Ram 1500 diesel sets new fuel economy benchmark for pickups

DETROIT, MI- The 2014 Ram 1500 diesel sets a new benchmark for fuel economy, according to officials.

Chrysler today reported the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified the 2014 Ram 1500 diesel at 28 miles per gallon on the highway, the best rating ever achieved by a full-size, half-ton pickup. With the highway mileage and a 20 mpg city rating, the EPA certified the pickup with a combined rating of 23 mpg.

“To put the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in context, it gets 6 mpg better fuel economy than the best F150 EcoBoost. Overall the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has outstanding pick-up truck capability with compact car-like fuel economy,” said Ram Truck President and CEO Reid Bigland.

The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine delivers peak torque of 420 lb.-ft., which is unsurpassed among full-size trucks equipped with V6 engines.

Bigland said he expects that the vehicle will be a differentiator for Chrysler in the highly-competitive U.S. pickup truck market.

Ordering for EcoDiesel models begins Feb. 7, according to Chrysler.

Pricing for the Ram 1500 starts at $24,200, plus $1,195 destination. The exclusive V6 EcoDiesel with TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission is priced $2,850 greater than a similarly equipped Ram 1500 with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with TorqueFlite 8-speed transmission.

“We are immensely gratified by achieving these milestones,” says Bob Lee, Chrysler head of engine, powertrain and electrified propulsion systems engineering. “Not only do they confirm our position as an industry leader in powertrain development and truck design, they promise tremendous benefits for our customers.”

The 2014 Ram 1500 is built at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant (Warren, Mich.), which has assembled more than 12.5 million trucks since it started operations in 1938. Regular Cab models of the 2014 Ram 1500 are built at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Saltillo, Mexico.

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