2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Smokes the Field with 480 lb.-ft. of Torque
If you need to pull, the new 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will get the job done–and then some.
Torque is a wonderful thing, and the Dodge Ram brings more of it than any other half-ton truck in America, at least for now. Ram just unveiled the company’s new third-generation 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel pumping out 240 horsepower (up 20 horsepower) and 480 lb. ft of torque (up 60 lb-ft) in the 2020 Ram 1500. It is also the first time that the Ram Rebel is getting the EcoDiesel motor.
In the light-duty truck wars, the Ram beats the top-selling Ford F-150 Power Stroke, which produces 250 hp and 440 lb.-ft of torque. Ram now owns the highest available half-ton towing capacity. The Ram also beats Ford F-150 in towing capacity. Rams tow rating tops out at 12,560 lbs. where the Ford F-150 only offers 10,100 lb. towing capacity.
New Upgrades
Ram engineers made multiple improvements to the “Wards 10 Best Engines” award-winning 3.0-liter diesel that’s built at their Ferrara plant in Italy. The third-generation 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel will be built at the plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It gets new upgrades that improve fuel efficiency and gives it the extra bump in horsepower and torque over the outgoing powerplant. Although Ram has not released fuel economy numbers, they say it has been improved, so expect it top 30 mpg to keep pace with Ford’s 3.0-liter PowerStroke turbo diesel V-6.
New upgrades include a new-generation water-cooled turbocharger with variable geometry turbine, redesigned cylinder head intake ports, redesigned exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, 16.0:1 compression ratio, down from 16.5:1; revised fuel injectors to for synergies with the new combustion chamber, new lightweight aluminum pistons with thinner rings and friction-reducing pins. FCA says Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) has been reduced by an offsetting piston pin and by using a new lightweight low-friction vacuum pump.
Other notable features on the 2020 Ram 1500 will include a class-exclusive air suspension system that enhances fuel economy, improves ride control and off-road capability, along with entry/exit and loading, and features automatic load leveling.
It’s a little confusing, as Ram will also offer the previous-generation 3.0-liter diesel in the Ram Classic as an option. Maybe Ram has some left-over diesel engines they need to move out.
The new-generation EcoDiesel will be available in all models and configurations, and Ram says the new 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel engine will be offered for the first time in the off-road-equipped 2020 Ram Rebel. The new 1500 EcoDiesel will arrive at Ram dealers this fall. Pricing will be announced closer to dealer launch. In the light-duty truck wars, the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel now leads the field in torque.