Driver's Seat: Yes, there's an everyday diesel pickup

2014 Ram Laramie Limited Edition Crew Cab 4x4 EcoDiesel:

Power, hauling and economy?

Price: $59,010 as tested. The least expensive EcoDiesel version would be a Ram 1500 Regular Cab long bed Tradesman EcoDiesel at $29,945 plus $1,195 destination, Chrysler tells me.

Marketer's pitch: "More towing. Fewer fill-ups. No compromise." (In a deep, rugged, manly voice.)

Conventional wisdom: Edmunds.com liked the "supple ride and composed handling; strong gas V6 or fuel-efficient diesel V6 available" but not the "higher up-front cost and slower acceleration with diesel engine."

Reality: Truck nirvana.

What's new: For the last many, many years, truck buyers who wanted a diesel engine had to buy one of the monster big boys - a ¾-ton or full-ton truck that even among today's world of giants stands out as worthy of "Jack and the Beanstalk."

So Chrysler is changing it up a bit to put the oil-burning powerplant into the 1500 model, a half-ton, more livable everyday pickup. (And unlike the recently tested 2500 Power Wagon, no step stools were required for the lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat.)

Big savings: The 2500 Power Wagon had a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that sucked down a gallon of fuel every 13 miles. The 1500 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel, on the other hand, sipped 23 miles per gallon in a similar week of driving, a 76 percent improvement.

The EcoDiesel comes only on a long bed regular cab, or crew cab or Quad cab to fit the specialized exhaust system.

Up to speed: The turbocharged engine generates 240 horsepower and 420 foot-pounds of torque, so getting on the highway - or towing trailers - is still not a problem.

Diesel sound: One of the notable points of the other diesels I've driven this year (two Audis and a BMW) was how unnoticeable the engine was. When I mention driving a diesel, the uninitiated will still ask, "Isn't it smelly/noisy/smoky?" No. No, no, no, no, no.

Well, at least not until I got the Ram EcoDiesel. No smell or smoke, but this truck sounds like a diesel. Even 14-year-old Sturgis Kid 4.0 noted how loud it was on a trip to the farm for some pumpkin purchases. But for a diesel geek like myself, that's music to my ears.

On the road: The Ram 1500 SRT I tested a few years ago still ranks as the best-handling four-wheel-drive truck I've ever driven. The EcoDiesel (and, really, even the Power Wagon) is not far behind.

Looking backward: Among the $10,000 worth of options on the EcoDiesel was a $330 Trailer Tow Mirror and Brake Group, which included the most ginormous silver mirrors ever. The mirrors had a long learning curve. They also create a blind spot on turns.

Play some tunes: The CD player was tucked in the giant console between Mr. Driver's Seat and the Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat, convenient for both.

On the display, the left knob controls volume and the right tuning, as nature and 75 years of automotive engineers intended. The stereo provides some awesome sound, as well.

Getting there: The map had a picture of a big truck that covered so many streets it was difficult to know where my next turn was.

Friends and stuff: The giant console means no room for the sixth seat in this version. Room for five is plentiful, though, and the six-foot bed means you can carry corn stalks and pumpkins to your heart's content. Built-in toolboxes in the bed (part of $1,295 RamBox Cargo Management System option) lock with the key fob.

The seats were super comfortable leather. Leather saddle bags in the spacious back seat with silver buckles were a nice touch.

Twisty: Not shifty this time. Though the 1500 came with an eight-speed transmission, not the new Chrysler nine-speed, it still featured the twist knob for P-R-N-D. Having it on the dashboard seemed more comprehensible than the console, where it sits in other models.

Shift up and down using buttons in the cruise control pod, but this made both downshifting and setting the cruise more complicated.

Information, please: The gauges' typeface can confuse, and checking distance to empty, cruise control speed and gear selected was challenging.

Night shift: The classy overhead lighting never interfered with the view of the road.

All-weather truck? I actually ran the EcoDiesel in four-wheel-drive auto mode on rainy days. The truck tended to fishtail.

Where it's built: Warren, Mich.

How it's built: Consumer Reports has no reliability information for the new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. The gasoline-powered 1500 is recommended for 2013 and has had excellent ratings overall in previous years except for the drive system category.

In the end: The EcoDiesel does everything a truck should and uses much less fuel. Sounds perfect.

Not-so-perfect: My review of the Audi A6 TDI inadvertently left out the engine information. The diesel engine is a 3.0-liter V6 that creates 240 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque.