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2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel fuel economy delivers up to 32 mpg

But it's not the most frugal half-ton diesel pickup.

Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
2 min read
2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
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2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

Not the most efficient, but darn close.

Ram

Slowly, but surely, the half-ton diesel pickup truck wars have heated up. , Ford and each offer a diesel power plant for their bread-and-butter trucks , but we now have a clear picture of which is the least thirsty of them all.

However, it is not the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. On Monday, EPA-estimated fuel economy figures released that show Ram's oil-burner will return 22 miles per gallon city, 32 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined for 4x2 models. More popular 4x4 models will return estimates of 21/29/24 mpg.

What beats that? The 2020 Chevy Silverado and its 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel inline-six engine. Chevy's full-size diesel pickup returns figures that are 1 mpg greater in each rating for both 4x2 and 4x4 models. At the back of the pack is the Ford F-150 and its Power Stroke 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. The Blue Oval's challenger returns significantly lower fuel economy estimates in 4x4 models at  20/25/22 mpg.

Still, Ram has something to boast about. The 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 under the hood still makes the most torque when compared to the Ford or Chevy. The big ol' Ram has 480 pound-feet of torque on tap, which is a plus when it comes to pickups. Chevy comes behind with 460 pound-feet of torque, and the Ford is a full 40 units of twist down from the Ram at 440 pound-feet of torque.

Of the three, the Chevy still makes the most power with 277 horsepower, versus the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel's 260 hp. Ford's Power Stroke musters 250 hp.

All of these figures seem to make the Ram a very good happy medium within the half-ton diesel segment. It's only 1 mpg behind Chevy in all respects, but there's an extra 20 pound-feet of torque on tap. Will buyers dig the 1 mpg trade-off for more grunt? It seems very plausible. With its 33-gallon tank, it will also do 1,000 miles without needing to stop for a fill-up, Ram also promised.

All in all, it's a solid set of figures for Ram, which has been on a sales roll recently with its new pickup. Buyers can plop the diesel engine under the hood as a $4,995 option. The least expensive way to live the frugal truck life is a Tradesman quad-cab 4x2, starting at $38,585.

2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is a torque-tastic truck

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Watch this: Going diesel in the 2020 Ram 1500