Chrysler Group's Ram pickup outscores Ford and Chevrolet's full-size trucks when it is equipped with a new diesel engine, Consumer Reports magazine says.
The Ram 1500 with the V-6 EcoDiesel engine not only saved substantially more fuel than similar models with gas engines, but did better in road tests than the others, as well. It scored 82 in road tests, a point better than a Ram with a gas engine that was tested previously.
The EcoDiesel averaged 20 miles per gallon in overall testing and 27 mpg on the highway, well above the Ram with the V-8 gas engine or Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT.
"These are about the same fuel-economy numbers that we typically see in a midsized SUV," says Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, in a statement. "Ram is currently the only truck to offer turbo-diesel technology. It will be interesting to see what impact it will have on the half-ton truck market."
But the EcoDiesel is also is priced higher, a factor that Consumer Reports says it doesn't take into effect in rendering scores.
Consumer Reports' testing is considered critical to automakers because of the magazine's notorious independence. It buys its vehicles, for instance, at dealerships rather than depending on loaners from automakers for its testing.
Ram 1500 EcoDiesel wasn't perfect. While the interior was "whisper quiet" on the highway, there was a "telltale diesel chatter" when the truck was idling. It's yet to be seen, as well, how the 2015 Ford F-150 will stack up against it. That pickup, due later this year, is considered revolutionary because its body will be made extensively from aluminum instead of steel, saving up to 700 pounds a vehicle.
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