2014 Ram 1500 review...

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My Silverado is in the shop today, so Enterprise handed me the keys to a blue 2014 Ram 1500 as a loaner. V8 Hemi, 8spd, 4x4, crew cab but not the long cab the smaller one with the 6.5 ft bed. SLT model whatever that means. Seems to be a pretty base model, manual seats etc.

This was a good road test for me of a truck since I had a busy day running 5 job sites and pretty much floated carrying material all day and going to meetings. I actually put about 100 miles on it and got to use it on everything from highway to a dirt road, and carried everything from insulation, vanities, a trash pump, etc.

If my truck is not ready tomorrow I'll keep it for another day and put another 100 miles on it.

Pros:
1. Fast, holly [censored] this thing can move. Nail it at 70 and 90 comes right up. Leaving my condo site this morning I nailed it and did a nice burn out, and the transmission banged off a shift or two while doing it!
2. The ZF 8spd rocks, simply put if you buy a Ram get this gearbox! Just forget the 6 exists.
3. Lots of storage. I like how they put compartments everywhere and have pretty much moved in. My truck is my office. I also like the three 12V chargers so I can charge say two Iphones and run something else. Nice touch.
4. The ride is nice for a truck. Honestly I don't get why people rave about it, I don't think its that much better than a Ford or a Chevy. It pretty much rides like a G wagon, but a big air sprung Lexus beats it. Its quite enough and does ride nice. It also has some large sway bars so you can take some exit ramps way to fast and it stays level. Just be careful I don't know what it weighs but I bet its close to 6k.
5. The interior is nice. The ignition switch and a few other bits are right out of the Mercedes parts bin, which I like since I'm very familiar with Mercedes.

Cons:
1. MPG was not as good as I expected, right now I'm averaging 14.1 according to the display. About .5 worse than my current truck. But OTOH it's about 2-4 better than any 10 year old equivalent would do. It had some sort of Eco thing it kept trying to go into, but I didn't notice anything when it did. Not sure what that does? I have no idea what the rear axle gears are, but I suspect they are low. Still with the 8spd it shouldn't matter.
2. The screen in the dash is straight, it should be angled towards the driver. Also I still don't like the shift knob. But maybe its something you get used to. I have not figured out all the features but I would probably go aftermarket with the screen if I bought one. For example when you adjust the volume it won't let you change the radio station which I find annoying, and it seems slow.
3. Its to high, Chevy's sit lower.

Overall I'm impressed these things seem to go for around $30k on autotrader so that seems pretty cheap. I'd buy one.
 
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Whomping on the go pedal and enjoying the 8 speed isn't the way for the best MPGs !! ha! There is some kind of cylinder cut out for the light footed throttle operator . I have been looking at new vehicles the Ram is really interesting when comparing it to others. Remember my 96 Toyota Tacoma get the rated 17 city 23 freeway. My favorite all time vehicle was my 79 Ford f 150 pickup basic contractor special 6 cyl and 3 on the tree.I remember 15 mpgs freeway was the best. That truck was for some reason so fun. The 2002 Super duty 7.3 gets up to 21 freeway and 15/16 city empty.Thanks for the review.
 
nice review... mileage... not a concern... probably the last thing you should look at after resale value... Soon as a guy starts talking mileage with his truck I wanna put a "stupid" sign on him.
new fancy screens for radios and all the gizmos kinda crazy...
Dodges are huge! sticker shopping, the prices always looked pretty good...
I would like a 2WD regular cab Black express... thank you.
 
Well I drive my Chevy hard as well, so its really an apples to apples comparison. The motor in this truck should have worked less since its a lot faster and comes up to speed faster.

I suspect real world this is a 14/15 truck around town and maybe 20 on the highway. Which IMHO isn't terrible for what it is.

Honestly I like it so much I might just go out and buy one before the end of the year. I'm at that point with my Chevy where it just needs more and more work, and I'm tired of spending money on it. Plus its 2wd with an open rear, which is a special kind of [censored] in the snow.
 
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Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Well I drive my Chevy hard as well, so its really an apples to apples comparison. The motor in this truck should have worked less since its a lot faster and comes up to speed faster.

I suspect real world this is a 14/15 truck around town and maybe 20 on the highway. Which IMHO isn't terrible for what it is.

Honestly I like it so much I might just go out and buy one before the end of the year. I'm at that point with my Chevy where it just needs more and more work, and I'm tired of spending money on it. Plus its 2wd with an open rear, which is a special kind of [censored] in the snow.



Not quite comparable the HEMI is a 5.7 do you have the 5.3?
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
How much does this Ram go for new ?



I do not know. Around here a 2012 RAM 1500 goes 40% the sticker price of a 2014.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Well I drive my Chevy hard as well, so its really an apples to apples comparison. The motor in this truck should have worked less since its a lot faster and comes up to speed faster.


Torque=Gas
 
I am really surprised any dude in a pickup is worried about MPG.

Buy a pickup and if you get 16 or 18 average MPG be happy.

I am sure most of these guys just add 100 bucks to any job for gasoline cost for the truck. Let me know if you don't .

Go and get a Ranger with a 4 banger if you worry about the gas mileage.
 
MPG isn't really the point of this thread, not sure why its getting so focused on.
 
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I don't see the point in having a pickup truck with four doors and a little itty-bitty 3-foot bed in the back. What the heck for? You might as well be driving a four door Camry.
 
I really like the size and look of it..but cant justify a pickup...
frown.gif
 
When a pickup works for a living it is a perfectly appropriate vehicle.

Our 14 Ram 5.7 averages 16-18 mpg in everyday driving with my leadfooted Wife driving it. After a few days the urge to flog the Hemi wears off and you can enjoy the economy and effortless pull of the engine without racing to the redline. My wife has gotten 20 when light footing it for mileage!

But I must admit it is the coolest drivetrain I have ever owned. Ours idles absolutely vibration free, nearly silent, and we own lots of pickups and NOTHING rides like the Ram...
 
Well Hattar, now would be the time to pick up a 2014... you got your dodge test ride, take a trip to ford, toyota and nissan and get back to us with your reviews...
That would be a good Xmas present for us all...
The Ram Black express caught my eye... Does not look like fun to clean!
Also check out my Ford Harley edition in the classifieds for sale... Less than 10% the cost of a new truck... Shameless of me... I am sorry...
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I don't see the point in having a pickup truck with four doors and a little itty-bitty 3-foot bed in the back. What the heck for? You might as well be driving a four door Camry.


Will a Camry pull my 2,000lb popup camper? Will it pull it after I load it up and add in the kids too?

Can a Camry clear the typical New England frost heave?
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I don't see the point in having a pickup truck with four doors and a little itty-bitty 3-foot bed in the back. What the heck for? You might as well be driving a four door Camry.


Will a Camry pull my 2,000lb popup camper? Will it pull it after I load it up and add in the kids too?

Can a Camry clear the typical New England frost heave?

In Europe/Aus your Camry would be a 2600lb towing beast. Not sure what changes the laws of physics here, but our lawyers know best... Can't help with the roads though.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I don't see the point in having a pickup truck with four doors and a little itty-bitty 3-foot bed in the back. What the heck for? You might as well be driving a four door Camry.


Will a Camry pull my 2,000lb popup camper? Will it pull it after I load it up and add in the kids too?

Can a Camry clear the typical New England frost heave?


Camry will clear a frost heave as they do not make impassable roads here, they fix them. Interestingly a camry will pull something like 2000lbs as a friend uses one to pull a boat and I was quite surprised it could. Loaded up though it is tough.
 
Well, the roads comment was tongue in cheek (but the oil pan on my Jetta has road rash!).

But the towing makes me wonder. Truly does. My 1,500lb rated Jetta was great on asphalt, and useless on dirt, when moving a 1,000lb trailer. Took massive amounts of clutch slippage to back up an incline. I found it abusive to the car, and decided that the rating was probably the "max" rating under ideal settings. Not so ideal and things go south. Let's not forget, it's rated for 3,300lb or somesuch in Europe!

Which gets me to my point: those max ratings are usually found maxing one thing out, and under conditions which might be "ideal".

For example, it's nice to see trucks being tested on 6% inclines, but New England has 9% hills in some areas (short but obviously steep). Loss of speed would be expected, but I'd sure hate to stop&start halfway up (or down!).

I'm all for getting the proper vehicle for the job, but I'm not convinced that a minivan rated for 3,500lb towing is actually "good" at towing 3,500lb. Which is my roundabout way of justifying my crewcab pickup.
wink.gif
Besides, overkill is the American way.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I don't see the point in having a pickup truck with four doors and a little itty-bitty 3-foot bed in the back. What the heck for? You might as well be driving a four door Camry.


I don't know of any that have a 3' bed. The shortest is 5.5'. Even my '08 Sport Trac had a 4.5' bed. With the tailgate down, I had well over 6.5' of length. I hauled a 1,000 lb Rainbow playset home -- which was in 9' boxes. Try doing that in a Camry. This gets back to the "truck-bashing thread". If you don't want one, don't buy one. Many don't "need" one, but still drive one to "haul air". It's their money.

PS. Nice review hattersguy. Your review seems pretty much spot-on when compared to the recent M/T comparison
smile.gif
 
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