Pulled the trigger last night on a 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. That Dempsey is one hell of a salesman and was relentless! 
Here it is waiting to be detailed:
The major factor for me going with the ED was fuel mileage. I loved everything about my 2010 Tundra, except the fuel mileage. When I built it, I had NO plans of pulling a trailer. Heavy steel bumpers, winch, rock sliders, lift, 35" tires...worked GREAT off-road...and I could still eek out 14-15mpg. Not bad. Then, my wife wanted a Polaris RZR. Pretty much everyone in her family has one so we found ourselves traveling at least once a month to meet up with them. Problem is, they all live in Vegas so we're typically traveling 300+ miles to meet up with them. With the trailer in tow (~2500lbs), we were now getting 10mpg. With only a 26 gallon tank, I was filling up at least 3 times each trip. With the reality that the truck was become a dedicated tow rig, I decided I needed better fuel economy and wanted someone else to enjoy a built Tundra.
I contacted my now good friend Dempsey (TurboMinivan) @ Doug Smith Autoplex in American Fork. We started looking at some 1500's. I know the Hemi gets pretty good highway mileage, but I knew once I put the trailer behind it, those numbers would drop. I thought it would be kind of pointless to trade 1 gasser for another. So, I focused on the new EcoDiesel. At 19 city, and 28 highway, my anticipation was that I could get somewhere between 16 and 18 towing. With a 26 gallon tank, my calculations put me at filling up every 320 - 350 miles instead of the 170 - 200 I do now. Being a guy, that makes a huge difference.
We focused on the Tradesman package first but after almost 2 weeks of searching, we couldn't find anything that worked. I was hesitant to upgrade to the Big Horn package since I am NOT a fan of lots of chrome. Low and behold, once we expanded our search, we immediately found a perfect match...very close by...in Provo. Once the truck was on the lot, I made sure it had everything I wanted - only to be surprised to see things that I didn't know I wanted...lol.
Once all the paperwork was done, I reset the fuel mileage tracker and headed home. Driving home last night and to work this morning (12 miles each way), I was VERY happy to see this:
Current fuel economy was 30mpg and almost 480 miles until empty. Yowsa! Right now the Avg is sitting at ~25mpg. Since my commute to and from work is partly on I-15 and then Pioneer Crossing, I don't expect those numbers to drop much below that average. I do drive like an old grandpa so that will help out a bit as well.
I am hoping to keep this thread updated with my thoughts and impressions of the EcoDiesel and how well it works as a 1/2 ton family tow rig. I am happy to answer any of your questions along the way, as well.
So...we'll start with the specs.
Vehicle model: 2015 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4
Engine type: 3.0L V-6
Aspiration: Single variable-geometry turbocharger, air-to-air intercooled
Fueling: Bosch high-pressure common-rail with CP4.2, solenoid injectors, and 29,000-psi injection pressure
Mfg hp: 240 hp at 3,600 rpm
Mfg torque: 420 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm
Transmission: ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic
Transfer case: BorgWarner 44-44
Axle ratio: 3.92:1
Suspension (front/rear): Independent upper and lower A-arms/Five-link with track bar
Brakes (front/rear): 13.2-inch ventilated disc with two-piston caliper/13.8-inch disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels/Tires: 20x9-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels with 275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires
Curb Weight: 6,040 pounds
Payload capacity: 1,125 pounds
Towing capacity: 7,700 pounds
Fuel capacity: 26 gallons
DEF capacity: 8 gallons
Here it is waiting to be detailed:
The major factor for me going with the ED was fuel mileage. I loved everything about my 2010 Tundra, except the fuel mileage. When I built it, I had NO plans of pulling a trailer. Heavy steel bumpers, winch, rock sliders, lift, 35" tires...worked GREAT off-road...and I could still eek out 14-15mpg. Not bad. Then, my wife wanted a Polaris RZR. Pretty much everyone in her family has one so we found ourselves traveling at least once a month to meet up with them. Problem is, they all live in Vegas so we're typically traveling 300+ miles to meet up with them. With the trailer in tow (~2500lbs), we were now getting 10mpg. With only a 26 gallon tank, I was filling up at least 3 times each trip. With the reality that the truck was become a dedicated tow rig, I decided I needed better fuel economy and wanted someone else to enjoy a built Tundra.
I contacted my now good friend Dempsey (TurboMinivan) @ Doug Smith Autoplex in American Fork. We started looking at some 1500's. I know the Hemi gets pretty good highway mileage, but I knew once I put the trailer behind it, those numbers would drop. I thought it would be kind of pointless to trade 1 gasser for another. So, I focused on the new EcoDiesel. At 19 city, and 28 highway, my anticipation was that I could get somewhere between 16 and 18 towing. With a 26 gallon tank, my calculations put me at filling up every 320 - 350 miles instead of the 170 - 200 I do now. Being a guy, that makes a huge difference
. We focused on the Tradesman package first but after almost 2 weeks of searching, we couldn't find anything that worked. I was hesitant to upgrade to the Big Horn package since I am NOT a fan of lots of chrome. Low and behold, once we expanded our search, we immediately found a perfect match...very close by...in Provo. Once the truck was on the lot, I made sure it had everything I wanted - only to be surprised to see things that I didn't know I wanted...lol.
Once all the paperwork was done, I reset the fuel mileage tracker and headed home. Driving home last night and to work this morning (12 miles each way), I was VERY happy to see this:
Current fuel economy was 30mpg and almost 480 miles until empty.
Yowsa! Right now the Avg is sitting at ~25mpg. Since my commute to and from work is partly on I-15 and then Pioneer Crossing, I don't expect those numbers to drop much below that average. I do drive like an old grandpa so that will help out a bit as well.I am hoping to keep this thread updated with my thoughts and impressions of the EcoDiesel and how well it works as a 1/2 ton family tow rig. I am happy to answer any of your questions along the way, as well.
So...we'll start with the specs.
Vehicle model: 2015 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4
Engine type: 3.0L V-6
Aspiration: Single variable-geometry turbocharger, air-to-air intercooled
Fueling: Bosch high-pressure common-rail with CP4.2, solenoid injectors, and 29,000-psi injection pressure
Mfg hp: 240 hp at 3,600 rpm
Mfg torque: 420 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm
Transmission: ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic
Transfer case: BorgWarner 44-44
Axle ratio: 3.92:1
Suspension (front/rear): Independent upper and lower A-arms/Five-link with track bar
Brakes (front/rear): 13.2-inch ventilated disc with two-piston caliper/13.8-inch disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels/Tires: 20x9-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels with 275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires
Curb Weight: 6,040 pounds
Payload capacity: 1,125 pounds
Towing capacity: 7,700 pounds
Fuel capacity: 26 gallons
DEF capacity: 8 gallons
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