Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
 

After doing a lot of reading, this is the best combination out there it seems. It is not going to be fast at all, but this thing will tow better than almost all gasser engines and will return better mileage.

I love my Tundra, but 15 MPG daily driving it and 8-9 towing with it are killer. Many people are getting 23-25 daily driving the Ram with a crew cab model, with many getting over 27 on the highway and around the 15 mark towing. It's a new engine choice, but paired with that ZF 8 speed seem to be a great pair.

Thinking about trading in my truck now. Anyone here have any experience or know anybody with this option?

The new Eco will be out soon. Also the option for that motor is just insane price wise. You will never recoup the cost.

Tune that sucker and you'd be really well off. I'm pretty sure its the same diesel they put in a couple jeeps like 3 years ago.

What is the price difference for the Dodge Ram 1500 Diesel?
Stating you cannot recoup the cost and not sharing any data is inconclusive?

The option is around 3 grand. The diesal is where you never make up the cost. Diesal is considerably more then gasoline.

Diesal?

Buy an older cummins 6bt and just do a few of the standard mods to it. Will get you a little less mileage, but will tow much easier and probably better. Dodge's setup with the rear coil springs just doesn't seem tow happy to me.

Personally I wouldn't dump a Toyota, Ford or Chevy for a Mopar. I would wait and see what Ford brings to the table as far as gas mileage when they switch to the all aluminum body.

I'm really holding out for Ford to offer a small displacement diesel motor in the next generation superduty. It's known they have already dropped the 6.2, so I can easily see an adapted smaller diesel from their cab-over trucks probably make their way into the truck as an entry level motor under the 6.7

After towing a 5500 pound load 2500 miles last week, and getting a high of 16 MPG and a low of 13.6, I'm seriously liking the 4.6 in the '09 F-150. Fuel is cheaper, and none of the associated maintenance of having a diesel powered truck.

lol you got me:mf_pcwhack:
this.
NOt happening. There was a interview they did in motortrend not long back with Ford and they blatantly said they had no reason to offer a small diesel.

Market trend will change their mind. They already have a handful of small diesels to adapt for trucks, so only time will tell when they cave.

With the ecoboost truck outdoing all the competitors and ford v8 motors, and the price of gas vs diesel there would be know reason to consider a small diesel. They don't need to waste the money on R&D with the ecoboost hit on there hands.

3k is easily recouped when the truck is a DD. The difference between 15 mpg on DD duty and 25 MPG is fairly significant. Plus, diesel is the price of premium fuel down here so I don't see the big difference in price. A 3/4 ton is too large for my applications and finding a 5.9 that hasn't been chopped up by a redneck is impossible/expensive.

The next gen diesels in 1/2 tons are going to be the 5.0L Cummins. 300 HP and 500 TQ is not going to get above 25 MPG on the highway either. Too big of an engine to be a fuel efficient & if it isn't FE you wine as well get a 3/4 ton. The only thing that will force Chevy or Ford to get in the diesel game is if Dodge makes a killing on this EcoDiesel, which in the first month 8,000 orders flooded the market and they can't keep up with the demand (they being VM who builds the engine).

Plus, real world application of the 3.5L ecoboost hasn't proved IMO that it saves gas at all during towing (http://www.fuelly.com/car/ford/f-150/gas%20v6/truck). I think Ram hit the balance well and is the reason why I'm considering. Plus the interiors on the trucks (all top line models in every brand except Nissan) are pretty top notch.

I bet people will see 30+MPG with the Ecodiesel Rams on the highway after there tuned. Ripout all the emissions crap and viola with the 8 speed auto that thing is going to turn like 1200 or less rpms at 65mph it will be like 400hp 850tq! With the diesels the higher you turn them up the better mpg you get.