Ram 1500 Owners With The Ecodiesel Motor

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
I'm eyeballing this truck very hard. I'm considering replacing my daily driver/commuter car with it because it looks to get the same gas mileage as my 05 Acura TL (~29freeway/~20town/21avg) and I don't currently have anything that I can transport my motorcycle with and I don't really want the hassle of owning 2 vehicles (did that for a while... too much space).

Anywho, enough backstory. I'm going to buy used because I'm not a fan of sucking up the depreciation of the first year or 2 of a vehicle. For those of you with this truck - how do you like it? How's the reliability been for you? How's your real-world mileage been? Which trim line did you get? Would you have gone another route, knowing what you know now? (different trim, different vehicle, etc)
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Fuelly seems confused, with options for V6 diesel and 3.0L V6 diesel. However, results are about the same:

2014 Ram 1500 Mileage
Based on data from 30 vehicles, 691 fuel-ups and 310,713 miles of driving, the 2014 Ram 1500 gets a combined Avg MPG of 22.26 with a 0.32 MPG margin of error.

2014 Ram 1500 Mileage
Based on data from 196 vehicles, 5,923 fuel-ups and 2,766,609 miles of driving, the 2014 Ram 1500 gets a combined Avg MPG of 22.72 with a 0.10 MPG margin of error.
 

Beer4Me

Senior member
Mar 16, 2011
564
20
76
Speaking from experience after owning my first FCA product, I'll say that they are feature loaded, and on the surface, they are very nice. They still got some ways to go.
Sorry I cannot speak about EcoDiesel, but I'll provide my feedback on the truck I owned with the V8 Hemi if that's ok with you. My background, I owned a '14 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7 Hemi V8 (trim: Laramie) in Granite Crystal Metallic for 13k miles + 1 year, and it was bought new. At the time when I bought the truck, FCA was doing some massive promos so I got the truck for 10K off sticker with little/no haggling, that should've been a red flag there. LOL!

In any case, my truck had 3 safety recalls on it, 1 being the Uconnect system. Rather than write out a long reply. Here's my TLDR:

Pros:
-Nice interior with soft touch material everywhere
-Laramie trim (which is not even top-level) gets you everything you could ever possibly need and then some. My truck had cooled/heated fr seats and heated rr seats, heated steering wheel, full leather interior, fr/rr parking sensors, Nav, Auto climate, power moonroof, power adjustable pedals, memory seats, list goes on and on. I mean it was loaded.
-Hemi V8 is rock solid and so is the 8spd auto
-Avg'd 17-18 MPG with my truck with mostly CITY driving and some highway
-Uconnect (outside of the Nav, more on that on Cons) is very responsive and easy to use
-Very quiet, smooth ride
-Received lots of compliments about the interior

Cons
-FCA still has QC issues. These trucks are assembled in Mexico last I checked. If you frequent the RAM forums, QC issues abound. Some as even as bad as mis-aligned/mis-installed truck beds! I couldn't find any outstanding issues with my vehicle.
-Interior rattles!!!! If you're overly sensitive to noises your vehicle makes (I am), look elsewhere! I had a dash rattle which dealer could not resolve, I did it myself. Also, my brake pedal also rattled over bumps. Power-sliding rear window also rattled when in opened. Ugh.
-Uconnect Nav/GPS is horrible! It's slow, and it will take you on some really bad routes. Most of time, I ended up having to use GMaps any way.
-Oil filter location. If you do your own maintenance, changing the oil filter is a HUGE PITA on the Hemi's on these trucks.
-Leather quality on the front seats. I only had 13k miles on mine, and I noticed that the stitching on the driver seats was getting worn already. Warranty would've covered it.
-Map/console light already went out 2 mos after owning the vehicle, and since it is a soldered on LED system, the dealer has to replace the whole upper console. WTF. If you search the forums, this is apparently a widespread issue on the '14 models. Bad batch of parts?
-Dealers... I went to 2 Dodge/RAM dealers for my issues, and neither really seemed overly concerned or wanting to resolve the issues I was having. 1 dealer even nicked the paint on my truck during their possession. Also, the service waiting area felt like I was surrounded by "people of walmart".
-SLOW acceleration. My truck had the 3.21 gears which I'm sure is attributed to the better than expected mpg my truck returned, but man it was a pig. 400 lb/ft torque doesn't move 6000 lb very fast esp with 3.21 gears behind it. For reference, my 2010 Tundra 4x2, 6 spd auto and the small block 4.6L V8 felt a lot faster, but it had 4.10 gears in it courtesy of the tow package.

I sold the truck, and went back to a car. :) Much happier, for now...
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
Wow, thanks for the thorough reply. I wonder if others have had similar experiences.

It's funn you point out the rattling issue being particularly annoying to you. It is to me too. It's one of the reasons I love my TL so much! 11 years old 140k miles under her belt and there are still no rattles to speak of.

I've actually been considering going with the tradesman and having a close friend that's a high-level auto installer do aftermarket stereo/nav and another guy installing premium leather on the seats for $1000. I prefer to use a tablet for GPS anyway so I don't really want their proprietary GPS/infotainment system. Honestly, I just want a full size truck that gets mid-size sedan mileage... and this is the only one that fits the bill. Your cons, however, are making me reconsider that. It's the kind of feedback that is glazed over in most professional reviews... their short duration evaluations of vehicles never last long enough for the nasty bugs to truly show their faces. And rattles are one of the things that drive me bonkers quickest (as a former hi-fi car audio guy, I spent more time silencing rattles than tweaking EQ settings)
 

Beer4Me

Senior member
Mar 16, 2011
564
20
76
Yea, I just got a new Lexus GS 350 Fsport myself. Happy to be back with a Lexus/Toyota. :) Good luck!
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
Yea, I just got a new Lexus GS 350 Fsport myself. Happy to be back with a Lexus/Toyota. :) Good luck!

Thanks, and congrats. On an aside, if you're making due with a GS, what had prompted you to buy a full size truck?
 

Subyman

Moderator <br> VC&G Forum
Mar 18, 2005
7,876
32
86
You may want to look into the new Canyon/Colorado diesel trucks. They were just rated at 31 MPG hwy. It is a bit smaller than the Ram.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
I can't speak for the diesel, but I have a 2014 5.7L 4x4 Outdoorsman which I picked up in Oct 2014. I have had no problems at all other than one rattle in the floor console, which I fixed myself with some foam tape. I find Uconnect to be the best stack of any of the major players, including BMW (I have had quite a few modern iDrives). I have also had no other issues so far. I've driven it to Florida and back and got 22MPG calculated by hand for the 2700 mile drive. I get about 19MPG daily with 90% surface driving.

my truck is also quick, but that is because I have 3.92 gears. They run mid to high 5 second 0-60s as equipped. My tires seem to be wearing quickly though. :(

As a heads up, you REALLY want one built in Warren MI and not Mexico.
 

Beer4Me

Senior member
Mar 16, 2011
564
20
76
Thanks, and congrats. On an aside, if you're making due with a GS, what had prompted you to buy a full size truck?

Previously owned a base Tundra, used to track motorcycles. Came into some money, and I wanted a new truck with some luxury. Bought a house and got married, now that we're settled in the house and I sold my bikes, no longer need/wanted a truck. Tbh, it was a mistake buying the Ram on a personal level, but live and learn. Wife and I are expecting so an SUV is in our near future unfortunately. D: Knowing my wife, itll be the new RX from Lexus. :eek:
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
Previously owned a base Tundra, used to track motorcycles. Came into some money, and I wanted a new truck with some luxury. Bought a house and got married, now that we're settled in the house and I sold my bikes, no longer need/wanted a truck. Tbh, it was a mistake buying the Ram on a personal level, but live and learn. Wife and I are expecting so an SUV is in our near future unfortunately. D: Knowing my wife, itll be the new RX from Lexus. :eek:
Nice! I really miss my Tundra, it was an awesome truck. I got rid of it in 06 because, at the time, I couldn't afford to drive it (20k annual miles) at $5/gallon
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Nice, Gilroy's not too far from me in the Bay. Not a bad price, these Big Horns are only 3k more than a base model I saw.
 

ra1nman

Senior member
Dec 9, 2007
333
4
81
On an unrelated note I had a 00' Tundra as well and I miss having it. I ended up totaling it last year after hitting some black ice on the highway. I wanted something a bit sportier and 4 doors so I picked up a G35x :) If a 4-door Tacoma with 4wd was in my price range, i'd be in one of those.

Good luck with your search!
 

SurelyYouJest

Member
Jul 17, 2013
99
0
0
I have a 2015 Ram Ecodiesel Big Horn extended cab 4 door. Purchased July 3rd 2015. I traded a 2008 Toyota Tundra SR5 TRD for it. I now have just under 3000 miles on it >60% of them towing equipment. I have no rattles or squeaks. I like the interior and the 8.4A (no nav) infotainment system. The heated seats are great but I think the heated steering wheel gets to hot.
On a recent trip I averaged 13.4 mpg while towing a 4000lb piece of equipment that was 9.5 foot wide and 8.5 tall. For comparison my Tundra (5.7L) on a similar trip average mpg was 9.8 mpg. On the return trip with out the trailer, mostly 65 mph, I got 30+ mpg.
The two complaints I have are:
The cap on the center console has a sharp edge right where my knee hits it when my foot it on the gas pedal.
Between 60 and 75 mph when towing this thing has very little passing ability.

My BIL and sister rode with me just after I got it and liked it so much they went and got one.
 

Gillbot

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
28,830
17
81
Can't speak on the eco diesel but I have a 2012 ram big horn with 110k on it. 5.7 hemi has been flawless, and aside from the recalls over mostly trivial stuff, I can't complain. Only "major" service was a check engine that took the dealer a bit to figure out. Ended up being a bad wire harness but for a 110k mile truck, can't complain. All I've ever done to it is drive and change the oil.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,473
5,947
136
I looked into the diesel Rams a lot when they first came out. There were a few folks that weren't happy with the dependability of the Italian made engine. Saw one picture with the piston turned sideways in the cylinder. Other than the one picture, it was all hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt.

I ended up with a Ford because the local Ram dealers couldn't figure out how to order a truck with the diesel engine. They were well beyond inept.
 

jdoggg12

Platinum Member
Aug 20, 2005
2,685
11
81
I appreciate all the input, keep it coming!

I took one for a test drive and was impressed with the ride. I've always felt that American vehicle interiors felt cheap but was surprised to have that opinion flipped on its head after sitting in a Big Horn version. It seems that a lot of owners are happy with them because there's not very many on the used market yet. (I know it's a pretty new truck but lease returns usually start popping up around now on those)
 

Beer4Me

Senior member
Mar 16, 2011
564
20
76
Depends where you are. In Texas, there's a bunch of these used on the market already (including mine har har). With the current deals FCA is running I don't think it makes much sense to buy used. Use truecar.com, get a cert, and go buy it new. Should easily get 10-12k off sticker using truecar with current incentives. That's what I did when I got mine.
 

Subyman

Moderator <br> VC&G Forum
Mar 18, 2005
7,876
32
86
My next truck will be diesel. I bought a 2014 Sierra 1500 last year and really like it, but when towing I'd rather have the diesel torque. With gas at $1.80 in my area though, its hard to complain :)