At least it's a pickup story.

There's been very little info on the ecoboost. When will ecoboosts hit the dealer lots?

The Chevy is as comfortable, it has 3 more inches of front leg room then the Ram does and it doesn't have a big hump on the passenger floor board so the passenger can actually extend their legs out. The GM seats could be a tad bigger though.

@PUTC
Consumer Reports methodology is mostly on target, although it can be argued that their readership is more egghead, less "trucky" than the regular readers at a site such as PUTC.

Example: For quite a while their reader-survey methods have placed the Honda Ridgeline near the top of the heap, even though very few are being sold. Ditto for the now defunct Chevy Avalanche.

CR's testing is another story. Their approach to testing is as good as it gets; only an occasional clinker gets through.

Hat's off to RAM for their latest hits with MT and now CR.

the truck pictured is one of the better looking set ups they have....Style of wheels really add a lot. Just need to raise it up 2" in the rear and then level the front end 4" and get rid of the grandma step....

If you go to the article on Consumer Reports it states

"The Chevrolet Silverado outscored the Ram in our testing, but its reliability is unknown."

@lynn
Done. *goes to the adjustable suspension switch* I'll have to manually remove the running boards. I'd like to see the LED center brake/box lamp unit on the 1500 to match the LED tail lamps on the models with them as seen on some HD models.

RAM has it all to overtake Silverado in sales this year.

Someone said something about the wheels? Yes! they are nice! just like the wheels that were on my Dakota! from 2003!!! the only difference though on the Dakota they were 6 lug! and on the Ram? just 5 lug? maybe that is why the Dakota has a higher load capacity! The Dakota has the 5,900 lbs GVW package that was offered back then, and the truck only weighs 4,190lbs with me in it and a full tank of gas! so that means it has a load rating of over 1700lbs! and I have had a least that in it from time to time! and the rear end never bottoms out! even on the beach with a load of beer and ice! a FULL load!

I used to use consumer reports to look for small appliances and whatnot. Then I started comparing their picks to user reviews on Amazon, bestbuy, etc. and realized their picks aren't worth a crap.

@ Ken "There's been very little info on the ecoboost. When will ecoboosts hit the dealer lots?"

The EcoBoost has been on dealer lots since 2009.
The EcoDiesel should be hitting dealer lots soon.

CR calls the Ram "surprisingly refined and inviting" and says its unique coil-spring rear suspension make it "the most comfortable-riding truck." Also lauded was a "whisper-quiet" interior that seems like a luxury vehicle.

I like comfortable drive. I drive RAM1500.

So much for the GM commercial where they compare to Ram and Ford near a highway and say "nobody builds a quieter truck" Lol, it took GM 5 years to match or get close to the level Ram and Ford were on!

LOL, Chevy vs. all.

CR is CRap
Level trucks look stupid
Ram has everything to pass Chevy in sales except...sales, ha.

The only reason they like the ram is coil over shock suspension. Rides nice but limits payload capacity. Silverado is a no compromise truck that out rows, out hauls and gets better gas milage than ram's hemi.

Silverado is the better truck and you ram sissy boys dam well know it. Ram will NEVER catch Chevy in sales. Ram is a 3rd place truck. Suck on that ram fans.

Really you need to include Silverado and Sierra Truck together since its the same truck other then some minor syling differences. When you combine them its way ahead of Ram.

I bet if you look strickly at 1/2 ton Crew Crabs, Ram would be way ahead. GM sells a ton of regular cabs to fleets.

@Lovin' it

I hate to remind you that last month Chevy sales were down 18% and Ram sales were up 24%, looks like Chevy is loosing their sales and Ram is picking them up! I wouldn't be surprised if Ram surpasses Chevy in sales this year.

@Jim - If Ram does outsell Chevrolet, I would almost bet that GM will combine the Chev & GMC numbers some way.

Ram's reliability is toward the bottom of JD Powers listings. If you enjoy visiting your local Ram dealer often then the Ram is your best choice.

This site is full of morons......

@FYI

Thanks for catching that.

Your 'soon' response still lacks detail for those of us that have been waiting over a year now.

@me
with the weather, Jan is a bad month to look a sales numbers, but all in all, true dat...

@marc
yes WE are, glad to have ya

Ecodiesels Rams should start showing up on dealer lots next week.

...only because they dare to do something different, Greg. With change, issues are possible. If you base it off the last three years, hmmmm, lets see, what did GM change from 2007 to 2013? Nothing! Change nothing, and you should have better reliability. So, let's see where GM is after these new trucks been out 1 to 3 years.

@ Bob: Chevy's row better? Maybe you meant "it is RATED" to tow better. We don't get many tests of people towing max weight, just the ones with v-6s. When Chevy wants to show off a trucks towing, they get one with a 9 to 11 K rating and put a whopping 5,000 pounds behind it!

How about what the test of the v-6s told us? The Chevy v-6 is not much of a tow rig, at least the 3.6 is a better combination. You can run your mouth all day about car engines, Bob, bottom line, the 4.3 is just so so.

Less power = better mileage in a 5.3 Chevy. Meanwhile, it will hunt gears all day!

Speaking of gas mileage, Bob, since you talk of it, I see the v-6 GM couldn't get 21MPG in 2 wheel drive. Now how about we talk DIESEL MILEAGE? Oh, you have no contender? Let's see, 26 mpg from a bigger, heavier, 4x4 diesel vs 20.5 ext cab 4x2 gasser? Wow Bob. Good thing they didn't have to tow with those Chivys!

The coil springs didn't lower the payload. The weights were about the same in 2008 with leaf springs. The trucks have only gotten heavier due to more options, and side curtain air bags, and such.

Speaking of coils, the 6.4 crew 2500 4x4 coil sprung has the same or more payload then a Chivy equally built. Well, as equal as we can, lol, you are stuck with old engines.

The Ram 1500s GVWR needs upped, yes, and it will be comming soon. I'll give you that, the Chevy can haul more, at the expense of being a stiff ride. But that's ok, car people like Car and Driver like trucks that handle like cars because they are low riders, stiff sprung, and use little wheels! 55 series tires FTW, NOT! But if they ever took them offroad road, they would drag ass! Or front, or middle!

And then there is the ugly factor; GM has it!

You ram fans are full of cow flops! Comparingapples to apple's engines and transmissions, the Silverado is better on fuel and you ram sheep know it. So what if your new diesel is better on fuel than a gas engine. Dam well better be for the price you pay. Compare V-8 engines and Silverado is superior period. In fact ram needs a 8 speed tranny to even try and compete with the 6 speed from GM.

Sissy ram fans, keep dreaming of the day you pass Chevrolet in truck sales because it is a ram fans fantasy and that is all it will be. Silverado kicks dirt in rams face and is the superior truck period. Just wait until GM and Ford have their new 9 and 10 speed trannies and ram will be sucking hind titty again!

Ram does need to seriously update the Hemi, it an arcaic motor with cylinder deactivation added to an old motor.

@greg, Sure thing ;) My 03 Ram has been trouble free. Since you have never owned a Ram. You have no idea. lol

Speaking of visits to the dealer,

General Motors is seeking federal regulators' permission to not recall more than 200,000 new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups because of an electronic defect that can be triggered by using the steering wheel controls. :O

@ TRX-4 Tom

Where are you getting your information on the 4.3L V6 from as the Ram 3.6L V6 is the one I read being called a "the minivan motor that’s found its way under the hood of Ram pickups." http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-chevrolet-silverado-v-6-instrumented-test-review

Even though I think the front of the Ram is the worst looking of the pickups, it is probably deserving.

Many who buy a pickup don't give a rat's a$$ about many of the issues discussed here on PUTC.

I can see the trivial arguments regarding how one pickup is slightly quicker, get 1mpg better FE, tows 200lbs more.

Consumer reports are completed for the normal person. Not a diehard pickup brand fanboi.

The recent debate with the Ram vs an Eco Boost Ford highlights what one person considers significant in a pickup another disregards for whatever reasons. The same goes for car shopping.

My mother bought a Focus the year before. The two reasons she bought it were because the Ford dealer was close and she could get in and out of the car easily.

She said most cars are the same. She didn't read the specificiations as it didn't mean much to here to go shopping in.

This is how many view pickups as well. As I've pointed out most pickups are SUVs. Most will never tow to the vehicles limit or even load the back up.

This is who the consumer reports target not a PUTC fanboi.

TRX-4 Tom: where di you get the load comparisons for the Chevy and Ram 2500 trucks? cause when I look them up the Chevy crew cab 4x4 can haul 2,724 and the 4x2 3,312, while the Ram? with the same cab and 4x4 will only haul 2,370! and that is the Tradesman the higher level Laramie longhorn will only haul 2,090!!! and in 4x2 the numbers go to 2,650-2,420!! neither of which is very close, only the w/t Tradesman is within 100 lbs but the longhorn is 700 LESS!!!! and the video of the three trucks in 250-2500 class from Ford, Chevy and Ram showed the 6.4 gas to be the slowest of the three!! and that is with the Ram, and the glorious 6.4 against the lower inferior 6.0 gas Chevy engine!!! what happened? oh by the way the F-250 with their 6.2 gas engine was the quickest from 0-60 and in the 1/4 mile! and the Ram was the slowest in both! you can find it on you-tube if you want. By the way the load rates for the Mega Cab is even worst! none can haul over 2,000lbs in a 2500!!!!

A truck award from CR isn't near as meaningful as one from PUTC, motor trend, four wheeler, etc...

As many stated, CR's core products and audience aren't very "trucky."

I acknowledge that the RAM 1500 is a great truck, especially with the VM motori diesel. However, the toal performance doesn't lead the class.

We've seen a few tests now where testers felt the Chevy rode better or was nicer than the Ram.
It looks like the Chevy would of won if it wasn't for the fact that CR no longer gives ratings on new products based on past models.

Too bad GMC didn't put more effort into the current Gen trucks. All indications are that the 2014 - 2018 truck is just a stop gap measure. Gregory had posted a link that stated that GMC was looking at aluminum panels around 2008.

"I acknowledge that the RAM 1500 is a great truck, especially with the VM motori diesel. However, the toal performance doesn't lead the class.

Posted by: fleetwhisperer | Feb 26, 2014 3:29:20 PM"

Really, The Eco diesel leads the class by a long shot. 28+mpg

More G....

More G....

More @$$ kicking

R..

@Big Al

We might be saying the same thing, but here goes:

CR uses a very methodical approach to evaluation, one that is no way influenced by advertisers (they don't have any) nor publishers, because they are published by the same non profit that's been around for decades.

They also use a methodical approach to product surveys. Because they have millions of readers, and because their readers reply to an annual survey of cars/trucks, the rest of the industry pays careful attention to CR's annual report, even if they don't always care to hear it.

In each case the methodology, whether it's their testing methods, or their survey results, is highly respected and scientifically sound.

"For years, truck manufacturers did what was safe and didn't upset the status quo. But two years ago Ford rocked the boat with the twin-turbo V-6 EcoBoost. Last year, Ram rocked it again with air suspension and an eight-speed automatic. We were hoping GM would continue the trend and blow us away with something even bigger. We simply weren't expecting Ram to do just that."

"Our judges rated the EcoDiesel the highest in ease of towing as well. Harwood wrote, "Doesn't feel like it's struggling at all. Once it gets up to speed, it chugs along, smooth, fairly quiet, and with little effort. Operates at low rpm, and it's easy to forget you're towing." Kiino followed up: "Awesome torque down low. Superb eight-speed automatic -- it just surfs the torque wave." That's the brilliance of this truck: It never feels like it's trying. The gas-powered trucks spend more time hunting for gears and revving at engine speeds the diesel will never see. Both the shifting and NVH from high-rpm operation add to driver fatigue during long trips -- especially when towing or hauling. The engine noise and vibration in the EcoDiesel are isolated, reduced to a mechanical hum at cruising. This, combined with the other amenities, means the miles just melt by."

"As we established last year, the rest of the Ram 1500 is class-leading in just about every other respect. Ram Boxes are still the best thing since pre-sliced bacon. The interiors are thoughtfully laid out and the controls are designed to be intuitive and easy to operate even while wearing gloves."

Motor trend

@HemiV8

As I've said many times, the number of awful cars that have received the MT car of the year award is a joke. The dreadful Chevrolet Vega is the star of that lousy lineup.

Don't take my word for it. The hall of shame list is published on Wiki.

The only thing RAM is tops at is trips to the dealer, look for yourself.

It's weird how that isn't a factor for CR, it's a factor for me !

@AD - C&D also said that the Ram 1500 is what BOF cars would be like if they kept on making them.

The Ram Ecodiesel payload is competitive with anyone wanting a diesel Jetta.

The Scion IQ has better then 500 lbs payload. Its quite sure the diesel RAM 1500 has payload in the 2000 lbs range.

Glad to see Michigan Bob back participating in the blog and making things interesting!! I always appreciate a man for telling it like it is!! Look forward to more no nonsense posts from you in the future!!

Lots of non-believers out there. That tells me there's a lot of people out there that have not driven the Ram yet. Too bad for them.

Good for ram

RAM 1500 Tradesman 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel, Quad Cabin, 6'4" Bed , Premium options

Max Payload 1439lbs
Max Towing 9050lbs

Max GCVW 14500lbs
Curb Weight 5250lbs

You can pull 7700lbs
770lbs tongue weight
450lbs for 3 people
330lbs stuff for the bed
or
300lbs for 2 people and
480lbs stuff for the bed

Starting at $33670

Best MPG from All Half Tons.

I don't wanna be in the ford and gm executive shoes now.

@zviera

Try finding a RAM diesel 1500 equipped the way you want it ON THE DEALER LOT for $33k Good luck wit dat.

@papa
I am not on the market for any truck.

And don't forget, best ride.

@George - payload capacity for the Ecodiesel Ram 1500 sucks.
I'm not sure where Zviera is getting his numbers from but these are the ratings for a 1500 crewcab 4x4 Ecodiesel.

Tradesman.......................1,234 lb... tow 8,750
SLT.................................1,205 lb... tow 8,700
Lonestar .........................1,205 lb... tow 8,700
BigHorn...........................1,205 lb... tow 8,700
Ouitdoorsman..................1,205 lb... tow 8,700

The PUTC Annual Physical posted an actual rating for the fully optioned Ram Laramie at 490 lb.

"The truck with the smallest payload capacity turned out to be the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel (Laramie Longhorn with air springs), with a calculated payload of 490 pounds, which equals just 7 percent of the truck's actual weight."

The much maligned Honda Ridgeline had an "actual" cargo rating of 1,470 lb.

So if you actually plan on carrying a load and want a coil sprung pickup, get a Honda.

@Lou_BC
I'm not defending the Ram guys here or against the Ram guys.

Ram built a truck to a target audience. It appears the audience they are targeting want a SUV/Car performing vehicle that looks like a truck.

I know zveria and HemiV8 will argue with you, but Ram could have easily increased to load capacity of a Ram but didn't.

@ Lou BC

Zviera is right on his numbers. However, he is posting the stats for a 2wd Quad cab(super cab to us) Tradesman. As you already know, Ram Tradesman trims are the bare bones stripped down trims with hardly any options. What he also is counting on is that tongue weight is 10% which is the bare minimum on the low side for trailer safety. I think he using that because that is what I used in a previous article, but stated I was just doing it to keep things simple. Usually trailer tongue weight closer to 12.5% if loaded correctly and should not exceed 15% on the high side for safety.

Also, his math is a bit off. Either one of passenger and gear combos add up to 780lbs. If you subtract 780lbs from the max payload of 1,439lbs, then that leaves you with only 659lbs left for a trailers tongue weight. IF the tongue weight was at 10%(notice I said IF, zviera)then that would leave only enough for a 6,590lb trailer. However, since most fall around 12.5% tongue weight, that is only leaves enough to tow 5,265lbs. Another this with his weights for people. The average man in the US weighs 196 lbs while the average woman weighs 160lbs which would mean his 300lbs for two people would be a man and a child. A number around 360lbs would be better if it were a man and a woman as passengers or around 400lbs if it were two guys as passengers. If it were a man and a woman at the normal 360lbs for both including the 330lbs of stuff in the bed then that would leave only enough payload left to tow 4,785lbs at a 12.5% tongue weight or 5,990 lbs at a 10% tongue weight without exceeding the max payload.

RAM 1500 Tradesman 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel, Quad Cabin, 6'4" Bed , Premium options
Max Payload 1439lbs
Max Towing 9050lbs
Max GCVW 14500lbs
Curb Weight 5250lbs
You can pull 7700lbs 
770lbs tongue weight 
450lbs for 3 people
330lbs stuff for the bed
or
300lbs for 2 people and
480lbs stuff for the bed