re: Ram 1500 ecodiesel

Hemi w/ 8 speed is rated at 14/21 IIRC...but real world numbers are one to two less. The ecodiesel is rated at 23/28, and most reports I've seen are saying that's pretty spot on. The maintenance intervals are also stretched a bit vs the hemi which helps with cost (assuming you're like me and change oil in your gasser every 5000 miles).

I mean, I think you can easily make the case to where the diesel costs more...but what I worked out seemed reasonable to me and it came out a little cheaper for yearly cost to run.

This what I worked out back in may in another thread. It's not perfect, but a decent explanation of the hemi vs ecodiesel costs

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So here is a breakdown...tried to be as rational as possible. This is based on an estimated 15,000 miles per year driven and searching prices online and rounding here and there for simplicity. I found an Ecodiesel owners manual...so capacities and intervals should be correct.

National avg. gasoline as of 6/9 = $3.674 I average about 15 mpgs combined city and hwy and have a 32 gal. tank. So my range is 480 miles. Assuming I drive 15,000 miles per year, I'd pump 32 gallons of gas 31.25 times per year. 32 gal. x $3.674/gal. x 31.25 = $3,674.00 in gasoline per year
I change oil and filter every 5000 miles. 7 qts full syn. + filter = $55.00 x 3 = $165.00
Air filter every 10,000 miles = $15.00

So, I figure my 5.7l V8 costs me $3,854 per year.

Now, most articles I've read on the ecodiesel have reported combined city/hwy mileage of 20-23, so I'll just use 21 mpgs. Assuming the same 32 gal. tank, the same 15,000 miles per year, and a 21 mpg avg you get a range of 672 miles. Which means I'd pump 32 gal. of gas 22.32 times per year. So, 32 gal. x $3.892/gal. x 22.32 = $2779.82 in diesel per year.
Oil change interval for the 3.0 diesel says not to exceed 10,000 miles...I'll assume 7,500 mile interval just for simplicity. So two changes per year. 10.5 qts full syn + filter = $145.00 x 2 = $290.00
8 qts (2 gal.) DEF x $8.00/gal. = $16.00 x 2 = $32.00
Air filter every 10,000 miles = $30.00

So an Ecodiesel will cost you approx. $3,131.82 per year.

Now, it is definitely worth noting that most of my numbers are approximations based on searching parts on the internet...and obviously you don't fill a tank completely each time you fill up...so the fuel numbers are slightly exaggerated. But it still gives a decent idea as to how much it costs to run a big V8 vs. the smaller diesel. Despite the approximations and estimates, still pretty solid savings. I know there are some holes in my assumptions, so everyone feel free to point them out

ETA: Solid savings, but probably still not quite enough to justify paying a $2000 - $3000 premium for the diesel. Just for fun though, I did go on Ram's website and built a 4x2 Laramie Longhorn Ecodiesel, fully loaded, MSRP came out to $54,000ish IIRC.

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Don't ever buy the first year of a new vehicle

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here is someone who bought American cars for too long

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Don't ever buy the first year of a new vehicle

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here is someone who bought American cars for too long

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I have a first year Tacoma (95) Rolling on 206,000 miles right now, 19 years later.

I have been amazed at what their engineers let go over the past 25 years that I have been following cars pretty heavily. Buying the first year of an American truck = test mule

Yeah, that's with the diesel. It's $3000 less with the hemi and $4500 less with the V6.

It is expensive compared to other fleet vehicles...but on the same note, you're getting a good diesel motor which no one else offers. I can't imagine why any company would feel they'd need a fleet of them, nor do I think I could justify buying one for my personal use vs a hemi...but I'm sure it fills someones need somewhere lol. I also built a fully loaded Laramie Limited 4x4 w/ the diesel and it came out to $59,000...which seems not too bad compared to what Ford is about to sell their top of the line King Ranch and Platinum F150s for.

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I have been amazed at what their engineers let go over the past 25 years that I have been following cars pretty heavily. Buying the first year of an American truck = test mule

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Ram has been out a while though, and the motor has been on sale in the Grand Cherokee already.

As far as the 2.8L Colorado, a less powerful version of that motor has been in step vans in the US for a while, even longer overseas. FedEx uses a lot of them since many their sprinters imploded.

My 2007 Silverado was the first year that body style was out as well. It was a fantastic truck. Maybe that "first year" thing is for Fords.

Engines overseas =/= engines here

There are major modifications done to accommodate the US standards (on diesels especially)

At least the modern ones with aftertreatment don't require as much EGR modification as years past.

04-2012 were some real bastard years for diesels in light trucks in America.