Best fuel economy of any half-ton truck in the United States. Now that sounds like a good investment, innit? Even though it doesn't have segment-best payload, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is just what hypermiling junkies need for their commute.
Marketed as the industry's first light-duty diesel motor, the 3-liter EcoDiesel V6 is rated by the manufacturer 20 mpg city and a very good 28 mpg highway. That's impressive for a full-size pickup truck. It even impressed the Consumer Reports team with the 27 mpg highway they managed to squeeze in their review with the highly frugal pickup from Ram.
CR director Jake Fisher declared that "these are about the same fuel-economy numbers that we typically see in a mid-sized SUV. The Ram is currently the only truck to offer turbo-diesel technology. It will be interesting to see what impact it will have on the half-ton truck market." Apart from the usual clatter sound a diesel engine makes at low speeds or at idle, CR praised how quiet is inside the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and its coil-spring type rear suspension that irons out road imperfections.
Priced from $36,475, the 2014 model year Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is coming with an eight-speed automatic, 240 horsepower, 420 lb-ft available from 2,000 rpm and twin-tube shocks on every corner for a subtle, comfy ride. Careful with the options list though. Too much, too many will catch you well above the $50,000 mark, and that's the kind of price a big, heavy-duty truck goes for these days.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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