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Ram introduces 33-mpg Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel

Ram announced Tuesday that its 2021 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel trim goes toe-to-toe (tow-to-tow?) with the segment's most efficient diesels, offering 23 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg combined. That's good enough for a first-place tie in the segment, as those numbers now match those of Chevy's Silverado 1500 with the 3.0-liter Duramax oil-burner.  "Ram is committed to innovation and powertrain leadership, and as the no-compromise benchmark for efficiency and performance, we continue to listen to customer input by offering unsurpassed fuel economy," said Ram boss Mike Koval Jr. "The Ram 1500 is America’s most powerful half-ton diesel pickup with 480 lb.-ft. of torque and the most capable light-duty diesel with towing capability up to 12,560 pounds, and delivers up to 1,000 miles of range on a single tank of fuel." From a glance at Ram's specs table, it appears the HFE EcoDiesel configuration (based on a Crew Cab Tradesman with the 5-foot 7-inch bed) is good for 8,210 pounds of trailering and 1,780 lbs of payload. It's worth noting that the Chevy matches the HFE's fuel economy while also providing more towing capability. You can trade the HFE's small fuel economy gain for a bit more towing capability by going to a 3.92:1 rear axle. That will buy you another 1,700 lbs of towing. Even more towing capacity (specifically, the 12,560 lbs maximum quoted above) comes with the Ram 1500 Quad Cab EcoDiesel.  Standard equipment for the HFE includes 20-inch aluminum wheels, a black grille and bumper cover, a tonneau cover, step rails and some perfectly decent cloth seats. The HFE EcoDiesel is available in one of a whopping two finishes: black or white. Exciting. Ram says the HFE will start to appear on dealer lots in the second quarter, and the truck will start at $43,935 (including $1,695 for destination). Related Video:

Chrysler to accelerate production of 2013 Ram and V6 engines

Chrysler is adding a third shift at its Warren Truck plant to meet demand for the new 2013 Ram pickup. And with tight supplies of its Pentastar V6, the company is also boosting output at its Mack Engine plant.
The expansions will add 1,250 jobs and are part of a $238 million investment by Chrysler in the Detroit area. Warren's third shift will begin work sometime in the spring, a Chrysler rep told Automotive News. Mack's increased Pentastar production a could include both 3.6 and 3.2-liter engines.
The company says it also plans to invest $40 million in its Trenton Engine plant to allow for production of a 3.2-liter V6 as well as the Tigershark inline-four for the upcoming Jeep Liberty replacement.

2022 Ram 1500 adds G/T model to Rebel and Laramie trims

The 2022 Ram 1500 lineup is expanding with a new G/T trim that offers a few small performance upgrades and some items borrowed from the Earth-eating TRX. Don’t get too excited, though, because this package is paired exclusively with the 5.7-liter V8 eTorque engine — no superchargers here. Available with either the Rebel or Laramie trims, the G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake to improve performance. Both are yanked out of the Mopar catalog, so those changes are ones you could actually do yourself. The rest is a touch more exclusive. For starters, Ram includes paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever (no turn dial), unique bucket seats with high bolsters and a metal pedal kit. Those are bits you get on the TRX now, so itÂ’s great to see the lower level Rams benefitting from the monster performance truck.  On the tech front, Ram includes its Performance Pages in the infotainment system. Measuring 0-60 mph times and G-forces in a regular Ram pickup seems a little silly, but now you can do both of those things and take advantage of a myriad of other capabilities afforded by those Performance Pages. You can tell the G/T models apart from others by looking for the big G/T decals on the rear fenders. All G/Ts additionally gain a unique “sport performance hood.” Lastly, you get Mopar all-season floor mats. Pricing for the Rebel G/T starts at $57,070, while the Laramie G/T starts at $57,175, both including their $1,695 destination fees. Ram says the G/T models will go on sale in the third quarter of 2021. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.