Are ProMaster diesel's coming soon?

Buyers who have been holding out for a diesel engine in the Ram ProMaster van may be satisfied soon, as the company has told dealers that the engine, boasting 295 lb-ft of torque, 174 horsepower, and “phenomenal fuel efficiency,” is on the way.

The van market has long been in the doldrums, with buyers having a choice between ancient, fuel-hungry Fords and expensive Mercedes, but is now becoming hotly contested with new entries from Nissan (including one badged as a Chevrolet), Ford, and Ram. The Ram ProMaster has two powertrains, one already on sale — the Pentastar V6 coupled to a six-speed Chrysler automatic — and the other, a Fiat design, reportedly available for ordering this month. The latter is a four-cylinder diesel, created by Fiat Powertrain (FPT), confusing displacing the same 3.0 liters as the VM diesel in the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Ram boasted that the Fiat engine has exceptional low-end torque and cold-start capability, with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods; 5%-biodiesel compatibility; best-in-class 18,500 mile oil change intervals; an efficient M40 six-speed automated manual transmission (which can be treated as though it’s a full automatic); and a standard towing/hauling package.

The package may be attractive not only to normal fleet buyers, but to the upfitters who have started making ProMaster passenger vans and campers.

As read on: http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/02/promaster-diesel-this-month