2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel gets 9,200-pound tow rating

Fri, 26 Jul 2013

The current-generation Ram 1500 is entering its fifth year on the market, but Ram's half-ton truck is not showing its age whatsoever. While we continue to wait for the fuel economy figures for the all-new EcoDiesel V6, Ram has released towing figures for trucks equipped with this new engine, as well as models fitted with the upgraded gasoline-powered V6.

The EcoDiesel – a $2,850 option – will help the Ram compete with V8-powered trucks with its max towing capacity of 9,200 pounds, which is just 50 pounds shy of the 2013 Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter V8. The true benefit here is that the diesel should return impressive fuel economy in the process, and even though official estimates have yet to be released, Chrysler has promised that it will achieve more than 25 miles per gallon on the highway.

But even with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, upgrades to the eight-speed automatic transmission have resulted in an increase in towing capacity, now up to 7,450 pounds. This number is expected to be best in class for base-engine trucks.

Ram Announces New EcoDiesel Max Towing Number

2014 Ram 1500 Achieves New Best-in-class Tow Rating for V-6 Gasoline Pickups

- 2014 Ram 1500 with 305 horsepower Pentastar V-6 tows 7,450 lbs., topping all base V-6 engines in the segment

- More robust parking system components inside the exclusive 8-speed transmission allow for greater tow rating

- 3.0-liter EcoDiesel towing capacity rated at 9,200 lbs. - approaching large V-8 capability

- No direct competitor for new Ram 1500 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel with best-in-class fuel economy that will exceed the current title holder, Ram's 3.6-liter V-6 gas engine at 25 MPG

The capability race is far from over. The 2014 Ram 1500 takes top spot in V-6 towing capacity at 7,450 lbs. To reach the best-in-class number, Ram powertrain engineers added a more robust parking gear to the exclusive 8-speed TorqueFlite 8 for a higher capacity rating.

"There was more towing capacity in the V-6 Ram 1500 but we needed to upgrade the transmission to hold the truck and trailer when parked on steep grades," said Mike Cairns - Chief Engineer, Ram Truck. "Now that we're building the transmissions ourselves, the improvements are included in the new assembly. "

Ram also finalized the maximum towing number for the exclusive Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. In a 2WD, two-door, long bed configuration, the new EcoDiesel will tow up to 9,200 lbs. The new diesel engine approaches much larger displacement V-8 towing capability with a small but powerful 3.0-liter V-6 and best-in-class fuel efficiency of better than 25 MPG on the highway.

By Jeffrey N. Ross