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ORIGINAL: Drew

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ORIGINAL: thehemiman12345

does anyone know why they are making it a v6 and not an I6?...

there will be both a V6 and  V8, the reason for making it a Vee design is for a smaller footprint. not only that, the 5.6L V8 block is shorter than my 5.9L I6. also inline engines are good at making torque, Vee engines are good for produceing horse power.

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ORIGINAL: Nate7159

I've always wondered why no one has put a diesel into a 1/2 ton truck so far. It was explained to me the biggest thing for them to over come and why its taken so long is that making the diesels meet the exhaust regulations for cleaner emissions has been the problem. 1/2 ton trucks or "light duty" trucks are in a whole different catagory than the bigger trucks and emissions requirements are much more strict.

I can see the benifits especially for commercial use. I work in the construction business and we have super intendents who drive 75-100k miles per year in the trucks. They have some tools and occasionally a light payload, but no towing to do. The sheer amount of miles that diesel can take compared to a gas engine makes huge sense to us. Plus the mileage if those numbers are correct from Bighorned's link, that would be a big benifit over gas engines also. Do the math, gas at $3.00 per gallon and averaging 15 miles per gallon (30 gallon tank was used for my calculations) comes to about $0.20 per mile. Diesel at $3.50 per gallon but averaging 20 miles per gallon (again with a 30 gallon tank) comes to $0.18 per mile. So if those numbers are correct and they get 25 miles to the gallon, I think it would stupid for a company like us not to buy the 1/2 tons with a diesel. Yes, does it cost more to maintain a diesel engine, absolutely, but looking at it long term, I can see that its worth it. I called to check on a diesel oil change at the local quick change station, and its only $10 more than the gas engine oil change. Considering most diesels get their oil change around 10k-15k miles, its still less than our gas engines which are being changed every 5k miles.

I do worry about the same thing on the towing. Many people don't read or care what the manufacturer's maximum payload and towing weights are. They are going to see "diesel" in their truck and think they can tow a 4-5 horse trailer fully loaded with their 1/2 ton truck and then wonder why at only 30k miles they need to buy a new transmission and why the dealership's service department won't do it under warranty. Then they will go and post all over the internet and complain to their friends that Dodge has made a lousy product, when in reality, they abused their own property and expected Dodge to cover the cost. Its a nightmare for PR waiting to happen, but I hope the sales are worth it. I'm planning on getting one when they come out.

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ORIGINAL: Jr. Mechanic

Yes, it has been confirmed that they will be putting the 5.6L V8 CTD in the 1500's ,while the 4.6 V6 CTD will be going into the Dakotas and Durangos.