2016 Ram 2500 Big Horn on 2040-cars

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Chrysler 3.0L EcoDiesel V6: Autoblog Technology of the Year finalist

Offering a diesel engine in an American pickup is anything but new - Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all offer excellent and almost impossibly powerful oil-burning engines in their various fullsize trucks. What is new and novel about the 3.0L EcoDiesel, though, is its size, and the variety of vehicles that use it. It's the smallest engine, as far as displacement is concerned, currently offered in a large truck in the US, and, for 2014 and 2015, it is available in the Ram 1500 and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Though it may be small, it's got muscle. While 240 horsepower isn't particularly impressive these days, the engine's 420 pound-feet of torque more than makes up for that. The torque rating is even greater force than even the big 5.7-liter Hemi can muster. Chrysler's well-regarded eight-speed automatic transmission makes the most of all that bull-headed pulling power in both the Ram and Grand Cherokee. Chrysler claims the Ram EcoDiesel 1500 can tow as much as 9,200 pounds when properly equipped, which makes it "90-percent of the Hemi with a night and day difference in fuel economy."
Make no mistake; it's that promise of a sizable fuel economy improvement that many long-haul truckers will be most interested in. In the Ram 1500 that we tested for our Tech of the Year competition, the diesel engine costs $2,850 more than the gas-fed V8, and Ram estimates that EcoDiesel buyers will pay off their investment when compared to the Hemi engine in less than three years, which is considerably less time than the 4.5 or so years the average buyer will keep his or her fullsize pickup. The more you drive, the more you'll save, and the math proves equally as effective in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The EPA has alleged that FCA installed undisclosed emissions software in about 100k Ram and Jeep diesel models [UPDATE]

Update: The text has been updated with official information from the EPA given in a press release and a conference call. Although an initial report from Reuters said the EPA will accuse Ram and Jeep of using emissions defeat devices today, that isn't quite the case. In a press release and a conference call, the EPA stated that the notice of violation sent to FCA is for the installation of eight undisclosed auxiliary emissions control devices on 2014 to 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 models with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. The violation applies to about 104,000 vehicles in total. The agency also explained that auxiliary emissions controls on vehicles are not necessarily illegal, but installing them without disclosing them to the EPA when having the vehicle certified is. Though this initial notice of violation is for installing undisclosed software, the EPA may soon also classify these emissions devices as defeat devices, as it did with the software Volkswagen used. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, there could be fines of up nearly $45,000 per vehicle involved in the notice of violation. The agency revealed that the software alters how the emissions system performs in certain situations. In controlled testing, the vehicles are compliant, but in conditions such as high speed operation, the EPA found the vehicles would produce much higher levels of NOx emissions. The EPA is continuing to investigate, and is waiting for FCA to explain why these emissions control devices are not cheating or defeat devices. In an official statement, FCA stated it is looking forward to explaining that the software does not constitute a defeat device, and has also proposed software updates to achieve compliance. During the conference call, EPA representatives also noted that the vehicles are still safe and legal to be driven, and that owners do not need to take any action yet regarding their cars. It should be noted there is no stop-sale on current models at this time. Additionally, 2017 versions of the 3.0-liter diesel FCA vehicles have not been emissions certified yet. Related Video: News Source: Reuters, Environmental Protection Agency Government/Legal RAM

Ram mulling superlux pickup above Laramie Longhorn

Looking at the fullsize pickup landscape, automakers are bringing more and more luxury to the mix. Ford has its King Ranch, GMC has the Denali and now Chevrolet is adding a High Country model, but it sounds like Ram might be looking to make a step up from its already posh Laramie Longhorn trim (shown above). Speaking with new Ram boss Reid Bigland, Automobile is reporting that Chrysler could be looking to reach even higher to add even more premium accoutrements to its truck line.
It's hard to imagine how much higher Ram could get with its luxury especially considering the 2013 Ram 3500 HD Laramie Longhorn used for our recent First Drive carried an as-tested price of $70,285 - even lighter-duty 1500 models start at $45k in LL trim. We wonder if this means we might finally get to see a production version of the Ram Long Hauler that we saw testing earlier in the year. Either way, high-dollar pickups add up to massive profit margins for automakers, so as long as there are customers willing to pay the price, we'll doubtlessly continue to see more premium features inside future trucks.