Well, it's been about 1.5 yrs of owning Chewy, time in which I've put a hair over 15,500 miles on him. Most of those miles have been road trips from/to FL and other parts of the Deep South where extended family resides. I figured I'd do a quick summary of ownership experience so far.
It is a Big Horn trim quad-cab with the 5ft 7in bed, auto-folding mirrors (so it can fit in the garage), lane keep assist, towing package with integrated trailer brakes, emergency auto braking based on front and rear sensors, and 8.4in entertainment console with ApplePlay and navigation standard. This is the 3rd gen Ecodiesel 3.0L V6 engine made by VM Motori coupled with the venerable ZF 8-spd transmission and a 3.21 rear end.
I've had a few upgrades done in the past year, namely:
During these 15,000+ miles I've performed the following services:
I've towed with it once with no issues, but I have hauled some quite heavy loads several times this past year, including a pallet of mulch, concrete blocks, bags of concrete powder, as well as gardening dirt and compost among others. No issues hauling any of the above.
Other than the vast majority of the miles being from highway long trips where he averages 28-31mpg with the cruise typically set to 75-80, I'm seeing 23ish locally. That works out to about 26mpg average since purchasing it in July last year. I use Hot Shot's EDT with every fillup too. Overall, not too bad in my book.
It continues to be a comfortable place to spend time, quiet at highway speeds and safe, very roomy for the type of trips we typically do where we load up the bed full of luggage and the doggo in the backseat area. It may not be the ideal vehicle for city dwellers or covered parking decks, but where we live out in the country it's exactly what we need.
This was my 1st ever brand new vehicle purchase, also my 1st ever pickup truck though not my first (or only) diesel vehicle, so I know exactly what I got myself into and how to maintain it. It is currently stock but I'm considering a GDE tune in the near future, just doing my research in the meantime.
Just sharing an update and a pic for your enjoyment.
It is a Big Horn trim quad-cab with the 5ft 7in bed, auto-folding mirrors (so it can fit in the garage), lane keep assist, towing package with integrated trailer brakes, emergency auto braking based on front and rear sensors, and 8.4in entertainment console with ApplePlay and navigation standard. This is the 3rd gen Ecodiesel 3.0L V6 engine made by VM Motori coupled with the venerable ZF 8-spd transmission and a 3.21 rear end.
I've had a few upgrades done in the past year, namely:
- New triple-projector LED headlamps and DRLs
- New blacked out LED taillight assemblies
- WeatherTech bug hood deflector
- Black MOPAR "RAM" letters on front grill
- Black RAM center logo on tailgate
- Black Voxx wheels (kept tires and switched them to hide white lettering)
- Front window tint to match factory rear
- Black aluminum running boards
- DualLiner bedliner
- TonnoPro bed cover
- MOPAR tail assist step
During these 15,000+ miles I've performed the following services:
- 3 oil changes (1st @ 3,500, 2nd @ 10,000, 3rd @ 15,000)
- 1 fuel filter change @10,000
- Topped off DEF tank with at least 7 containers of 2.5g of Premium DEF (only type used)
- Tires rotated and balanced 3X (every 5,000ish)
- Warranty work: checking alignment of tailgate latches, no adjustment needed
- On the list for HPFP recall with local CDJR dealer, no appt yet
I've towed with it once with no issues, but I have hauled some quite heavy loads several times this past year, including a pallet of mulch, concrete blocks, bags of concrete powder, as well as gardening dirt and compost among others. No issues hauling any of the above.
Other than the vast majority of the miles being from highway long trips where he averages 28-31mpg with the cruise typically set to 75-80, I'm seeing 23ish locally. That works out to about 26mpg average since purchasing it in July last year. I use Hot Shot's EDT with every fillup too. Overall, not too bad in my book.
It continues to be a comfortable place to spend time, quiet at highway speeds and safe, very roomy for the type of trips we typically do where we load up the bed full of luggage and the doggo in the backseat area. It may not be the ideal vehicle for city dwellers or covered parking decks, but where we live out in the country it's exactly what we need.
This was my 1st ever brand new vehicle purchase, also my 1st ever pickup truck though not my first (or only) diesel vehicle, so I know exactly what I got myself into and how to maintain it. It is currently stock but I'm considering a GDE tune in the near future, just doing my research in the meantime.
Just sharing an update and a pic for your enjoyment.
