EPA and California give Chrysler 2017 permission

\/\/0J0

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Location
Knoxville, TN
TDI
Sadly, none anymore
Good news for diesels! It's just a shame the newer jeeps are so fugly. I loved the look of the XJs and and TJs and even the JKs aren't bad, style wise, but these new "jeeps" look just like every other SUV coming over from the Pacific nations. They lack the ruggedness that made a jeep a jeep.
I am very interested in the 1/2 ton diesel trucks they are coming out with.

Sent from my mobile look-at device
 

kjclow

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Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
The search function worked! I'm going at lunch to look at a new Ram 1500 with the diesel but wasn't sure until this thread if they were able to sell them. Wonder how much more I can get off the sticker because I know more than I should about dieselgate?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
A friend has one, really likes it. Special order, waiting almost four months to get it.

The VM 3.0L V6 is perhaps not as refined as the others from VAG, MB, and Ford (currently in Rovers), but it gets the job done. It moves the big Ram easily enough, and is really good on the highway. Too bad they are only bolted to automatics. But it seems to work OK, once you get used to the gear selector.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I was hoping you'd have a positive spin on the Ram.
 

3fordasho

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Location
Southern MN
TDI
15 Passat 6M
The search function worked! I'm going at lunch to look at a new Ram 1500 with the diesel but wasn't sure until this thread if they were able to sell them. Wonder how much more I can get off the sticker because I know more than I should about dieselgate?

Owner of a local fab shop we use picked one up a few months ago before they resumed production, he travelled to Missouri (from MN) to get it. According to him there was/is quite a pent up demand for the Ecodiesel Ram 1500's.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Drove one yesterday. Coming from my 07 canyon, it's a monster truck. For a limited test drive, it was really smooth for the engine and soft on the road. From the driver's seat, you could hardly tell it was a diesel.

Drove a canyon diesel today. Big difference. In the canyon, you feel more of the diesel engine on the city streets but really quiets down on the highway. Stiffer ride than the ram but it's not really a fair comparison. I think we would be most comfortable in the canyon but have to see what numbers look like.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Remember, an inline 4 cyl will have different NVH characteristics than a narrow(er) angle V6. Which is why my 4 cyl Sprinter shifts itself to neutral at complete stops, because the in-gear NVH is noticeable. The V6 does not do that.

Active engine mounts are also another common strategy employed to lessen NVH.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
NVH?

She actually gave me permission to "buy what I wanted" last night. but I'm thinking I might wait until October and see who gets hungrier for my money. Today, the Ram is a clear choice. Bigger, better towing capacity, more comfortable, and currently listed at about $4K under the canyon.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Noise Vibration Harshness. Industry term, sorry. :p

And yes, I agree bang for the buck the Ram is certainly better. In my mind, it wins simply because it can be had with a real truck bed, and you needn't get a back seat if you do not want one.

The Colorado/Canyon's choices of extended cab and short bed, or extendeder cab and shorter bed, make it impractical as an actual "truck" for those of us that actually use said vehicle for said purposes.

But as a passenger car with a big trunk, it would work great. And probably easier to park and maneuver in smaller areas. What GM should do is drop that 2.8L in a Silverado W/T 1500HD. That would make a great work vehicle. They are putting than engine in the big G-vans now, too.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I've been surviving with my 07 canyon with 6' bed for about 5 years now. It will probably go a lot longer but it has no real towing capabilities. 2.8l 4 cyl is rated at 3000 pounds. Plus the creature comforts on a base truck are not there. My wife wants to be able to recline and sleep while I drive. I've also got some little electrical gremlin living in the rear lights. One light will stop working and I'll get a check engine light that refers to the ABS controller. Ignore it for a few days to a few weeks, and the cel goes away.

One of the reasons I might wait a little longer is to see where Ford prices the F150 with the diesel and what the towing specs are going to be. It would be great if GM would follow the herd and offer a small diesel in the 1500s, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
 
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oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yeah, I have had a couple trucks over the years with a 6 ft bed. But they were COMPACT trucks, something we cannot even buy here anymore. Toyotas and Mazdas (the pre-Ford Mazdas), and I have had a couple Rangers. My dad still has both his Rangers, an '84 and a '99. They are both long (7 ft) beds.

It all is about what suits your needs. For me, my little trucks were great, the B2000 could get 25 MPG if not driven too aggressively, and gave me over 400k miles of service. That size truck with a 2.0L or smaller turbo diesel would be ideal. But by the time such an animal was being built, there were no more diesel compact trucks sold here, and now no compact trucks of any kind. The Nissan is probably the closest, but still larger than the old D21 trucks.

But my 4.9L 5sp F150, with a full 8 ft bed, uses less fuel cruising down the highway than my dad's 4.0L 5sp Ranger with a 7 ft bed. When one advantage a smaller vehicle has over a larger vehicle of the same type is fuel economy, and you take that away, then what's the point? I do not drive my truck daily, so may as well have the big one... and if it uses less fuel to boot...

I think the F150 diesel will be a hit. They'll be pricey, but they will sell them. I too want to see what trims and costs are involved with them. I may even consider going into debt to get one before they get banned.
 
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