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The 2023 Ram 1500 will be your last chance to buy a half-ton truck with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel power plant. As Ram announced Tuesday, the configuration will no longer be available once production stops in January. It’ll mark the end of an eight-year run in which Ram saw both Ford and General Motors hurry to match its compression-ignition offering with mixed success.
Ram was the first automaker to offer a 1500 series diesel pickup in the United States this millennium. The EcoDiesel was a big deal when it launched in 2014 with highway fuel economy nearing 30 miles per gallon, all while delivering a respectable 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. It received substantial upgrades in 2020 for the current generation Ram 1500, and before long, drivers started traveling more than 1,000 miles on a single tank. That’s with even more power, too, at 260 hp and 480 lb-ft.
It’s clear that Ram is phasing out the EcoDiesel to make way for its battery-powered pickup. That’s coming in 2024, and Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. notes, “As we quickly pivot toward an electrified future, we wanted to celebrate this last EcoDiesel milestone by offering our loyal light-duty diesel enthusiasts a final opportunity to order the truck they love.” Better hurry if you want a new one, then.
The 2023 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is still a solid value, even though its 12,560-pound max towing figure is no longer best in class. It outlasted the Ford F-150 Power Stroke, but GM just revealed its second-generation 3.0-liter Duramax diesel. Expect the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 to get that engine for at least a few more years.
As of right now, the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6—manufactured by VM Motori—will still be sold in models like the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator. In case you plan on picking up a final-run Ram 1500 with the oil-burning lump, you can choose from the Tradesman, Big Horn/Lone Star, Laramie, Limited Longhorn, and Limited trims.
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