2019 Ram 1500 eTorque: We’re Testing it This Week
Ram’s redesigned 1500 pickup has been on sale since this spring, and we’re already driven it a couple of times—and liked it a lot. This time around, we’ll be heading down to Kentucky in order to try out the brand’s new eTorque engines, which we didn’t yet have the opportunity to do.
We’ll spare the complex technical details for now, but know that eTorque is a light hybrid system that will be paired up with the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 and—optionally—the 5.7-litre HEMI V8. It consists of an electric motor generator and a 48-volt battery pack that replaces an alternator, acts as the vehicle’s automatic start/stop system and pitches in a little more torque in certain driving situations.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles claims the eTorque hybrid system provides improvements in performance and fuel economy, and that’s what we’ll be validating during our test in the land of fried chicken.
The new Jeep Wrangler JL also benefits from eTorque technology with its optional turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, and we’re betting it will expand to many more FCA models in the future. In big and heavy vehicles such as SUVs and pickup trucks, even a 10% improvement in fuel economy is a significant gain.
Stay tuned for our assessment of FCA’s new eTorque-powered 2019 Ram 1500.