What’s New With Diesel Trucks and SUVs in 2022?

If you’re a fan of diesel engines for their reliability, low-end torque and highway fuel efficiency, your world is shrinking in 2022. Diesel cars are gone from the U.S. market, and there are few SUVs and pickup trucks left.

Related: Can the Mammoth GMC Yukon Denali Get Good MPG With a Diesel Engine?

Diesel continues to sputter as a higher-mileage choice for passenger vehicles, thanks in part to a permanent black eye from the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, along with the overall shift to electrification — from hybrids to full-electric vehicles — for fuel efficiency with lower or zero local emissions. Diesel news in recent years has mostly revolved around automakers pulling the plug on the format for the U.S. market. European automakers have dropped diesels here in recent years, and Mazda pulled the plug on a short-lived diesel variant of the CX-5 compact SUV. 

Here’s the diesel landscape for model-year 2022 vehicles available to most consumers. Bear in mind that options for commercial-focused customers, such as the diesel-powered vans from GM and Daimler, aren’t covered here.

Ford

In a big blow to light-duty diesels, Ford dropped the 3.0-liter V-6 diesel option in July 2021 for its mega-selling F-150 pickup, switching the 2022 F-150’s efficiency spotlight to the truck’s hybrid and forthcoming all-electric versions. The heavy-duty F-Series Super Duty continues to offer a turbo-diesel 6.7-liter V-8 that puts out 475 horsepower and 1,050 pounds-feet of torque. The Diesel Technology Forum, a pro-diesel industry trade group, has speculated that the full-size Bronco and Expedition SUVs might get a diesel, but that seems even less likely in the wake of the F-150 dropping its option.

Jeep and Ram

Jeep and Ram are home to the diesel offerings from parent automaker Stellantis. The Jeep Gladiator pickup and Wrangler Unlimited four-door SUV continue to offer the company’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6, which produces 260 hp and 442 pounds-feet of torque. The Wrangler’s EPA-rated 25 mpg combined beats the combined mpg ratings for the SUV’s gasoline powertrains, though the Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid also offers 21 miles of all-electric driving. (Such comparisons should also account for the relative expense of diesel fuel versus the 87-octane unleaded most gasoline Wranglers accept.) The Diesel Technology Forum has speculated that the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer full-size SUVs might offer a diesel option in addition to their low-mpg V-8s (EPA-estimated 15 to 18 mpg combined), but nothing has been announced.

The Ram 1500 regular-duty pickup also has the option of the EcoDiesel V-6 and puts out the same 260 hp, but torque output is tuned to 480 pounds-feet. That gives Ram torque bragging rights by 20 pounds-feet over the 3.0-liter diesels in the full-size pickups from rival automaker GM. Maximum towing capacity in the Ram 1500 is 12,560 pounds, and EPA-rated mileage is 26 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive (24 mpg with four-wheel drive). The EcoDiesel is a $4,995 option on all but the 1500’s top trim level, called Limited.

Ram’s heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 pickups continue to offer two versions of a 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel inline-six. A standard-output version for the 2500 and 3500 produces 370 hp and 850 pounds-feet of torque, while a high-output version for the 3500 produces 420 hp and a massive 1,075 pounds-feet of torque. The maximum towing capacity is 37,090 pounds for the 3500 regular cab with a gooseneck trailer hitch and RWD. 

Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC

GM, the automaker behind Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, continues to offer three diesels for its 2022 model-year pickups and full-size SUVs. 

The related Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 regular-duty pickups offer GM’s Duramax turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six, which puts out 277 hp and 460 pounds-feet of torque. New for 2022 is a 4,000-pound increase in maximum towing capacity with this engine. Refinements for the diesel plus chassis now allow the trucks to have the Max Trailering Package and other upgrades. That raises the maximum tow rating to 13,300 pounds (Silverado) or 13,200 pounds (Sierra) — each up 4,000 pounds — for RWD, double-cab versions with 20-inch wheels.

For 2021, GM redesigned its full-size SUVs with regular and extended-length versions — the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV — which combine a common platform with varying luxury and features to befit their brands and pricing. All of them have the higher-mileage option of the 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine from the Silverado and Sierra pickups. The gain? The EPA-rated combined mileage in the Escalade, for example, is 22 mpg (AWD) or 23 mpg (RWD) for the diesel, versus 16 mpg for the SUV’s 6.2-liter gasoline V-8. It’s a no-cost option on the base Escalade; for the Chevy and GMC SUVs, the diesel is a mid-price option between the base 5.3-liter gasoline V-8 and the top-level 6.2-liter V-8. (Another wrinkle in your decision: Versus the 6.2-liter V-8, which recommends premium fuel, the cost of diesel may represent additional savings — but it’s likely to be pricier than the 87-octane gasoline GM recommends for the 5.3-liter V-8.)

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickup siblings offer a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel putting out 181 hp and 369 pounds-feet of torque; it nets EPA-rated mileage ratings of 22 mpg (4WD) or 23 mpg (two-wheel drive). Those ratings are 1 mpg to 3 mpg higher than versions of the pickups with a gasoline 2.5-liter four-cylinder or 3.6-liter V-6, but the diesel also carries a substantial price premium of several thousand dollars over the gasoline versions of the trucks — and that’s also before figuring in the typically higher cost of diesel fuel.

Heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 versions of GM’s full-size Silverado and Sierra pickups are available with GM’s Duramax 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V-8. Mated to a 10-speed automatic, it puts out 445 hp and 910 pounds feet of torque, and it can tow up to 36,000 pounds in a 3500 regular cab with dual rear wheels and a gooseneck trailer hitch.

More From Cars.com:

• • What’s New With Diesel Vehicles for 2021?
  • 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel: 7 Pros and 4 Cons
  • 2021 Cadillac Escalade: Putting the Navigator on Notice
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Duramax Diesel MPG Report After 1,000 Miles
  • 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel MPG Report After 900 Miles
  • One Year Later, Still No BlueCruise for Our F-150
  • More Diesel News

Related Video:

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.