The 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is the Most Efficient Full Size Truck Ever

The Chrysler Group has announced the official EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2014 Ram EcoDiesel pickup and with a highway number of 28 miles per gallon – this new diesel Ram 1500 is the most efficient half ton pickup ever.

The 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in rear wheel drive form has been rated by the Environmental Protection Agency as achieving 20 miles per gallon in the city, 28 miles per gallon on the highway and a combined figure of 23 miles per gallon. Those numbers comfortably make the 2014 Ram EcoDiesel the most fuel efficient full size truck ever sold in America and more impressively – this powerful half ton diesel Ram is also more efficient than both of the most popular midsized trucks including the Toyota Tacoma and the Nissan Frontier.

In other words, whether you are shopping for big trucks or small trucks, the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel offers THE best fuel economy among trucks sold in the USA.

“The new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is truly in a class of its own with 28 MPG and the ability to tow 9200 pounds,” says Reid Bigland, President and CEO Ram Truck Brand. “To put the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel in context, it gets 6 mpg better fuel economy than the best F150 Eco-Boost. Overall, the Ram 1500 Eco-Diesel has outstanding pick-up truck capability with compact-car-like fuel economy.”

When you step up to four wheel drive with the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, fuel economy drops but not by much. The 4WD EcoDiesel Ram offers 19 miles per gallon around town, 27 miles per gallon on the highway and 22miles per gallon combined. So not only does this truck have four wheel drive with 240 horsepower and 420lb-ft of torque, but it is also vastly more efficient than any competitive truck…and some that aren’t competitive in terms of size and capabilities.

Now there are some critics who don’t believe that the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will be as popular as Chrysler is hoping due to the higher price of diesel fuel coupled with the lower acceptance rate of diesel technology in the United States. The average American consumer has warmed up a bit to the idea of clean diesel technology but there is no denying the difference in fuel prices but the in the long run – it costs less to feed the EcoDiesel than it does the next most efficient (non-Ram) truck.

Say that we compare the 2014 Ford F150 EcoBoost and the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoBoost over the course of 500 miles of highway driving. The Ford 3.5L EcoBoost V6 offers 22 miles per gallon (rear wheel drive) so driving 500 miles would take roughly 22.7 gallons of gas. Based on the price of the least expensive gasoline at my local gas station ($3.20/gal), buying 23 gallons of gas would cost you $73.60. Driving the Ram over that same 500 miles would only require only 17.8 gallons of diesel and buying 18 gallons of diesel fuel at my local prices (3.50) would cost you $63.00.

While saving $10 doesn’t seem like all that much, that is only over the course of 500 miles so imagine the savings over the course of 100,000 miles and even with the lesser fuel economy around town – Ram EcoDiesel owners will be able to save a significant amount of money compared to the Ford EcoBoost. Not only does the EcoDiesel beat the EcoBoost...but it beats it very badly.

By the way, I should point out that the second most fuel efficient half ton truck in America is the 2014 Ram 1500 with the Pentastar V6 – a truck which can hit 25mpg on the highway but that base V6 doesn’t offer the same amount of power or capability as the EcoDiesel. Now that Ram has the two most efficient trucks in America, we can expect Ford to counter with the next generation F150 that debuted 700 pounds lighter than the current models at the Detroit Auto Show.