Ram pickup repeats as Motor Trend Truck of the …

For the second year, the Ram 1500 pickup has won one of the most coveted industry awards: Motor Trend Truck of the Year.

Even though it's not a new truck per se, the Ram managed to beat out the newly redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

But the Ram isn't just a two-peat for the first time ever without good reason: The award, to a large extent, celebrates its new diesel engine, the first in a light-duty pickup in years.

Ram was chosen from among nine contenders, the magazine says. The trucks, which included pickups and vans, were all tested at a proving ground in the heart of truck country, Uvalde, Texas.

Ram stood apart because of its new diesel engine and eight-speed transmission, which easily topped the other models in fuel economy. the EcoDiesel, as Ram calls it, delivered 15 miles a gallon under the extreme testing conditions, then 21 mpg in more casual city/highway driving.

Yet the Ram was deemed fully capable of doing all the things that pickup trucks do. For starters, it is rated as being able to tow up to 9,200 pounds.

"This isn't just a new engine," Motor Trend writes. "This is, strictly speaking, a different technology for the segment."

The magazine's editor note that the last diesel in a light-duty truck about 15 years was a noisy, clattering, smokey contraption. The new modern ones are smooth, quiet and soot-free.

They also lauded the Ram's optional air suspension and the real wood and other touches in its upscale Laramie.

Ram is Chrysler Group's truck brand, having been split off from the Dodge brand. Beside Ram 1500, Silverado and Sierra, other trucks in the competition included the Ram Heavy Duty, and Toyota Tundra pickups; and the Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster vans.