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It's official... 1500 to have available diesel!

5K views 31 replies 22 participants last post by  ramfam 
#1 · (Edited)
#3 · (Edited)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/driveon/2013/02/13/ram-diesel-chrysler-first/1917131/
Official Announcement will be tomorrow !!!!

The engine will be a 3-liter turbo V-6 from Italy's VM Motori, which has supplied diesels to Chrysler since 1992. It's the same engine that Chrysler had said it would offer in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, starting in May.

In the Jeep, the diesel is rated 240 horsepower and 420 pounds-feet of torque. By comparison, Chrysler's well-known Hemi gasoline V-8 is rated 360 hp and 390 lbs.-ft. in the Jeep.

VM Motori is 1/2 owned by FIAT, 1/2 owned by General Motors
 
#5 · (Edited)
The article can be found on USA Today Online and is quoting Fred Diaz.
Chrysler Group will announce Thursday that it will offer a diesel in the standard-duty Ram 1500 pickup in the third quarter this year, making it the first modern half-ton pickup in the U.S. market with a diesel power option.

That should attract a significant number of buyers, because while a diesel typically costs more than a gasoline engine up front, it uses less fuel, has greater pulling power, often lasts longer and has higher resale value — dollars-and-cents issues important to business users who account for many pickup sales.

Ram's internal studies show that "customers have been emphatically asking for this, thirsting for it, craving it," said Fred Diaz, CEO of Chrysler's Ram brand in a phone interview from Mexico (Diaz is also CEO of Chrysler de Mexico).

He wouldn't forecast sales, but said, "The business case (for Ram) is a positive one. This isn't just a little side note. We plan to do good business with the diesel."
 
#7 ·
Wow! This is awesome! I am glad I bought my truck when I did; I would have been torn between the hemi and the 8 speed or a diesel and the 8 speed!
 
#8 ·
#9 ·
I may have found the set up on my next truck.... fortunately for me, I'm several years away from a new truck.

Exco
 
#12 ·
#15 ·
This is consistent with the rumors I heard the last time I was at a training center. If they can pull off a 3rd or even a 4th quarter release, they will be ahead of the timetable I originally heard. I believe there will be a sufficient demand for this truck to justify building it. Think about it, construction companies, farmers, fuel economy chasers, delivery companies...all sorts of possibilities are out there.
 
#16 ·
Plus the many people out there who want the power capabilities of a turbo diesel in a smaller truck. I hope all the tuner companies, Banks, Bullydog etc. have started on their products for this engine. That is what draws me in. With a simple tuner this could easily be pushing 400+hp, then add exhaust and intake and there could be some serious gains without the weight of a 2500 or 3500... :D i can't wait!
 
#17 ·
I wonder how the weight of this engine will compare to the Hemi. With the Ram 1500 every little bit of weight makes a difference with those sad payload ratings especially on higher trim levels. I do know the Cummins diesel adds a major amount of weight to the HD trucks.
 
#18 ·
About damn time!! But like others, I'll believe it when I see it. We heard so much talk about, and plans for the Cummins went in the dumper when the economy turned downhill, so let's see what happens here. Being that VM Motori is 50% owned by GM, does that mean the Dodge has now gone to putting half-GM-owned engines in their trucks??
 
#21 ·
Joe we seem to be on the same page, I created a thread on this a couple hours before you did lol They made the announcement a little after they;ve confirmed a Diesel for Jeep as well which is expected to have 240HP and 420 FTTQ and is in line to be in the 2014 line up. Keep in mind this Diesel is NOT from Cummins, it's coming from Fiat/Chrysler through a partmership with VM Motori which they (collectively) own. VM Motori makes one of the best Diesel V6's on the market which is the 3.0L that they plan to incorporate into the Ram's. It's already available in Europe for the Jeeps.
 
#24 ·
Been lurking and hoping for a diesel in the 1500 as I thought the 2500 might be too large for my means. I was figuring a used 2500 vs a new 1500 diesel.

My goals are to have a truck that will have a long life and be able to handle firewood loads, towing water vehicle trailers and perhaps an RV down the road. I LOVED the test drive on the 2500 Cummins and would consider a used one. I also want to get higher mileage than my current SUV, a Pilot. And I have a friend who runs a diesel shop who has mentioned he can do certain modifications on the engine to get as high as 17 MPG on a 2500.

But I have an high "in" at Ram and can get a great deal on the 1500 diesel. I dont know how new this VM diesel is but I guess Im wondering how reputable is it and would it have as long a life as the Cummins? I *think* the 1500 diesel may make more sense for me as I wont tow all the time.

I'm hoping to get some opinions and suggestions here. You guys have a lot of experience and I am very new to Dodge but stroked that my new car is going to be a Ram. I appreciate your time and wisdom.
 
#25 ·
"With a simple tuner this could easily be pushing 400+hp, then add exhaust and intake and there could be some serious gains without the weight of a 2500 or 3500..."

-what sort of tuner would raise the Hp to 400? I do like the fact it'll be much lighter than a 2500 so the MPG would certainly go up.

"they've confirmed a Diesel for Jeep as well which is expected to have 240HP and 420 FTTQ ... VM Motori makes one of the best Diesel V6's on the market which is the 3.0L that they plan to incorporate into the Ram's."

-Can you tell me more about the longevity of the VM, V6 that you describe as one of the best on the market?


-Also, how would the performance in terms of MPG and towing compare in the 1500 from the Hemi to the VM V6 diesel? Better MPG and towing?
 
#26 ·
-Also, how would the performance in terms of MPG and towing compare in the 1500 from the Hemi to the VM V6 diesel? Better MPG and towing?
First off I am very excited for this to come out and if it is really as good as advertised and lives up to the hype that it is recieving, I think i may have found my next truck! :LOL:

As far as the performance. The towing would be a lot better than the hemi. and as far as MPG, typical diesels can get pretty good gas mileage, but i would expect this to get much better than the current hemi is getting currently, especially with just a few mods
 
#31 ·
I just heard that this is all squashed. I have a buddy who is very close friends with a master tech at Ram who gets all the announcements and crap. Apparently it was going to happen but it's scrapped now. This is all just hearsay so take it with a grain of salt, but it wouldn't surprise me if Cummins was just like "uh yeah....no...no italian diesel...."
 
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