I haven't seen this posted elsewhere. As long as the price is right, this could be interesting for the 1/2 ton market.
Who is this "Dodge" company? New players in the truck market? I'd heard that Ram Trucks was going to be doing something like this, but Dodge beat them to it? I'll have to look into it. MV
"The 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 based on the one offered in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and is connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine is rated at 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque in the Grand Cherokee, which has a tow rating of 7,400 pounds. The Cherokee has an estimated highway fuel economy rating of 30 mpg," Cool!
it was also on autoblog. Should be cool with 4wd! I would love it even more with a stick, but looks like that isn't likely. http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/14/ram-1500-to-get-v6-turbodiesel-engine-later-this-year/
I agree. The 6-speed manual would make this a really attractive small truck. It will probably be offered the second or third year of the model.
I'm going to guess the whole point of an 8 speed automatic is to keep the RPM's right at 1900 or so, making the efficiency and torque all it can be. Tough to do with a stick - you'd be rowing that thing like a canoe! About damn time some US automakers started offering smaller diesels in a pickup. Not everybody needs 800+ ft.lbs of torque - and the 15 mpg that goes with it.
Seems they may be going after the Furd EcoBoost arena. Makes me wonder who builds the engine for them. Certainly not Japanese because most of their 3.0 are inline 6 not v6. hmm....
Duh..... Our "cutting edge" country is finally going to start getting light diesels...HOraaY! These smaller diesels have been the NORM all over Europe for decades. We have been denined for years for no apparent reason. If you rent a car anywhere in the E.U. (that means European Union for those who only know about what happens in the world via NBC,CBS,ABC,and Fox), it will most likely be a diesel that gets @ least 35mpg. Thanks Dodge/ RAM for opening the curtain to us (U.S.)
In what parallel universe is this a "small truck"? I picked up a Honda Ridgeline at year end 2011 as a tax purchase because it was the only truck with a 6000 lb. GVWR that would fit in my garage. A Ram half-ton wouldn't come close. I'm glad they're building it, though, diesels make all sorts of sense in pickups.
The Cummins inline-six has to be a cheaper engine to build than the V, and it wouldn't be hard to just have a standard output version which could hit those lower hp/torque numbers. My guess is that the release of this VM Motori engine will coincide with the Cummins going WAY up market price-wise.
it will be interesting to see what the real world mileage on this is. I'm always skeptical of some of the mileage claims that are put out for some of the diesels
Did you read about the new Dodge 3500. They've beefed up the transmission, frame, suspension and boosted the Cummins to 850 ft.lbs. The Dodge's trailing rating is 30,000lbs which is 6900lbs more than its nearest competitor. That's not the combined weight mind you, that's just the trailer weight. I wonder when they're going to start building these "1 ton" pickups with air brakes. Back on topic. I didn't see tow ratings for the 1500. I'm guessing it's no different than the gas version, but would be nice to know. Sounds like it'll be a sweet truck.
Isn't that the company that put the little 4 cylinder diesel in the Jeep Patriot? I looked long and hard at those - but there were so many problem reports on the web that I kinda got scared away. I wonder how the V6 version is doing in the GC.
In the universe where men use thier pickups for working. The universe where a 3/4-ton is the entry level truck that can do the job of pulling trailers full of horses or cows or tractors or round bales or construction tools. In this universe:
I case you all are curious about the motor. Here is some of the goodies. http://www.allpar.com/mopar/V6/VM-RA-diesel.html
