The 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Is A Truck For Those Who Get Their Hands Dirty

People buy trucks for any of three reasons, often for combinations of them. The first reason is as a tool to get a job done and a daily workmate. The second reason is as a plaything for weekend getaways and good times outdoors. The third is as a status symbol and statement about readiness for anything. Like any well-made pickup truck, the 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel can fill any of these roles. During our week with the truck, we aimed squarely for the first, however, and found the Ram 1500 to be an excellent workday companion.

Our tester was the 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Big Horn Quad Cab 4×2. This is the most popular “working man’s” rendition of the model, and it’s the most capable in terms of everyday working versatility. Living out in Wyoming, I see trucks like this every day and most everyone here either owns a half-ton pickup or has ready access to one. Let’s dissect this truck a bit to see how it fits in the general market of half-tons right now.

The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine turning an eight-speed transmission. It’s the only full-sized, light-duty pickup truck on the market right now with a diesel engine. The engine produces 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Our truck was rear-wheel drive, though four-wheel drive is an option. As we drove it, the EPA rates the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel at 28 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in town. Top towing in our model was limited to 5,000 pounds due to the type of trailer hitch it was equipped with, but the EcoDiesel 1500 can be capable of up to 9,200 pounds of towing when properly equipped.

For those who do tow, diesel has very obvious advantages. Superior torque numbers mean it’s easier to get the load moving and get it through adverse conditions (bad terrain, up hills, and so forth). Diesel is generally more efficient for towing since it has a broader peak RPM range and it happens at a lower point than with gasoline. Diesel engines also often have their peak horsepower and RPM points nearly coinciding, whereas on gasoline engines they tend to be very separate. All of this means more efficiency when under a load.

The 2015 Ram 1500 with its Big Horn package is what most would consider a “standard” truck on today’s market. The trim points lower than this are usually reserved for fleets and businesses rather than consumers and trims above this are generally too fancy and expensive for the average buyer. For those who work with their trucks daily, rather than just for the occasional home improvement project or weekend at the lake, the Big Horn package is likely where it’s at. It includes a comfortable, well-made, quality interior with few frills and that’s built to put up with some abuse. Slide in the seat with your pliers still in a back pocket? No big deal. Those seats can take it.

Ours included the Quad Cab which isn’t as large as the Crew Cab, but which is still right-sized for occasional family use or when you need to haul some extra people around to the job site or out for lunch. The back seats are comfortable, just not roomy in the leg department. Good enough for occasional use, but probably not ideal if you plan to have people back there regularly. For that, the Crew Cab is the better choice.

During our week with the 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, we towed 4,600 pounds of trailer and cargo without a problem, hauled a bed full of stuff to the dump, visited various job locations and worked from our tablet and phones using the Uconnect interface and WiFi hotspot it provides, and carried passenger loads ranging from a solo driver to five adults. We installed car seats, folded the seats up in the back and laid down the table to use as a workbench, and did a lot of the things that people who own a truck like this would do daily.

Even when towing that heavy trailer, fuel economy on the Ram rarely dipped below 20 mpg in the EcoDiesel. With standard integrated trailer plugs and a rearview camera angled to make it easy to find the hitch point, the Ram 1500 is a great towing machine. I found that not only is the 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel very capable, but it’s also very fuel efficient (we put over 500 miles on it during that week) and much quieter than might be expected from a diesel. As our title suggests, it really is a truck for those who get their hands dirty.