The Chrysler Group has just announced the tow ratings for the 2014 Ram 1500 equipped with the new EcoDiesel 3.0L V6 allowing owners to tow 9,200 pounds – just 1,250 pounds less than the 5.7L Hemi V8. This impressive towing capacity for a small 6-cylinder engine in a half ton pickup comes thanks to the hefty 420lb-ft of torque offered by the new EcoDiesel so while it is no Cummins –Ram 1500 owners will most certainly engine the massive amounts of torque that has been reserved for Ram HD owners in the past. More importantly, the EcoDiesel V6 will likely offer far better fuel economy than the mighty Hemi both when towing and when completely unladen.
The EPA hasn’t announced the official fuel economy numbers for the new 2014 EcoDiesel Ram but the Chrysler Group has promised somewhere in the area of 25 miles per gallon on the highway (when not towing – of course). When you compare that to the highway fuel economy figures of the Ram 1500 with the Hemi V8, it presents a massive improvement over the 19mpg offered by the 4×4 Ram or the 20mpg that rear wheel drive Ram owners enjoy. The same engine in the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers 22 city and 30 highway with rear drive models while the 4×4 Jeeps with the 3.0L diesel offer 21 city and 28 highway. The Ram 1500 is quite a bit heavier than the Jeep so we shouldn’t expect identical numbers but when you consider the fact that the Grand Cherokee with four wheel drive offers 13mpg in the city and 19 on the highway – identical city numbers to the Ram and just 1mpg less on the highway – the new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel could surpass the promised figure of 25mpg.
We should get the official EPA fuel economy ratings sometime over the next few months as the Chrysler Group planned for the diesel half ton Rams to hit sometime before the end of the 2013 calendar year. In the meantime, we will have to live with the fact that the new 3.0L V6 diesel Ram offers 240 horsepower, 420lb-ft of torque and 9,200 pounds of towing capacity with at least 25mpg.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
