All the Pickup Truck News: 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Real-World MPG, 232K Ford F-Series Super Duty Recall and More
Ram’s 1500 half-ton pickup truck is available for the 2020 model year with a diesel engine, dubbed the EcoDiesel, and we’ve been pretty impressed with the setup in our time with it so far — which only builds on how impressed we are with this latest generation of Ram 1500 overall. Our first drive of the truck allowed for about 150 miles of seat time, but when an opportunity arrived for Cars.com reviewer Brian Wong to drive a 4×4 EcoDiesel from Los Angeles to Zion National Park in Utah and back, we decided it was a good chance to put the EcoDiesel to the test.
Related: More Pickup Trucks News
- ${price_badge()}
- ${battery_badge()}${ev_report_link()}
- ${hot_car_badge()}
- ${award_badge()}
- ${cpo_badge()}
${price_badge_description}
The EV Battery Rating is based on this vehicle's current expected range relative to the vehicles expected range when new. ${battery_badge_text}
Certified cars are manufacturer warrantied and typically go through a rigorous multi-point inspection.
This car is likely to sell soon based on the price, features, and condition.
${award_blurb}
${award_two_blurb}
Shop the 2019 RAM 1500 near you
The 900-mile-plus trip was comfortable and quiet — unusual given the typical noisiness of diesel engines — but disappointing from a fuel economy perspective. While 25 mpg for a regular gasoline-engine pickup would be a good result, given the highway driving that comprised the vast majority of the trip, Wong was hoping for something closer to the EPA’s 29 mpg highway fuel-economy rating for the 4×4 diesel-powered Ram (the 4×2 version has an even higher 32 mpg highway rating). You can check out that story below to see why the Ram may have fallen short of its ratings.
In other major truck news this week, Ford is recalling a whopping 232,000 or so model-year 2017-19 Super Duty pickups for a defect that could cause a short in the electric latch release of the tailgate, potentially resulting in the tailgate opening unexpectedly and unrestrained cargo falling out and causing a crash. That safety action is juxtaposed with a far smaller (but perhaps equally dangerous) recall of about 200 model-year 2019 Ram 1500 pickups for a defect that could cause a short circuit of the power steering system.
Tesla Cybertruck news and more recalls lie beyond that, so be sure to keep reading for all the truck news from the past week from both Cars.com and sister site PickupTrucks.com.
2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel MPG Report After 900 Miles
2017-2019 Ford Super Duty Tailgate Switch: Recall Alert
2019 Ram 1500 Power Steering: Recall Alert
10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Mazda CX-5 Trumps Toyota RAV4 Prime, Hyundai Palisade
What’s the Best New-Car Deal for December 2019?
2020 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC Vehicles: Recall Alert
10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Honda CR-V Spanks Cybertruck, Dunks on Defender
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
