who pulls a modest boat or camper, such smoke-belching behemoths can be hard to justify.
Enter the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, which will come to market with the same Fiat-sourced 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel. Ram says the engine is the industry’s first small displacement diesel in a half-ton pickup, and Ram brand president Fred Diaz promises the EcoDiesel pickup will deliver best-in-class fuel economy, torque and range.
Ram isn’t publishing specific numbers on output or fuel economy just yet, but we can make a few assumptions here. To deliver best-in-class fuel economy, it will have to beat the 2013 Ram 1500 HFE, which returns 21 mpg combined, 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. As for the output, the same engine delivers 240 horsepower and 420 pound feet of torque under the hood of the Grand Cherokee, so it’s safe to guess that output will be comparable.
The 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will go on sale in the third quarter of 2013. Look for details and pricing to be announced ahead of the truck’s launch.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
