In Europe, it’s unheard-of to buy a vehicle intended for any kind of towing (even the light kind) or providing serious pulling power without a diesel engine.
It’s traditional advantages are offering better torque at low rpms, better fuel economy and a generally more relaxed drive, especially when hauling or pulling something of significant mass. The downsides are equally familiar, and namely the sensibly higher acquisition cost, higher price of the fuel and lower number of US fuel stations selling it.
It will be interesting to see then what the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel does one year from now. The newly launched VM Motori-powered pickup is a unique proposition in the current state of the market, and some may say a bit of a gamble for Chrysler.
However, as diesels have done elsewhere, it should make the case for itself once people actually start driving these clean and fast new diesels that are becoming available. Autoline are among the first to take the diesel-powered Ram 1500 for a spin, and their first impressions are predictably positive.
The engine itself is not new, but if it can power the more upscale Jeep Grand Cherokee, then it can certainly power the more utilitarian Ram and whatever it’s carrying, as well – it has 240-horses and 420 lb-ft / 570 Nm of torque.
The complete video detailing how it performed can be found after the virtual jump.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO