Same Price: Eco Diesel or 5.7 Hemi

[BRUXUS]

I have read multiple thread regarding the subject. However, the arguments are based on the premise of the diesel being 5 to 8K more expensive.

I am being quoted the same price for a Big Horn 5.7 with a 12" screen and a Eco Diesel with a 8.4" screen.

I am buying it to tow a 6Klb travel trailer. Not full time, multiple weekend trips with the family. Any thoughts on going with a gas or diesel in this scenario would be appreciated.

I bought eco cuz truck is m/t 85% of time & gets PHENOMINAL fuel consumption. Pulls 7000 travel trailer easily.

 

[uga40]

Thanks for all of the feedback. Purchased the eco today.

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[JRs 17 Ram]

well i'm a day late it seems but i'll put in my 2 cents anyway. I bought a brand new '18 Eco diesel laramie in '18 instead of the hemi. the main reason being I missed my cummins but didn't need that much truck anymore. I had it a year, oil changes at the dealer were almost $200. Overall I liked the truck, it was super quiet, ran pretty good but did not come close to the mpg numbers everyone was talking about, I was seeing around 21 mpg average, I was getting 19 in my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon so a huge disappointment there. As far as towing, I have two SeaDoo 3 seaters on a double trailer, I'm guessing 4500 lbs max with all the gear, I lived in a very hilly area and while it pulled the hills ok, it was working it's ass off to do it. Long story short, I now have a '17 2500 Big Horn with the 6.4 and I live in a different part of the country. This will pull all day long but you are going to pay at the pump to do it, should've just bit the bullet and got another cummins.

 

[Elkman]

I sold my 2500 diesel pickup a couple of weeks ago after 8 years of ownership. Prior to that I have owned more than a dozen pickups and SUV's with gas engines. The cost for fuel for the diesel was 15% higher than for regular gas but the truck compensated by getting more miles per gallon. But I paid twice as much for oil changes and four times as much for fuel filters and twice as much for batteries.

I managed to get covered under warranty a $1100 NOx sensor replacement, a $1400 DEF tank and warmer and pump assembly replacement, and a bad oil pan gasket. I sold the truck with low miles and so had avoided the $5000 cost to replace the fuel injector solenoids or the DPF filter and other expensive repairs. A diesel engine is going to cost its owner(s) twice as much per mile driven as a gas engine. Forget about old information based on diesel engines prior to the manadatory addition of emissions control systems and forget about old information for gas engines when the burned the very destructive leaded gas.

There is also the matter of finding gas stations that pump diesel. In my own travels around the western USA I would find diesel being sold at about a quarter of the gas stations and so with my trip planning I spent a lot of time researching where I could get diesel along my route and at times would need to add in detours or extra stops to get diesel where and when it was available.

With any diesel pickup one should be sure to get the largest fuel tank available for it to minimize fuel stops as much as possible and to have more fuel in reserve.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Thanks for all of the feedback. Purchased the eco today.

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Congrats! Please post some pics and let us know what you think.

 

[uga40]

Congrats! Please post some pics and let us know what you think.

Thanks, Wii do, pick it up Wednesday, dealer is installing running boards and bed liner as part of deal

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[Gom]

Congrats!
post some pics when you get it.

 

[trailhead]

Pics, we need pics!!!

 

[Tracy in IL]

ED's don't like stop n go around town traffic, soots up the intake more. FYI.

 

[blahargoue]

I have 62k miles on my '17 EcoDiesel. So far no ussues other than a couple of pending recalls. I tow a 29' travel trailer that weighs in a 7700 lb wet.

The Good:

The Ecodiesel punches above its weight class and tows the rig better than one expects. No issue maintaining 65 mph in most towing conditions. Will maintain 55 mph while towing up 6% Sierra Nevada grades.

Fuel mileage while towing has averaged 12 mpg (even hand calculated). Outstanding highway mileage on my bi-weekly commutes between my homes (300 miles each way at 75 mph) while running solo. 26.5 to 27.7 mpg dropping 4000' in elevation over the 300 miles. 24.3 to 24.7 on the return 300 mile climb back up to 4000 ft. 21 mpg average in mixed driving but I'm rarely in a city.

Quiet and comfortable.

Good highway throttle response.

The Bad:

Big time throttle lag from a stop on a cold engine. OK after the engine reaches about 160°.

Fuel costs about 80 cents per gallon more than Regular grade gasoline.

Occassional DEF refills, about 6 to 7 gallons every 8k miles. More when towing.

As for a direct comparison, My friend bought the identical travel trailer that I own and has a 2019 Ram 1500 Hemi. It is a really nice truck with great performance. We recently followed each other around the West with our trailers. He could out climb me on a 7% grade but we were pretty much equal in lesser grades. Fuel economy was different however. I average 12.3 over 1500 miles of towing. He did 8.9 mpg. He says the best open road hwy solo fuel mileage he has recorded is 19.7 mpg.

So for me and my long commutes between homes, my Ecodiesel serves me well. It all depends on what your priorities will be.

 

[rlwark]

I would stay away from the eco diesel. My son got a 2020 model and have had nothing but problems with it, the def sensor has gone out 4 times now and once when it did it shut the truck down on the road had to have towed in.

 

[JS4024]

Eco diesels have had too many issues and cost a butt load more. hemi.... and gas is cheaper than diesel anyway!

 

[crash68]

I would stay away from the eco diesel. My son got a 2020 model and have had nothing but problems with it, the def sensor has gone out 4 times now and once when it did it shut the truck down on the road had to have towed in.

Your son needs to find a different dealer to service the truck. If he keeps having a problem with the same system then the dealer tech isn't fixing the problem. The DEF sensor isn't exclusive to the EcoDiesel. Sadly some of the techs(gas or diesel) out there are glorified part changers.

 

[andymax]

You will be fine with the EcoDiesel. Communicate with GDE (Green Diesel Engineering) about their tune for the 3rd gen EcoD. Though not yet available, it should be soon. That will address both the turbo lag and the EGR/DPF concerns. If you plan to keep this truck a while, this will be WELL worth the investment.

FWIW I'm at 210K miles on my EcoD...and not a single EGR/DPF issue yet. runs great and I'm shooting for 300K. Lots of guys have 150K+ miles.

And for the guys attempting to scare you about Diesel availability and cost....While it largely depends on your specific area, these are really not concerns for the most part. I'm in Ohio and Diesel is at almost every statiion and pricing ranges from .20 to .40 more.

You'll love it for towing.

 

[uga40]

Here are the pics of the young lass!

 

[JohnnyMac]

Here are the pics of the young lass!

Let the mods begin! Looks great and again, congratulations.

 

[Gom]

Nice! Love the color, my favorite.

 

[rvance]

No it isn't. It was originally co-developed by GM for use in Cadillac. It's under the third revision now, but the roots/base is definitely not Fiat.

Sorry, you are correct, but it is built in Italy 100% by FIAT. That's good enough reason for me. You pay your money and take your chances.