2014 Diesel 1500 Ram wins MT truck of the year

-
Hersbird

Hersbird

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2010
Messages
945
Reaction score
38
Location
Missoula, MT
I didn't even know they were putting the small diesel in an US trucks but it did pretty well. I started doing some math and it just doesn't work out to real world savings. The problem is in the cost of diesel at at least $.60/gal more then regular unleaded. So even if the truck is getting 27 compared to 21 on the gas version the cost every 500 miles is only $5 better. So after 50,000 miles you have saved $500 in gas but its a $4000 option and it needs that smurf urine added as well. Maybe resale will be higher like on the Cummins but I'm not convinced. The new Cummins they tested in a one ton will pull a double wide around but wouldn't break 20 mpg unloaded on the highway. I think I'd feel better about the lighter duty motor if they went with something tried and true like the I4 Cummins. Still good job Dodge for being first with a modern smaller diesel and first time back to back TOTY honors.
 
They also put the engine in the grand cherokee.
I agree that you have to run them alot of miles to pay off the milage difference.
 
I was seriously considering the new diesel. I did the math, decided to test drive the 3.6 gas Pentastar with 8 speed. Never thought I'd consider a V6 pickup but with 300 HP and the 8 speed I was sold. 0 to 60 is very close to the hemi. Love the truck. The intrumentation blew me away. Digital coolant temp, oil temp, tranny temp, oil pressure, and a lot more. The only problem is my wife likes it so much she wants to drive it all the time!
 
Congrats Idaho! I like that motor, now if only they slap a couple of turbos on it! I don't know what to get, I want 6 passenger, ability to tow 5-6000 pounds, awd, and 25+mpg but for around $20,000 used. I'm leaning toward the Ecoboost V6 flex but maybe these diesel Rams and Grand Cherokees will be better priced in a few years used.
 
Thanks. We've owned a quite a few vehicles, and we both enjoy this one the most by far. The V6 is rated to tow around 7000. Handles my 3500 lb boat fine. If I were doing a lot of towing I think I'd have waited for the diesel because mileage is likely much better while towing. It will be interesting to see what owners think of the new diesel. It's actually already been proven for several years in Europe.

From what I've heard the ecoboost is a solid engine as well but won't get you 25 mpg. The only one with that potential is the 3.0 diesel. I suspect resale value will be high making the math "difficult".
 
The ecoboost in the pickup won't get that much but in the smaller lower profile Flex it does. We don't really need a pickup, I have a utility trailer for that.
 
Just bought a 2014 RAM 1500 with the 5.7 hemi. I'll be using it to tow about 7500 lbs of trailer and race car. I'm hoping it gets decent mpg when towing, my 2000 RAM got about 7.5 mpg.
 
I still have my Ram 2500 CTD that I bought new in 2004.. Love this truck and plan on driving it for at least another five years. If I had to buy a new one now I'm not sure what I would buy. No way I could afford another new Cummins. Hopefully five years from now I will have a lot better options but I just hate all that emissions crap they have on them now...Looking forward to seeing how this new half ton performs.. BTW ,Nissan has a Cummins going in a truck soon..
 
The new dodge is a nice unit in the gas version, but Chrysler screwed up by not buying the cummins engine that was contracted to Nissan. The 3.0 is an engine Fiat has an interest in. SO.........
I bought a 12'3500 to avoid the need for the additive, a requirement on the 13'. The good side of the full size is the ability to pull a great deal of weight very safety. Also, The exhaust brake is a godsend! Then , The resale is way above ford or chevy.It baffles me that people will pay almost as much for a one year old cummins as the price of a new one. I ask all my ford friends why there are ford trucks sitting in front of the cummins shops? For engine swaps of course! However, if you don't need to tow a lot, the lighter version will serve dodge owners well, and the gas version will be a big hit! That $4,000 extra for a diesel that is a light duty truck is a big question mark, though. I recently tried to get a towing rating from the Ram site for the 3.0, to no avail, although the gas option showed a rating. I wonder why? On the positive side of light duty diesel vehicles, my son owned a 2005 diesel liberty with the 3.0, and the vehicle traded in at double the value of the 3.7 version.he also got 28 city VS 16 for the gas version, but his service costs were a bit more.(oil changes, filters,etc) he still feels like he came out better in the end.
Interestingly, My 12' gets the exact same mileage in an automatic setup that my 160HP 1996 2500 cummins got. Also, every cummins I have owned gets better mileage as the miles on the truck goes up. my best was when the trucks hit the 30k mark. Regarding towing, I tried a 2500 with the hemi, and with 8000 on the back it got 8 mpg. empty it got 12. I suspect that 21 rating in the gas truck is coasting downhill, and I'm sure as good as the phoenix engine is, with a heavy load the actual mileage will be much less. my experience is the diesel when pulling a load will always get better mileage than a gas engine in the same situation, so I ignore the highway ratings.
A relative of mine drives the new Chrysler and loves it, and gets 21 city. If I could afford two trucks, the 3500 would be king, and a sharp two door 1500 2WD with the phoenix engine would be my light duty Truck, in yellow with white interior like my first 68' charger! Better yet, a new challenger in that color combo with the phoenix engine, now that would be a beautiful ride, with better mileage than the 300. I know, good luck with that..........
I suspect a Nissan with the cummins reputation will eat into dodge light truck business.:profilel:
 
oldmopardude said:
The new dodge is a nice unit in the gas version, but Chrysler screwed up by not buying the cummins engine that was contracted to Nissan. The 3.0 is an engine Fiat has an interest in. SO.........
I bought a 12'3500 to avoid the need for the additive, a requirement on the 13'. The good side of the full size is the ability to pull a great deal of weight very safety. Also, The exhaust brake is a godsend! Then , The resale is way above ford or chevy.It baffles me that people will pay almost as much for a one year old cummins as the price of a new one. I ask all my ford friends why there are ford trucks sitting in front of the cummins shops? For engine swaps of course! However, if you don't need to tow a lot, the lighter version will serve dodge owners well, and the gas version will be a big hit! That $4,000 extra for a diesel that is a light duty truck is a big question mark, though. I recently tried to get a towing rating from the Ram site for the 3.0, to no avail, although the gas option showed a rating. I wonder why? On the positive side of light duty diesel vehicles, my son owned a 2005 diesel liberty with the 3.0, and the vehicle traded in at double the value of the 3.7 version.he also got 28 city VS 16 for the gas version, but his service costs were a bit more.(oil changes, filters,etc) he still feels like he came out better in the end.
Interestingly, My 12' gets the exact same mileage in an automatic setup that my 160HP 1996 2500 cummins got. Also, every cummins I have owned gets better mileage as the miles on the truck goes up. my best was when the trucks hit the 30k mark. Regarding towing, I tried a 2500 with the hemi, and with 8000 on the back it got 8 mpg. empty it got 12. I suspect that 21 rating in the gas truck is coasting downhill, and I'm sure as good as the phoenix engine is, with a heavy load the actual mileage will be much less. my experience is the diesel when pulling a load will always get better mileage than a gas engine in the same situation, so I ignore the highway ratings.
A relative of mine drives the new Chrysler and loves it, and gets 21 city. If I could afford two trucks, the 3500 would be king, and a sharp two door 1500 2WD with the phoenix engine would be my light duty Truck, in yellow with white interior like my first 68' charger! Better yet, a new challenger in that color combo with the phoenix engine, now that would be a beautiful ride, with better mileage than the 300. I know, good luck with that..........
I suspect a Nissan with the cummins reputation will eat into dodge light truck business.:profilel:
Click to expand...

My 2010 Ram 1500 Crew with a Hemi gets 11 mpg around town! I once didnt like this thing because of the rattles but those problems are resolved but 11 MPG sucks........
 
I agree. I tested a 2012 Ram 1500 quad cab with 3 miles on it. I put 7 gallons in it, drove 10 miles back to my home, hooked up my car trailer with my 68' dart on it. Towed ten more miles, then ten to the dealer, 30 miles total, 20 with a loaded trailer. out of gas! that was a hair over 7 mpg. I had to hook up the trailer to my old reliable 97' to get home, as I refused to put another gallon in that 1500. I bought another Cummins truck. I can pull 10-15k lbs, which is about 60% of max load rating, get 14 or more at 80 mph in the mountains. plus my suit doesn't get wrinkled, and I don't crap my pants over Raton pass in Colorado! Between auto tow and the exhaust brake, this truck almost drives itself! It costs $200.00 a month more to own,compared to the 1500, (40k versus 30K), but it doesn't depreciate 50% in three or four years. I just sold my 97' Cummins for 11,000. a 2500 gas truck may be worth 3500.00 if you could find someone who wants it. A guy just tried to sell me a V10 for 2000 bucks, here locally. he gets 6 mpg real regular. My 97'1500 gets 14.8 day in and out with the 360 4WD. but 15.8 empty, is the best it will ever see short of me lying about it! HAHA:profilel:
 
No doubt Cummins has a solid reputation. It would be interesting to know the details of how Ram made their choice. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. The 3.0 appears to be a very solid platform. I'd be surprised if its not a winner.
 
I agree with oldmopardude, 5.0 turbo v8 cummins in the titan is gonna be awesome! Too bad its in a nissan, ram screwed up by passing up the cummins for a 1-2mpg increase with the small fiat diesel at the cost of about 100hp and tq, not to mention the avid cummins brand name recognition, which is the single reason why people buy the HD rams over other trucks imo. Oops!
 
It's still so stupid to me how long it is taking for diesels to become more common in cars and light trucks. I KNOW diesel prices being higher than gas are for moneymaking purposes ONLY, diesel is easier and cheaper to refine than gasoline. All these dumb hybrids people are driving would be actually as efficient as they're worth if they were DIESEL-electric hybrids instead of gas.

All I want is a small RWD car with a turbodiesel and stick-shift... is that so much to ask? Oh wait I live in America so YES it is:wack: lol rant over
 
Part of the diesel price is it has to come from specific crude that is low sulfur. Well it doesn'thave to to work but the feds require it. Also although it is easier to refine it contains some of the more expensive products that are pulled out of unlead and sold for a lot on their own. Sort of like pulling cream off milk makes the pure milk more expensive even though it is less refined then the store milk.
 
Where it's going to pay is while towing. My 05 ram cummins 4wd made it towing 6k lbs from nor cal to Vegas on one tank of fuel. If that was a hemi you would have filled up 21/2 times. That's where diesels shine. Everyday driving not so much.
 
HemiMark said:
My 2010 Ram 1500 Crew with a Hemi gets 11 mpg around town! I once didnt like this thing because of the rattles but those problems are resolved but 11 MPG sucks........
Click to expand...

That's slightly worse than my '93 Ramcharger with a Magnum 360. With combo driving and a light foot I have seen 14.1 MPG
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
It's still so stupid to me how long it is taking for diesels to become more common in cars and light trucks. I KNOW diesel prices being higher than gas are for moneymaking purposes ONLY, diesel is easier and cheaper to refine than gasoline. All these dumb hybrids people are driving would be actually as efficient as they're worth if they were DIESEL-electric hybrids instead of gas.

All I want is a small RWD car with a turbodiesel and stick-shift... is that so much to ask? Oh wait I live in America so YES it is:wack: lol rant over
Click to expand...

I agree with you...Mazda 6 has a TD as well as the Chevy Cruize. But that is about it, unless you count VW and I won't. Quality, reliability? Nope
 
Where you can really make a diesel shine is to make your own and I don't mean using used fryer oil. You can make it pretty cheep using brand new veggie oil depending on where you live and you can make it work in the cold as well. If you have a few acres to grow then its even less. Might come in handy after the zombies take over.
 
your big payoff with the diesel is its longevity. Although I do agree that a 4bt cummins would be a far better option.
 
Cummins have good longevity but I don't know bout the others. Duramax don't seem that much more long lasting then a small block Chevy. The VW TDIs may be better then the average VW motor but no better then a Honda or Toyota 4 cylinder. Plus the motor may go 300k but what about the injectors and pumps? If you have to spend as much on those parts every 150k as rebuilding a whole gas motor are you really saving anything?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top