Oregon Road Trip, Colder Weather in Bend - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Oregon Road Trip, Colder Weather in Bend - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

The leg to Bend, Oregon gave us a chance to expose our 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel to a little cold weather and some snow-covered back roads.

Read the full story here

bankerdanny

i completely agree Dan. And really, 26mpg in a full size 4x4 pickup is astounding. I have a 1991 Chevy S-10 Blazer 4x4 and it gets 17-18 on the highway, heck my 2007 Subaru Forester and 2004 VW Jetta 18.T didn't do better than 26 highway.

PF_Flyer

bankerdanny said:

i completely agree Dan. And really, 26mpg in a full size 4x4 pickup is astounding. I have a 1991 Chevy S-10 Blazer 4x4 and it gets 17-18 on the highway, heck my 2007 Subaru Forester and 2004 VW Jetta 18.T didn't do better than 26 highway.

That is a good number, and the range of the truck between fillups was impressive as well considering the less-than-autobahn type roads and the colder weather hit on mileage

chol92594

Even if diesel models cost more at purchase and take longer to break even on (that is, getting to the point where the better fuel economy is saving you money), there's still the perceived psychological benefits from getting 26 mpg in a large truck like this. The same goes for getting 40+ MPG in a Jetta or Golf TDI. The long range is nice too, since it means that you can make long trips knowing that you'll rarely have to stop for fuel.

In relation to the Ram, the auto-heating feature is actually a brilliant idea and I have to wonder why more manufacturers don't integrate something like that. It makes more sense with a remote start, since most people would probably turn on heated seats and such the moment they get in the car, but it's still a nice touch that makes you think that Dodge really tried to engineer this truck as well as they could.

Gotta say, though. That wood trim looks awfully fake for a vehicle of this price. I'm not saying that I'd expect Dodge to put real wood in this truck, but I've seen better imitations than that.

vdot

I have the same engine in the jeep cherokee and I got a 275 gal tank in the garage filled with legit on-road diesel fuel. I still buy fuel out and about but it's nice for when I've got my infant son in tow and stopping at a gas station is inconvenient. Also, I'm not a prepper by any means but I dont mind having a 6 months of diesel on hand just in case. I would never store that much gasoline. I've never seen anyone comment on this aspect of having a diesel car.

PF_Flyer

vdot said:

I have the same engine in the jeep cherokee and I got a 275 gal tank in the garage filled with legit on-road diesel fuel. I still buy fuel out and about but it's nice for when I've got my infant son in tow and stopping at a gas station is inconvenient. Also, I'm not a prepper by any means but I dont mind having a 6 months of diesel on hand just in case. I would never store that much gasoline. I've never seen anyone comment on this aspect of having a diesel car.

I imagine that local zoning might prevent a lot of people from storing large quantities of any fuel for vehicular use unless you're talking about a farm

jbowen52

I have also been astounded at the mileage I'm getting with the 3.6 gas in a Big Horn Crewcab 4X4. I routinely get 23-24 MPG on trips (definitely speed related) but much better than I ever expected from a full size pickup. Even around town, I'm beating the city mileage, around 18. That V6 gas engine and 8 speed automatic are magic! I would still have a hard time justifying the small diesel given fuel cost unless I planned to tow something heavier. Small boats (ski inboard) and small camping trailers are no problem.