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.
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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.
