I Almost Want One - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

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I Almost Want One - 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Long-Term Road Test

Our long-term 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is so easy to drive that even boring people like yours truly would love to own one.

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kirkhilles1

I've never owned a truck, but I could appreciate how much you could do with one. HOWEVER, I couldn't stand the poor reliability of these models as your experience indicated (I could DEFINITELY go for a Ridgeline though). I also couldn't deal with the extra Diesel costs (and availability), the extra cost/worry of the DEF and, oh yeah, the 11 quarts of oil and $60 filter. No thanks. I would've been horrified to have a $250 regular maintenance bill for a vehicle with less than 9k on it.

bankerdanny

My brother-in-law tows frequently and would love a truck like this except for the fact that he often does so with my sister, their 3 kids and the dog along and even a crew cab is insufficient for such use. I still wait for GM or Ford to offer an engine like this in the Suburban or Expedition.

allthingshonda

I would get a Ram with the Hemi, not the diesel. Even though it has loads of torque it can't tow or haul any more than the Hemi powered Ram. And the cost of diesel, DEF, frequent fuel filter changes and if you keep it for the real long term DPF replacement makes it far more expensive to maintain.

socal_eric

While the fuel issue could be unnerving I wouldn't call this particular truck unreliable. That doesn't seem to be a widespread or remotely common issue and the fact the truck restarted when it did happen (although they decide to have it towed) doesn't seem like a catastrophic issue although it should was taken seriously by Chrysler (witness their engineering involvement which I don't think was special treatment as much as it was the dealer using the Chrysler internal tech hotline, not coming up with an answer and Chrysler trying to get on top of a potential issue that might affect a popular, new model).

For some people the extra cost and maintenance of a diesel isn't for them. If you've never owned a diesel powered truck, while a gas powered model usually runs less, the maintenance costs for the 3.0L turbo diesel in the 1500 aren't out of line with the heavy duty diesel costs of the Cummins or even competitors' HD (2500/3500) diesel models. Sure, the particulate filter might need replacement or servicing way down the road (off-vehicle regen/cleaning or potential replacement) but you also have an emission warranty that is way longer than the powertrain and bumper-to-bumper warranty.

The diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) won't leave you stranded if you use any common sense and fill it up when warnings start to appear and nearly any service station, auto parts store, or even Wal-Mart carry it now. Even in the middle of nowhere, if you found diesel but not DEF you'd still have to refill the fuel a couple times once the warning indicator started to come on and almost certainly one of those stations will have DEF. The cost of buying it at the pump at a fuel station catering to big rigs or ordering it online is much less, but even higher dealer prices don't factor too much into cost-to-own per mile when all factors are considered (depreciation, fuel, maintenance, etc.)

Runs the numbers, work the math, and assess how you plan to use the truck. If you do a lot of light duty towing, rack up a ton of miles daily driving, and diesel is historically close to the price of gas in your area (or cheaper), then the EcoDiesel might be the best option. If you don't need to tow a lot of weight, diesel is more expensive and running costs are important then maybe the Pentastar V6 would work best. Or for those using their truck to tow heavier loads a couple times a month, have another daily driver, and won't keep it a long time (where better resale and long-term running costs might favor the diesel) a gas Hemi might be a good choice.

It's all about those choices and it's nice to have an option for people where a light duty diesel, full size truck makes sense.

desmolicious

Wow, I had no idea that for the price of a loaded Honda minivan you could buy a really sweet Dodge truck.

schmeg

If a person compares a truck to a minivan, they have no business behind the wheel of the truck other than to satisfy their ego. The 2 are completely different vehicles. I would like to see you tow a 32 foot camper with a minivan or a Ridgeline. I tow 7200 lbs with my ED regularly. It pulls well and delivers 14 towing 24-28 not towing. I have a fiberglass cap on the back for extra storage. I can do all this with 4 full sized adults in the cab. Its been dead nuts reliable. Try that with a grocery getter.

skisurf1

Okay did you really just compare a Ram's reliability to a Honda?

defragger

Yes, I hope you cannot compare the Ram's reliability to the Honda Odyssey!!!!

As the owner of a 2004 Honda Odyssey and my wife a new owner of a Ram 1500 ED, there is no comparison between the two.
The Ram:
-Gets better fuel Mileage
-MUCH better thought out interior, nicer materials as well.
-just plain fun to drive, we almost look for excuses to take it out. Have not felt that since my turbo Mitsubishi. A truck fun to drive??? yep!
-great brakes and handling, smooth and quiet.

The Odyssey:
- The fit of body components was tight, the lines were very straight.
- VERY BAD Reliability, seems like EVERYTHING but the engine, paint and glass has failed on this thing. most everything electrical, transmission, ignition locks, door locks, motors, Air bags (before recall), chews up brake rotors... Plus, Honda is not nice to deal with, for bad designs there is no standard policy where they just give everyone the fix, you have to fight them on each one, and some customers end up getting the fix, and some don't.
- poorly designed interior (especially compared to the grand caravan we had before it).
- Poor interior seat materials. Every other vehicle I have dumped has had a perfect interior(crushing these seems like a crime), this one the seat fabric looked worn quickly, and then started ripping, The foam in the seats compressed (never had that before either) . One positive, the rug actually held up.

The Honda sure was not worth the premium over other minivans, sure hope the RAM is better than that was.