In the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal known colloquially as Dieselgate, German automakers have almost completely discontinued offering their diesel-engine models in the United States–at least for the time being. Yet, somehow, sales of sales of diesel vehicles in the U.S. are actually up slightly. How is that possible?
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Yes, Land Rover and Jaguar are selling a number of diesel models, and Chevrolet now sells diesel-powered versions of the Cruze and Equinox, but the overwhelming number of diesel sales are coming from pickup trucks.
In addition to the 3/4-ton and one-ton diesels that Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, and Ram have been marketing for years, light-duty diesels in half-ton trucks can now be had from Ford and Ram. Plus, Nissan’s recently redesigned Titan can be equipped with a diesel engine in heavy-duty XD trim.
General Motors also offers a smaller diesel engine in its midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks. Note also that the redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 models will be offered with a new 6-cylinder diesel engine.
The result of all this activity is that while car and crossover diesel sales are down, overall diesel sales up are up, thanks largely to pickup trucks.
To help you keep track of all the diesel engines now available in pickup trucks, we’ve put together the following list. Note that specs on V8 diesels and the Cummins 6.7-liter engine are for installation in 3/4-ton pickups–specs may vary slightly for other vehicles.
Note also that all of the engines listed here require the use of diesel emissions fluid (DEF). The fluid is used to reduce diesel NOx emissions, and needs to be topped off roughly around the time the engine oil needs to be changed.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
EcoDiesel
Availability: Ram 1500
Manufacturer: VM Motori
Assembly: Cento, Italy
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 3.0/182
Configuration: 60-degree V6 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: DOHC 24-valve
Compression ratio: 16.5-to-1
Horsepower: 240
Torque (pound-feet): 420
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.21-to-1
Test Drive: 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie EcoDiesel
Cummins 6.7L
Availability: Ram 2500, 3500, 4500
Manufacturer: Cummins
Assembly: Columbus, Indiana
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 6.7/408
Configuration: Inline 6 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Iron
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: OHV 32-valve
Compression ratio: 17.3-to-1
Horsepower: 370
Torque (pound-feet): 800
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.73-to-1
Note: The Cummins 6.7L can also be had with a 6-speed manual transmission and 6-speed heavy-duty automatic transmission. With the manual transmission, the 6.7L is rated at 350 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque. With the heavy-duty automatic, the 6.7L is rated at 385 horsepower and 900 pound-feet of torque. The heavy-duty automatic is produced by Aisin.
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Ford
Power Stroke 3.0
Availability: Ford F-150
Manufacturer: Ford
Assembly: Dagenham, England
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 3.0/183
Configuration: 60-degree V6 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: DOHC 24-valve
Compression ratio: 16.0-to-1
Horsepower: 250
Torque (pound-feet): 440
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.31-to-1
Power Stroke 6.7L
Availability: Ford F-250, F-350, F-450
Manufacturer: Ford
Assembly: Chihuahua, Mexico
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 6.7/409
Configuration: 90-degree V8 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: OHV 32-valve
Compression ratio: 16.2-to-1
Horsepower: 450
Torque (pound-feet): 935
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.31-to-1
Test Drive: 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat Crew Cab
General Motors
Duramax 2.8 (LWN)
Availability: Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon
Manufacturer: DMAX
Assembly: Rayong, Thailand
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 2.8/169
Configuration: Inline 4 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: DOHC 16-valve
Compression ratio: 16.5-to-1
Horsepower: 181
Torque (pound-feet): 369
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.42-to-1
Test Drive: 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Duramax Diesel
Duramax 6.6L (LP5)
Availability: Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500
Manufacturer: DMAX
Assembly: Moraine, Ohio
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 6.6/403
Configuration: 90-degree V8 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: OHV 32-valve
Compression ratio: 16.0-to-1
Horsepower: 445
Torque (pound-feet): 910
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.73-to-1
First Spin: 2017 GMC Sierra HD Duramax Diesel
Nissan
Cummins 5.0L
Availability: Titan XD
Manufacturer: Cummins
Assembly: Columbus, Indiana
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 5.0/304
Configuration: 90-degree V8 turbodiesel
Cylinder heads: Aluminum
Block: Iron
Valvetrain: DOHC 32-valve
Compression ratio: 16.3-to-1
Horsepower: 310
Torque (pound-feet): 555
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Standard axle ratio: 3.92-to-1
