Ram 1500 diesel changes the pickup truck game

It's ironic perhaps that I spent yesterday evening driving a Ford F-150 equipped with the excellent EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engine. It's got loads of low-end torque and, on paper, its fuel economy is better than that of a comparable gas V8. It even sounds a bit like a diesel…but it isn't.

With Chrysler's official announcement Thursday that the Ram 1500 will be available later this year with a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6, that might soon change. Until now Ford has eschewed small diesels for its turbocharged gasoline direct-injection strategy on its car and light-duty truck lines, citing the higher cost of diesel engines and uncertain customer demand. With no alternatives on the market, consumers have been snapping up the higher-cost, diesel-like EcoBoost V6 at a rate that even surprised Ford.

In the third quarter, however, Ram will offer those consumers the real thing. For lots of fiercely brand-loyal Ford and Chevy pickup buyers, the new diesel Ram will produce nothing but snide remarks and secret envy. But for thousands of buyers who have been awaiting an efficient, torquey half-ton diesel pickup, Ram just proved it's listening to their pleas and responding.

Pricing strategy will dictate how successful the Chrysler experiment is; if the diesel adds $10k to the price of a Ram 1500--a not uncommon upcharge for a diesel and the required uprated transmission on a heavy-duty pickup--it will remain a rarity and object of truck-buyer lust. But if Ram positions the new model at a slight premium like Ford has done with the EcoBoost F-150 (EcoBoost costs on average an extra $1000), the only remaining question will be whether they can keep up with demand.

The Warren Truck Plant that assembles Ram 1500 trucks seems to be ready: a leaked internal memo mentioning the diesel option also noted the plant was preparing for a record production year of 300,000+ units.

Some of those sales will come at the expense of Ford and Chevy, who are bound to pay a price in both dollars and reputation for underestimating diesel demand.

By Andrew Stoy