My 2003 RAM's mileage is horrible. I keep dreaming that one day Dodge will wake up, and put that great little Mercedes 3 Liter diesel engine into the 1500 series trucks. If a Dodge Sprinter can tow 7500 lb with that engine it should be all we need in a 1500. No use having power, speed and performance if you can't afford to drive a vehicle! I would rather go slow and be able to afford my fuel bill.

 

dodge is making a 1500 diesel....

 

Cummins is already in the works of producing a 4.4 or 4.6L (cant remember which) V8 diesel for the rams which will be avail for 2009. They are also thinking about making a change and offering a 5.9 or 6.1L in the rams for that year as well, which will be the NEW version of the HEMI.It will have the MDS, 3 valves per cylinder and VVT (variablevalve timing), also comes with 6 spd autos and the two lesser engines, (4.0 & 4.7) will have 6 sp manuals.The diesel is projected to make about 260-300 HP and 460 ft.-lb torque and fuel mileage around 20city/25highway.

 

Hanson HVAC, as far as I know Dodge doesn't have a 1500 diesel.

HemiYellow, the Cummins plan for a 4.4 or 4.6L diesel is a good idea. Unfortunately 2009 is way to far away. We need a solution now, not in two years. No wonder the North American car companies are bleeding red ink. They are still trying to sell us muscle when all we want is better gas mileage. Why use a 4.?L diesel where a 3 or 3.5L engine will work, and provide a lot better fuel efficiency. It works fine in the Sprinter so?

 

well i'm not complaining...personally, i'd rather have a cummins diesel as opposed to the MB diesel...dont get me wrong, the MB diesel is great but the 3.0L V6 diesel they have doesnt provide the torque that a 4.? L will for obvious reasons....to me thats like buying the ram with a V6 gas engine, and besides, who is gonna complain about having more then enough power and getting around 20 MPG in the city with a truck???

the 3.0L V6 MB diesel in the grand cherokee produces 215HP & 376 ft.-lb torque. fuel mileage is the same as the 4.?L is projected to be....curb weight of the GC is 4488lb (with base 3.7L) compared to the ram's 5216 (2007 with base 4.7L)....makes no sense to me to put a smaller diesel in a 1500 now, just to make some people happy

 

also gotta mention that in 2010 there's gonna be a hemi with some hybrid system. So there's another step for fuel mileage. You'll have to wait for 2009 for the diesel though, DC isn't planning on dropping a diesel in the ram until the redesign.

 

when i said they are making a diesel i didnt mean they're out at the present moment, i meant they are making one in the near future

 

The Dodge Sprinter is getting 28 mpg highway with the 3L MB diesel with 280 ft.lb of torque which is comparable to the 4.7L gas base engine. The Sprinter has a curb weight of 4936 lb. All this talk about torque is silly for 90% of the trucks out there. Don't get me wrong I have used a 3500 diesel to tow a 32' farm stock trailer loaded with critters and loved it. But what most of us need is a fuel efficient moderate engine.

Hemiyellow, unlike your city toy truck (looks good by the way) my 4x4 QUAD is a work truck which does real farm duty. I need a lot better fuel economy. I put on some real mileage, unlike city dweller want a be's. Your comment "who is gonna complain about having more then enough power and getting around 20 MPG in the city with a truck???" makes no sense? If I could get a 170 hp diesel that produced around 300ft-lb torque with a 28 mpg rating I would jump at it. Gas is only getting more expensive. What about global warming. I'm not sure what planet your living on. Must be the same as the dummies in Detroit going broke selling a dying concept.

 

HAHA global warming what a joke. Didn't realize there were trucks and suvs around during the last major climate change... (the ice age)... Damn detroit.. ruining the world!!!

 

Mopar Rob, have another beer! Global warming is real! Not Detroits falt but! Detroit is dead they just aren't bright enough to run a Dairy Queen! Detroit is a dinasour that refuses to change with the times. Thats why the imports are doing so well - fuel economy. Toyota is now bigger then GM! Why? The only folks denying global warming are in the White House waiting for their golden parachutes (to be paid for by their buddy's running the oil cartels). The same guys that told you there were WMD's in Iraq!