Ram brings diesel power back to light-duty pickups

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Diesel comes to Ram light duty trucks The EcoDiesel Ram 1500 is the first diesel offered in the light-duty pickup truck.

Ram has put a diesel engine back in light-duty pickup truck

It get better gas mileage than a V-8 with V-6 fuel economy

But it comes at a hefty price premium

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — It has taken years, but at last, diesel engines are back in light-duty pickups.

Chrysler Group's Ram division has a new six-cylinder diesel that will go into the 1500 pickup early next year. Nissan plans to follow with a V-8 diesel engine for its Titan pickup. And surely, Ford and General Motors are watching from the wings.

"They've all got their toes in in the water," says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a diesel advocacy group.

But diesel engines are more costly, and it's yet to be seen whether truck buyers will swallow the higher sticker price in exchange for fuel savings.

Yet, the advantages can't be ignored. Diesel engines are more fuel efficient, even after accounting for the higher cost of diesel fuel. They have better low-end torque, which means better towing power, often a critical factor in pickup purchases.

Buyers of full-size trucks look up to owners of heavy-duty pickups, or even huge commercial trucks, the majority of which are diesels. Call it a macho thing.

Automakers tried diesels in light pickups a generation ago, from Chevrolet to Isuzu. But they came in era when fuel prices were lower, and technology to get the most out of them had yet to come along.

Today, big improvements are giving diesels another chance. For instance, the 3-liter V-6 Ram diesel will be paired with an eight-speed transmission, which is aimed at taking greater advantage of the engine's lower-rev pulling power.

"The name of the game is making larger vehicles more relevant," says Ram President Reid Bigland at an event here north of Los Angeles to show off the new engine. "You make them more relevant by making them more fuel efficient."

The Ram diesel, dubbed the EcoDiesel, hasn't yet received its official mileage ratings for the pickup. But in the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, where the same diesel is being made an option, it is expected to be rated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway. By contrast, the Ram 1500 pickup, with a 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi, gets 22 mpg on the highway. There is a lot of room if the new diesel pickup comes close to the Jeep.

The pushback comes with a price. The diesel will cost $2,860 more than the same truck with the Hemi, which itself carries a $1,900 premium over the standard Pentastar V-6 engine.

The diesel "has the capability of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a V-6," says Bob Hegbloom, a Ram truck director. The truck drove as quietly as one with a gas engine, its diesel nature only truly noticeable as the truck accelerated, where the extra torque is fully on display. The engine develops 240 horsepower and 420 pounds-feet of torque.

The engine is made in Italy, where Chrysler parent Fiat is based.

Observers think Ram could potentially have hit on its hands. "It's going to be huge," says Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, who took a turn driving the new truck. "At the end of the day, it's a pricey option," but truck buyers already know the benefits and will be willing to fork over the extra cash.