Spending 10 days with Ram Trucks’ 2014 1500 EcoDiesel Crew Cab 4×4 while putting on more than 600 miles in varied driving conditions reveals a lot about the truck’s performance.
The VM Motori EcoDiesel is a strong performer for a 3.0L V-6. Its broad torque curve – developing 420 lb-ft and 240hp, aided by the 8-speed automatic – pulls the crew cab 4×4 easily from off-throttle to about 3,500rpm while making max horsepower at 4,000rpm according to VM’s data.
Ram Truck’s 3.0L V-6 EcoDiesel gets better fuel economy than the Pentastar V-6 and makes more torque the the 5.7L Hemi V-8.
Straight-line performance: 0-60mph in 9.4 seconds; 1/8-mile in [email protected]; and 1/4-mile in [email protected]. Those numbers were without any pre-loading (power-braking) to get the turbo up on boost.
To me the engine has driving characteristics akin to the Ram Hemi in that the turbo spools up quickly and the truck pulls like a small-block gas engine up to about 65mph with the 3.55 axle ratio.
The EcoDiesel 1500 cruises effortlessly at interstate speeds thanks to the eight-speed automatic’s double overdrives. The automatic shifts are well-spaced, quick and smooth, too.
Where the EcoDiesel shines is mid-range acceleration, such as passing slower vehicles or merging fast-moving traffic in those 35-65mph situations.
It also shines in fuel economy, far surpassing any other truck we’ve tested to date.
Towing a 4,000-pound enclosed trailer was easy work for the 240hp EcoDiesel V-6.
During my highway testing along Oregon’s I-5 near Eugene, the engine sipped fuel at a miserly 29.4mpg during a 100-mile test loop while cruising between 65-70mph.
City driving dropped the number to 22.1, while towing a 4,000-pound enclosed trailer took mpg down to 14.2.
The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 4Ă—4 would be an ideal candidate for anyone who tows lighter trailers and/or hauls loads in the bed, such as landscapers, carpenters, boaters and ATVers.
It has the torque and fuel economy to serve those work and recreational needs quite well.
Ram Truck’s 3.0L V-6 EcoDiesel gets better fuel economy than the Pentastar V-6 and makes more torque the the 5.7L Hemi V-8.
Towing a 4,000-pound enclosed trailer was easy work for the 240hp EcoDiesel V-6.
