So much marketing speak!
Unsurpassed: Not exceeded by anything else
"Ram 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel rated at an unsurpassed 33 mpg highway"
- "Unsurpassed" - Chevrolet matches the 33 mpg highway figure with the 3.0L diesel, so this is a true statement. Nobody surpasses the number.
- "Highway" must be specified because Chevrolet beats the combined number at 27 mpg.
- "Highway" must be specified because Ford beats the city number with 25 mpg city in the F150 Hybrid.
- "Ram 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel" must be specified because it's the only trim that gets the 23/33/26 mpg. Non-HFE drops to 22/32/26 mpg and 4WD trucks are at 21/29/24 mpg.
- For reference, all 2WD GM diesels are rated at 23/33/26 mpg, no "HFE" trim needed. 4WD trucks are 22/26/24.
- For reference, Ford are rated at 20/27/23 for 4WD trucks.
What does this mean? You will never see a Ram 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel on a dealer lot. HFE is a marketing trim that was put together strictly for number bragging in press releases (like this one). I'd even go so far to say that the HFE trim will be dropped for 2022, when the newness of the EcoDiesel launch has subsided and no more press releases are needed.