I'd like to find a midsize diesel 4x4 truck. Did Dodge produce one, say within the last 10 years, or are the diesels only in the big trucks? Can anyone point me to a history of the Dodge truck model lineup (with size and engine specs)?

 

Dodge, within the last 10 years, made the Ram and Dakota trucks. A diesel powerplant was available in the 3/4 ton and 1 ton Ram only.

 

Good luck with that. Dodge and Toyota are the only companies that made mid-size trucks in the past 10 years. The Toyota being the T100, which was supposed to be full-size but really only about 3/4 size. Neither put a diesel in the mid-sizes here in North America. You could probably find one in another continent though.

 

Thanks guys.
Horatio, you are so right. I just came back from Australia, and they have a huge choice of diesel engines in all their small and midsize trucks and SUVs. I wish we had even half the choices here. I really don't want to import a vehicle and have right-hand drive.
I just want a mid-size 4x4 that I can put a lightweight pop-up camper on to go in the bush with, but still be half-decent on road. I thought a diesel would give a bit better mileage and have good torque for hauling the camper, given that mid-size trucks tend to have smaller motors.
Anyone else have any suggestions?

 

Ok well the Dakota is a great choice, you can get the 318 (5.2L) v8 in it, puts out about 230hp and 290 ft-lbs, but don't expect more than 15-18mpg on the highway. The Chevy Colorado with the 3.5L seems to be a decent little truck too. It can't haul as much as a Dakota but it does a decent job and it gets better fuel economy, somewhere between 17 and 23mpg. The new Dakota seems to be more capable but I think it's really ugly. In a year or two Dodge might offer the 2.8L diesel that's currently in the Liberty for Dakotas, but I still think it's ugly.

 

I just wanted to add something to consider...

diesels run better when they are hot, because of the type of combustion they use...

diesels ignite the fuel by compressing it, and they need heat to do that...

little diesel engines in cooler climates don't run as well, they use alot more fuel than they would in a hot climate, whereas the bigger V8's make their own heat because of their size...

Where I live in Canada a 4 cyl diesel would be running at half power and using 2 times the fuel about 8 months in the year... which would defeat the purpose...

just a thought

 

just get the truck you need that has a blown engine and repower that bad boy with either a cummins 4BT(3.9L) or the 4AT (3.3L)

both are compact and offer good power for their size.