For many years, Wardsauto.com has been evaluating automobiles and the engines that power them. Recently, they announced that the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine that powers the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is sitting proudly on the podium lineup for Ward’s 10 Best Engines of 2016. The biggest victory here comes in two ways.

To start with, this is the only pickup truck engine to even make the list. Secondly, and arguably the best news of all, this is the third consecutive year that the engine has made the cut beginning in 2014. To refresh your memory, this engine is a VM Motoring sourced engine from Fiat Chrysler, produces over 400 lb-ft of torque, and has a EPA highway rating of 29 mpg – the highest of any pickup sold in the United States.

According to Wardsauto.com, “Two other pickup diesel engines were considered: the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon Duramax 2.8-liter inline four-cylinder (a Thailand-sourced turbo-diesel) and the Cummins 32-valve 5.0-liter V8 turbo-diesel found in the all-new 2016 Nissan Titan XD. Even with those contenders, Wards editors remained convinced that the FCA engine still leads in the pickup segment for refinement and fuel efficiency.”

Not only does this motor stand alone as the only pickup truck on the list, you will see that it is quite different interns of application and power production as well when compared to the other winning engines. The others included: BMW turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder, the Camaro’s direct-injection 3.6-liter V6, the 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder Chevy Volt hybrid powertrain, the Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang 5.2-liter V8, the 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder Hyundai Sonata hybrid, Nissan’s 3.5-liter V6, the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder boxer from Subaru, the Toyota Prius 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder hybrid and Volvo’s supercharged, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder.