Ram Buyers Want Hemi and Better Mileage: Get It for 2009
www.StevesAutoBlog.com
The No. 1 complaint among owners of full-size pickup trucks is bad fuel economy, said Joe Veltri, director of product marketing for Dodge. “>
"We tell them we can “>fix that so they get better mileage, but that they’ll lose some “>performance when we do, and then they all say, ‘No, don’t do that,’" he said.
At a showing of the redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram pickup that’s coming this fall, Veltri said that while all owners want better mileage, 62% of Ram buyers opt for the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine in their pickup, and another 3% take the 4.7-liter V-8. That means 65% of all buyers go for a V-8 instead of a V-6.
The 5.7-liter Hemi in the 2009 Ram will be tweaked to deliver 380 hp and 404 pounds-feet of torque this fall, up from 345 hp and 375 pounds-feet in the 2008 model.
All that said, though, thanks to different valve timing, dual exhausts, a higher compression ratio and the engine’s ability to shut off four cylinders when they’re not needed, the ‘09 Ram will get 5% better gas mileage than the ‘08, Veltri said. The outgoing, 2008 model is rated at 13/17 mpg city/highway with 2WD and 12/16 with 4WD.
Veltri said mileage will get even better after 2009, when Dodge
offers a new Cummins diesel in the Ram. Veltri won’t talk engine
specifics, but said it promises 30% better mileage than the 5.7-liter
Hemi V-8.
For 2010, the Ram will get a gas/electric hybrid version of the 5.7
liter Hemi — the same dual-mode system that will be offered later this
spring in the Dodge Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs.
The system, developed in cooperation with GM, promises 40% better city mileage and 25% better combined city/highway mileage.
As dual-mode hybrids, the SUVs can travel at low speeds in battery
mode only and use a battery boost when needed to help pass. The Hemi
will also incorporate cylinder deactivation technology. Maybe that will
finally provide a solution for those green Hemi buyers.
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Originally Syndicated via RSS from KickingTires
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