There’s plenty of buzz right now for the RAM 1500 EcoDiesel truck, and that engine is definitely the main source of attention. Why is that, though? What’s such a big deal about a diesel engine of all things?
Well, if we told you it was the same engine they use for Maserati’s sports cars, would that answer the question?
It’s known by now that Chrysler group is a part of Fiat, and that has provided a few very tangible benefits. Chief among those benefits is full linkage to VM Motori. Thus, Italian diesel engines – which WardsAuto lauds as one of the “smoothest, quietest” diesels they’ve ever tested – normally found in the Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte have made their way into the back-to-back truck of the year. It’s almost unfair to the competition.
This WardsAuto article discusses the development of the 3.0L EcoDiesel V-6 engine, which happened in spite of the recent recession. The head of VM Motori says that fuel consumption was a chief concern. Even so, its performance doesn’t suffer at all, generating 420 pound-feet of torque at as little as 2000 revolutions per minute. It’s also remarkably quiet thanks to the use of compacted graphite iron, which makes it smaller and more rigid than normal iron.
The latter half of the article focuses on concerns about marketing a Diesel engine in the United States, and how those concerns proved needless as shown by the 8,000 truck sellout back in February. We recommend you read the full article, and then keep your eye on our blog to find out when Leith Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM will get one of these trucks in. At the rate they’re selling, you’ll want to pay attention or you might miss them.
Comments are closed.