2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel: A Big, Efficient Winner For Pickup Fans

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here: a turbodiesel engine available in a light--duty pickup.  The 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the first such model outside of a commercial truck since the mid-90's, and its promise of excellent power with frugal fuel consumption seems custom-tailored for this era of rising fuel prices.

Has it been worth the wait?  Does the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel fill an important niche for Canadian truck buyers, or will it be relegated to novelty status by pickup fans who long associated diesel technology almost exclusively with full-ton towing rigs?  After having spent some time behind the wheel of the new Ram turbodiesel, my only concern is that Chrysler might not be able to build enough of these rigs to keep up with demand once word gets out.

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Smooth, Efficient Power Delivery

Unlike the large Cummins turbodiesel mills found under the hoods of Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 trucks, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel sources its power plant from VM Motori, an Italian operation in which Ram's corporate parent Fiat owns a considerable stake.  The 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 is small and light enough to fit comfortably in the Ram 1500's engine bay without requiring any suspension upgrades to the front end of the truck.  In fact, the unit actually tips the scales at roughly 20 kilograms less than the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 that has been the traditional go-to option for hardcore Ram fans (although the extra weight of the vehicle's charge cooler and urea-injection system balances things out).

Smaller displacement doesn't mean that the Ram EcoDiesel is weaker than its siblings.  Au contraire.  Although its 240 horsepower might seem modest, the turbodiesel engine's 420 lb-ft of torque is 13 lb-ft mightier than even the vaunted Hemi.  Combined with another class exclusive - an eight-speed automatic transmission - the EcoDiesel model is more than capable of keeping up with its pickup brethren out on the road.  Off of the line is the only spot where you really notice the new Ram's horsepower disadvantage, because once underway it's very easy to tip into the diesel engine's seemingly endless supply of torque and surge forward at a very respectable rate.  Towing for the Ram EcoDiesel is sufficiently impressive as well, checking in at 4,740 kilograms.

You Won't Even Know It's There

Ok, maybe that's not entirely true.  Yes, even just breathing on the accelerator causes the Ram EcoDiesel's engine to respond with a muted, symphonic clicking representative of its direct fuel injection system, and from the outside the 3.0-litre unit's clatter is subtle, but present.  Once underway, however, there's no more engine noise from the turbodiesel than there is from the Ram's eight-cylinder option.  The truck I drove also felt slightly more willing to turn and just a bit more compliant overall than the Hemi model when run over rough pavement - which is perhaps a reflection of its more even weight distribution.

Just How Efficient Is It?

I've established that the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is powerful, smooth, and quiet enough to pass the sniff test from most pickup buyers.  That's all well and good, but can the EcoDiesel put up the kind of fuel efficiency that will lure truck fans away from their gas-powered favourites?  Officially, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has yet to be rated for consumption, but it's perhaps reasonable to look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, which features the same engine and transmission setup, for answers.  That particular application is rated at 7.8 l/100 km in highway use, and 11.2 l/100 km around town.  Factor in the extra weight of the Ram 1500, and take into account Chrysler's claim that the vehicle will offer best in class fuel economy (beating out the Ram's own Pentastar V6 and its 9.5 l/100 km rating), and we are most likely looking at an 9.0 l/100 km highway spec for the EcoDiesel in pickup form.

Worth The Price Of Admission

You need to start at the SLT trim level - and order at least a four-door Quad Cab - to benefit from the EcoDiesel mill in the 2014 Ram 1500, and its MSRP checks in at a hefty a $5,500 premium over the base V6.  Making it a harder sell is the fact that the 5.7-liter V8 only costs $1,000 over the entry-level price.

There will definitely be a contingent of pickup buyers who are content to fork over a grand instead of 5.5 times that amount to get their power fix.  That being said, ever since Chrysler indicated earlier this year that the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel was on its way, response has been phenomenal.  The turbodiesel promise of excellent, usable torque without the fuel economy penalty associated with a V8 engine is a very appealing combination for many in the pickup crowd, and although Chrysler has allocated 20 percent of production to the EcoDiesel, it may soon find itself wishing it had a bigger factory - or more hours in the day - to push out as many of these special edition Rams as they can before competing diesel models from Nissan (and potentially Toyota) hit the market a year from now.