From the Vault: Edmunds' 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel

This week's short retrospective article has Travis Langness looking back at our 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, a vehicle we owned and reported on when it was new. It was part of our long-term test program, and we drove it over 50,000 miles. Make sure to check out the Ram 1500's original wrap-up article as well as individual blog-style posts. We also have more than 15 brand-new vehicles we're testing in our long-term program right now.

What's the Most Memorable Thing You Did With the Ram 1500?
There's a lot that comes to mind, such as taking it out for some mild off-roading, making several holiday trips to see my family, and even setting the range record for our Ram EcoDiesel with 700.1 miles on one tank of gas. But none of those memories were quite as epic as my 5,000-mile road trip to the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina while towing my Acura Integra the entire way.

My trip started in Los Angeles and ended just a stone's throw from the Atlantic Ocean, so I had plenty of time to get acquainted with the Ram. I got familiar with the Uconnect infotainment system, all the cabin controls became second nature, and I put over 300 gallons of diesel fuel into the tank in less than two weeks. Over that time, the Ram averaged an impressive 17.4 mpg, a high number for something that was pulling more than 5,000 pounds of trailer weight. I saw a lot of the country on that trip, visited with friends, ate fantastic meals, and enjoyed all of the scenery along the way. The Ram never let me down once. It was comfortable, powerful, quiet, efficient and easy to drive.

What Did You Like the Most About It?
The 2014 Ram 1500 was an excellent jack-of-all-trades truck, but my favorite aspect was its on-road comfort. Credit the 2014 Ram's coil-spring rear suspension, which provided a much smoother ride than the traditional leaf-spring rear suspensions available in other pickups at the time. The seats were supportive but soft, and the cabin was extremely well isolated from noise. All this, plus our truck's optional 3.0-liter diesel V6, made for fantastic highway cruising.

How Much Is It Worth Now?
If you're in the market for a used 2014 Ram 1500 (specifically with the EcoDiesel engine and in the well-equipped Laramie trim), you can expect to pay around $25,000-$30,000. The Ram 1500 (once known as the Dodge Ram) is currently in its fifth generation, but our EcoDiesel was a fourth-gen truck, which came out in 2009. This was the first Ram 1500 to get the truck's coil-spring rear suspension design. The EcoDiesel engine arrived for 2014. Since that's my engine of choice in this truck, that's the earliest year I'd be looking for.

The Laramie came with a lot of features, including leather upholstery, an upgraded sound system, and a user-friendly 8.4-inch Uconnect interface to manage all your infotainment needs. I did a quick CarMax search and came up with this black-and-silver 2016 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, with just 46,000 miles, for under $30,000.

If You Came Across This Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Again, and You Had the Money, Would You Buy It?
Our 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel was a towing champ and a nearly flawless form of highway road-trip transportation. It served all of my needs and then some. Having spent so many miles in the Ram it felt like it was sort of my truck, and it felt great to have it in my driveway. I was sad to see it go, and I'd happily welcome one back into the Edmunds garage or my own.

Read the wrap-up to our long-term test of the 2014 Ram 1500

Check out our current long-term road tests