The Latest Diesel Pickups Prove That Motown Still Makes A Splash
The old diesel workhorse of 3/4-tons and up is riding into a new frontier. Its popularity among weekend warriors is Detroit’s motivator to add features as foreign car makers look to grow profits here. For now, there are changes to ponder in the new heavies, and all are still Detroit-brand trucks. ENR drove them this summer to assess ability at the work site.
General Motors and Ford Motor Co. dropped off units in Chicago with a full tank. ENR tooled around for a week before returning the keys. It was tougher getting a Dodge. Chrysler LLC, now privately owned, was more eager to lend us a beefier 4500 or 5500 Ram. After some horn jousting, we located a 2500 BLUETEC Ram at a dealer in Skokie, Ill. It was running on empty, so ENR filled it up.