Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie EcoDiesel

[Autos_Editor]

Ecodiesel-powered RAM 1500 turns in Hemi torque and small crossover fuel consumption.

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[KD]

Should make a good tow vehicle.  What's up with the video not being playable?  I can't read this early in the morning...

[Ex-airbalancer]

What a childish comment

The new dial shifter is not, conversely, satisfying or rugged. Years of evolution have primed men to hunt stuff, chase stuff, cook stuff with fire, and shift gears in pickup trucks using manly levers. That’s not the case here though, since there’s this little silver metal knob instead. It’s not unlike the kind your wife uses to activate her designer smoothie-blender.

 
You really need to grow up

[KD]

^ I'm sure that comes across better in the video version....

[whaddaiknow]

Should make a good tow vehicle.  What's up with the video not being playable?  I can't read this early in the morning...

Same here, can't view the video and feel too lazy to read. 

[JacobBlack]

Video is fixed now. Apparently JP also feels the "privacy settings" button isn't manly enough to use either... 

[whaddaiknow]

Video is fixed now. Apparently JP also feels the "privacy settings" button isn't manly enough to use either... 

Just watched the video. Made me want one. Sweet truck.

[OliverD]

I am not a big fan of the two tone paint treatment.  These look better to my eye in a single colour.

Agreed, but most Laramies seem to be spec'ed in two tone.

Too bad the diesel isn't available on the Sport model, appearance wise it's my favorite of the various Ram trim levels.

[mixmanmash]

Nice mileage.

But one note for correction:  a suffix is at the end and not at the beginning.  A prefix is at the beginning.

Suffix:  Cruze-Eco
Prefix: Ecodiesel, Ecotec, Ecoboost

[blotter]

I sat in a RAM when waiting around the dealership for the Fiat's first service.

the dial shifter is kinda strange when you've never really seen that before.  I'd actually prefer just getting used to it and having a nicer appointment dash / storage design.  In an automatic you're not playing around with that too often.   


I prefer the two tone body colour scheme over the chrome treatment, but ultimately prefer the simple body colour treatment over two tone.   
I've been learning pretty quickly that although they have a zillion models / trims / packages, if you're picky on the looks and specs you're limited to what you can get. 

[Fobroader]

$70K for a 1/2 ton truck  I agree about the stupid gear selector, hated it on the one I drove, kept on going for it to change the radio volume. Sounds like a decent enough truck but thats a lot of new tech for Chrysler, 9spd, diesel, air ride.....I don't know, extended warranty would be almost a must have. I still can't wrap my head around the cost, for $70k you can easily buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will pull damn near 3 times as much as this and have much stronger running gear. This would work for me in the mid to high $40k range....any higher, might as well go HD truck.

[Fobroader]

$70K for a 1/2 ton truck  I agree about the stupid gear selector, hated it on the one I drove, kept on going for it to change the radio volume. Sounds like a decent enough truck but thats a lot of new tech for Chrysler, 9spd, diesel, air ride.....I don't know, extended warranty would be almost a must have. I still can't wrap my head around the cost, for $70k you can easily buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will pull damn near 3 times as much as this and have much stronger running gear. This would work for me in the mid to high $40k range....any higher, might as well go HD truck.

Or, in my case, I could just keep buying my F150 XLT 4x4 Supercrew's for heavily discounted prices and just not care about the worse fuel economy.  I agree re the new tech.  Its all fun and games until the gremlin chasing begins.

Oh if I was going half ton, GM with the 5.3 would serve my purpose more than well enough and for a hell of a lot less. Ill take a proven drivetrain anyday.

[tpl]

I wonder , AP and Fob, if this particular variety of RAM is not really intended to be a truck.   It is a large, new high tech family sedan with load carrying.   Sort of a hobby farm compared to a real farm.   That it is not expected by Chrysler that people who want a real working truck would buy one.   
Speaking as someone who is not and will never be a truck person.

[Fobroader]

I wonder , AP and Fob, if this particular variety of RAM is not really intended to be a truck.   It is a large, new high tech family sedan with load carrying.   Sort of a hobby farm compared to a real farm.   That it is not expected by Chrysler that people who want a real working truck would buy one.   
Speaking as someone who is not and will never be a truck person.

Speaking as a truck guy, I cannot see someone driving one without actually needing one. I will be the first to agree that they can be used to commute, but you can do a lot better. It would blow my mind that someone would have a truck as a primary vehicle unless they were hauling or pulling on a regular basis. Having a beater truck around the house for Home Depot/dump runs, ok, but to drive one everyday, I'd much rather DD something better on gas and practical.....like an FR-S or STi 

[tpl]

^^^  I certainly blows my mind that anyone would have a truck unless they needed the load carrying but many,many people do just that...maybe they just like big and to be high up and of course the 'manliness' of a truck.  I dunno, I'm a city boy who uses the telephone if I need something big/heavy transported.

[PJungnitsch]

Most real working trucks are not loaded with heavy loads and are not heavy duties, not unless you want your teeth rattled out of your head on bad roads (GM being the only exception as far as I know). Even if you go HD, 3/4 tons have pretty limited weight carrying. What they are good at is hauling campers around. At my last job half the department made the mistake of ordering Superduties and those clumsy bastards will literally jump sideways if you hit any kind of washboard at speed.

Why half ton trucks are so popular out of the city is they are great rural road (gravel/mud/snow/stubble/grass) machines, and most of the stuff you need to load in the bed is not terribly heavy.

[Fobroader]

^^^  I certainly blows my mind that anyone would have a truck unless they needed the load carrying but many,many people do just that...maybe they just like big and to be high up and of course the 'manliness' of a truck.  I dunno, I'm a city boy who uses the telephone if I need something big/heavy transported.

They sold the whole Marlboro man/cowboy thing with trucks very, very, very well. There is this skinny little metrosexual man with a 1/2 ton Dodge that lives down the block, I have never seen that truck dirty or him or his wife haul a spec of anything, but they have their lifted Dodge pick me up. Whatever, if thats what he likes, give 'er, hell, some people like driving Smart Cars, that baffles even more. No, as a truck owner, people that don't use their trucks as trucks, baffle me, but I guess they think everyone who sees them imagines that behind the wheel of that truck is

[Fobroader]

Most real working trucks are not loaded with heavy loads and are not heavy duties, not unless you want your teeth rattled out of your head on bad roads (GM being the only exception as far as I know). Even if you go HD, 3/4 tons have pretty limited weight carrying. What they are good at is hauling campers around. At my last job half the department made the mistake of ordering Superduties and those clumsy bastards will literally jump sideways if you hit any kind of washboard at speed.

Why half ton trucks are so popular out of the city is they are great rural road (gravel/mud/snow/stubble/grass) machines, and most of the stuff you need to load in the bed is not terribly heavy.

Trust me, i know all about the washboard dance with my 3/4 ton.....it feels so much better with 2000lb+ in the box.

[mixmanmash]

$70K for a 1/2 ton truck  I agree about the stupid gear selector, hated it on the one I drove, kept on going for it to change the radio volume. Sounds like a decent enough truck but thats a lot of new tech for Chrysler, 9spd, diesel, air ride.....I don't know, extended warranty would be almost a must have. I still can't wrap my head around the cost, for $70k you can easily buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will pull damn near 3 times as much as this and have much stronger running gear. This would work for me in the mid to high $40k range....any higher, might as well go HD truck.

Or, in my case, I could just keep buying my F150 XLT 4x4 Supercrew's for heavily discounted prices and just not care about the worse fuel economy.  I agree re the new tech.  Its all fun and games until the gremlin chasing begins.

Oh if I was going half ton, GM with the 5.3 would serve my purpose more than well enough and for a hell of a lot less. Ill take a proven drivetrain anyday.

The new 5.3 isn't proven.  It's direct injected.  Still, a really nice engine.

[Fobroader]

$70K for a 1/2 ton truck  I agree about the stupid gear selector, hated it on the one I drove, kept on going for it to change the radio volume. Sounds like a decent enough truck but thats a lot of new tech for Chrysler, 9spd, diesel, air ride.....I don't know, extended warranty would be almost a must have. I still can't wrap my head around the cost, for $70k you can easily buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will pull damn near 3 times as much as this and have much stronger running gear. This would work for me in the mid to high $40k range....any higher, might as well go HD truck.

Or, in my case, I could just keep buying my F150 XLT 4x4 Supercrew's for heavily discounted prices and just not care about the worse fuel economy.  I agree re the new tech.  Its all fun and games until the gremlin chasing begins.

Oh if I was going half ton, GM with the 5.3 would serve my purpose more than well enough and for a hell of a lot less. Ill take a proven drivetrain anyday.

The new 5.3 isn't proven.  It's direct injected.  Still, a really nice engine.

Gm really hasn't had any problems with its truck engines in the last.....ummmm....crap....I dont know 20 years. I would feel utterly confident in it.