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Top 10 Diesel-Engine Vehicles Available in Canada in 2021

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Vincent Aubé
Diesel fans, if you want satisfaction for your next vehicle, go for an American truck!

Auto123 scrapes together a list of the Top 10 diesel-engine options available to Canadians in 2021.

Since the Dieselgate scandal broke in 2015, exposing the Volkswagen Group's long-standing efforts to circumvent emissions tests, diesel engines have been pretty nearly wiped out on the North American market. Even the European continent, until recently much more friendly ground for diesel, has seen it lose tons of market share. It’s become clear that the engine invented by Rudolf Diesel is threatened with extinction in an era where electric power continues to position itself as the prime alternative choice in the automotive world.

See also: Top 10 2020 diesel-engine vehicles available in Canada

For 2021, we took a new look at the entire Canadian automotive industry - leaving aside the commercial segment - and found that, lo and behold, the availability of diesel-engine vehicles in Canada is nothing like what it was even in 2015. In fact, if you combine related vehicles (like the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra, for example), the list of vehicles available with a turbo-diesel engine stops at… 10! And as you'll see, you have to love American trucks to get back behind the wheel of a new vehicle with a diesel-carburized engine.

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Ram Heavy Duty

2021 Ram HD
2021 Ram HD
Photo: Ram

Ram (formerly Dodge) has been offering us its line of pickup trucks designed for construction sites and other heady-duty work for a long time now. The Ram Heavy Duty (or HD if you prefer) is not what you would call a passenger vehicle, first of all because not everyone can handle piloting such a vehicle in heavy traffic. Not that it's impossible to drive, but you do have to accept the conditions imposed by such a bulky vehicle, which thirsts for diesel and delivers truck-level comfort (i.e., unlike what you get from a Chrysler 300 for example!).

But, when it comes to getting jobs done, this workmate could, if you needed it to, tow your house to the top of a mountain! Here, the Cummins 6-cylinder in-line turbodiesel engine produces 370 hp (or 400 hp) and 850 lb-ft (or 1,000 lb-ft) of optimum torque, depending on the configuration.

Ram HD, at work
Ram HD, at work
Photo: Ram
Ram HD, rear
Ram HD, rear
Photo: Ram
Vincent Aubé
Vincent Aubé
Automotive expert
  • Over 17 years' experience as an automotive journalist
  • More than 60 test drives in the past year
  • Participation in over 200 new vehicle launches in the presence of the brand's technical specialists