Ram's New EcoDiesel Engine Undercuts The Price of The Competition While Claiming The Top-Spot In The Towing Department

Don’t you fret, diesel engine fans. Even if EVs are taking the industry by storm, oil burners are here to stay; at least when it comes to pickup trucks. Companies in this segment generally tend to have many diesel engine options and from the looks of it, there’s no stopping yet. On that note, Ram has launched its third-gen EcoDiesel engine in the 2020 Ram 1500 pickup trucks. This engine will be available across the stable in all configurations, but does it get any better than the second-generation EcoDiesel?

This Engine Is a Lot More Powerful and Fuel-Efficient

This is a noticeable increase over the second-gen EcoDiesel engine that produced 240 ponies and 420 pound-feet of torque. It will also be mated to the existing eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission. This new engine comes with a water-cooled turbocharger with variable geometry that helps it respond better to your throttle inputs. When compared to its primary rivals, the new EcoDiesel engine makes the highest torque. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Duramax develops 277 horses and 460 pound-feet of torque, whereas the Ford F-150 Power Stroke diesel churns out 250 ponies and 440 pound-feet of twist.

Truck owners these days have gotten a lot more sensitive towards better fuel efficiency and prefer greener engines. Not to mention the fact that stricter emission norms these days have left automakers with no choice but to develop mills that cause less harm to the environment. To take care of this, Ram has introduced a dual high-pressure and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system, redesigned the pistons, optimized the combustion chamber geometry, and added a brake system vacuum pump with low friction blades. The automaker has not officially revealed the fuel economy figures, but seeing these tweaks and additions, we expect it to be significantly higher than the current-gen mill.

Ding Ding Ding, We Have A New Winner

The new engine also boasts a higher towing capacity than the outgoing model. This rating has helped Ram surpass the towing capacity of its rivals – the Chevrolet Silverado Duramax, rated at 9,300 pounds, and the Ford F-150 Power Stroke Diesel which is rated at 11,400 pounds. This will play a major role in the potential customer’s decision-making process. Ram is already making big strides in the segment. In the first half of 2010, Ram's truck sales went up by 28 percent, thus pipping the Chevy Silverado to claim the second position.

It Also Happens To Be The Cheapest Of The Three Americans

Ram’s head, Reid Bigland, said that "the new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is America's most powerful half-ton diesel pickup, following up on Ram's Heavy Duty torque leadership and achieving what no other manufacturer has, with up to 480 lb-ft of torque in a 3.0L engine." The least expensive offering with this engine will be the entry-level 2020 Ram 1500 Tradesman Quad Cab 2WD that is priced at $38,585 (including destination fees). This mill will be available as an option for $4,995. To put things into perspective, the new EcoDiesel mill commands a premium of $3,000 over the 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi engine with eTorque mild-hybrid technology. However, it is still cheaper than the Chevy Silverado 1500 Duramax and the Ford F-150 XLT Power Stroke which start at $45,200 and $46,255, respectively.

The Off-Road Friendly Ram Rebel Will Also Be Available With This Mill

To make things even more interesting, this engine will be available under the hood of the Ram Rebel as well. The Ram Rebel is the sporty offering from the automaker’s stable and has received positive feedback from the enthusiasts. The current Ram 1500 Rebel is available with two engine options – a 3.6-liter, V-6 Pentastar mill that produces 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, or a 5.7-liter, V-8 Hemi engine that makes 395 horses and 410 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

The truck also features a stability control system that comprises a softer rear stabilizer bar and an off-road mode which raises the Rebel’s approach and departure angle by one inch at the press of a button. Now that Ram will be plonking this engine in the Rebel, the ride will feel a lot better and smoother.

Ram EcoDiesel Is Ford’s Party Crasher

Speaking of the other developments in the engine department, Ford recently introduced a new engine in its lineup. Ford has revealed all the details and also stated that the engine will be available optionally on the Super F-250 and F-350 trucks. The engine is a 7.3-liter, V-8 mill that makes 430 horses and 475 pound-feet of torque. This engine has been serving Ford for a long time and the company plans to put it to rest. The Blue Oval is also scaling down the production of this engine and might eventually phase it out by the time the 2021 F-150 is released. This gives the new engine approximately one year to settle down, and a year to Ford to sort out all the initial niggles before it goes mainstream.

It’s Not Always Apples and Oranges

Now, this is not a fair comparison since both of them consume different drinks, but how would it look if we were to pit Ford’s new V-8 gasoline engine against the Ram’s V-8 options? Ford’s 7.3-liter “well-balanced” engine can be pitted against either of them and still come out as a winner, on paper at least. The extra gears create a shorter gear ratio, thus allowing to play a lot more freely with the horses and torque available at your disposal. If you believe in the ‘no replacement for displacement’ philosophy, then Ford mill holds the advantage here as well.

Final Thoughts

Ford has already released a video of its fully-electric pickup truck with a monstrous towing capacity of one million pounds. Chevy has also announced that the company has plans to electrify the range and will come up with fully electric pickup trucks in the future. Ram, on the other hand, has not announced any such plans yet. All it has is a hybrid technology with a small electric motor for added torque. With the way electrification is taking over, Ram would better get to work before it's too late. In the meanwhile, the news of this third-gen EcoDiesel will probably help Ram decrease the gap between its trucks and Ford’s F-Series. Ram has not announced the fuel economy figures yet, but it will be out by the time the 2020 Ram 1500 goes on sale in the far-end of 2019. Do you think the third-gen EcoDiesel engine will be a hit? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.