Rumor is that there are some Mercedes diesel powered Ram test mules. They are pickups, 2 of them, 3500 cab and 3500 chassis...

 

I wonder what kind of power those mercedez diesels will create. If the numbers come out too soon, I might not be able to bear it. I'll be having a Ram Power Wagon with the new diesel sitting in my driveway sometime in the future, along with some other mopar vehicles

 

I have read on the diesel forums that Cummins is working on a V-6 diesel for the 1/2 ton pickups. The current Cummins contract for the 5.9l and the new 6.7l engine runs through 2010. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the diesel trucks. Ed B

 

Hopefully it won't use an MB tranny also...

 

I'd love to see a Cummins diesel in the 1/2 tons (and the Dakota, and Durango). From what I have read and heard, MB diesels of late haven't held up too well.
As far as MB diesels in the HD's, I believe it would be the death of Dodges HD trucks if they switched to MB diesels, since people have seen Cummins in these trucks for nearly 20 years, and they have built a reputation for great relibality (overall), and I think most people buy because OF the Cummins, not because its got a diesel.
DC better watch out with this "German engineering" ****... Americans tend to like American engineering, and all it takes is a bunch of morons at the head of a company to jack everything up because they think they know what Americans want. DC sales are now more in line with other American automotive companies (ie. sales down, last year they were up because of the new 300's, Magnums, and Chargers, and GM and Ford sales were up only because they were giving them away)
I don't want German engineering in my American automobile, and I wouldn't even think about purchasing a new Dodge vehicle if it came with a new MB diesel (except the Sprinter), until the motor and vehicle has been out for a few years so potential problems can surface.
Cummins I trust, MB I don't.

 

Shadowz-I've off-roaded a friend's diesel. The engines are so heavy that handling suffers. The suspension would be too stiff because too many people would want to tow too much weight, overload the single leaf springs, break them, then sue.

I really considered a diesel this last time, but to make it the way I wanted would add well over $5,000 to the price. Check out Koreperformance, they are the only company offering a legit off-road suspension system (that really works) I have seen. Also, there is (was?) no selectable locker for the AAM axles in the diesel. There may be now, I haven't looked into it for a while.

Currently, I've added rock rails to my Ram, they work great when I've high-centered it...a couple times now, lol. I plan on building new bumpers for it this winter, when I have more free time. I plan to sell the stocks before, hopefully, I bash them up, to cover the costs.

 

I'm going to put as much stock into this as I am going to put in GM's stock. Nothing at all. There have been rumors since the beginning that Dodge would abandon the Cummins for something else and it has never come true.

Matt, I seriously doubt they would use a MB tranny since they have spent the money on revising the 48RLE to make the 68RLE. Since the Cummins is the only model that will use this tranny, I doubt they will switch. BTW, are they having problems with the MB tranny or are you like me and don't like the idea of using foreign designs.

 

ive had the chance to run the mb diesel and until you drive one you wont know how good they are
and a little secret i just learned while pricing out a freightliner m2 with the mb motor well its been around a long time mb actually bought the technology from detroit diesel they are practicly the same motor

 

I used to work for UPS and the new trucks that we have that look like vans are powered by a 5 cylinder Mercedes Benz Diesel. I cant really think of any real problems that we had in them in the past 4 years. Plus the gas mileage is pretty decent even when it is fully loaded. In fact the only problem we had with the Sprinter was how short it was in the back. THis is what that truck looks like http://www.flickr.com/photos/10671050@N00/189033979

 

The Cummins is not a Detroit Diesel engine, it is an entirely different engine. I never said MB diesels were bad. I have just seen such amazing reliability out of the Cummins that I have to see some amazing coreponding reliabity to where I believe they consumer base will change. The Cummins has a really strong fan base, and if Dodge loses them, they will lose a lot of customers, but I don't believe that will happen.