Looking to get a new pickup and I have narrowed it down to these two. I really like the duramax engine, but the ecodiesel isn't bad either. I like the interior on the Ram, but the new interior on Trail Boss is pretty nice, too. Anyone have any info to help sway me one way over the other?

I’ll take the Chevy over the ram every day of the week.

Every ram I’ve been in over the past 10 years has fallen apart and feels cheap.


Just my two cents.

Drive both. I have several used car dealer friends. They all have problems. Get what you like. I agree Chevy used to corner quality,  not so much now. The dealer friends drive dodges mainly. Love the styling.

Neighbor has a Trail Boss.

Nice enough truck.

Your Chevy will break down and leave you stranded.  

I know of one gmc at4 with duramax that is bricked up and won’t run at the dealer with under 9k miles on it.  It has also shit the infotainment center.

I know of another that has 40k on it and has been pretty decent minus that it broke the leaf springs before it ever had 5k miles on it or left the pavement.

I drove both. The chevy seemed zippier and the ram was smoother. I have noticed that the guys I know that work at dealerships are driving rams too.

I have a 2021 Z71 with the duramax and absolutely love that thing.  Plenty of power / pep with it mated to the 10 speed transmission.  It does everything I need it to and gets awesome mpg as a bonus. (33 hwy unloaded)  It is my daily driver but 2-3 times a month I haul about 4k lbs on a 5 hour road trip.   I didn't drive the RAM just because I thought it was butt ugly but beauty is subjective.  I did like the inside of the RAM a bit more but I was more interested in the power train.  I've got about 25k miles on it with no issues.

Mods I've done to suit my needs are a leveling kit, tri-fold hard cover and air lift suspension for the rear.  Hit me up if you have any specific questions.

How much extra are you paying for the diesel option, and what do you expect to gain from it.  It will take a LONG time to recoup that cost.

I love diesels and have owned a couple, but unless you need one you're probably better off going with a gas truck.

Mileage isn't bad for a 5.7L 8 cylinder in the Ram 1500s.  Even after putting larger and heavier E rated tires on it, my last OCI was almost 20 mpg.  I just have the 'Big Horn' model.  Most comfortable truck I've ever owned.

I use 'trip b' to keep track of my oil changes and change around 5K.

My 21 Silverado Z71 4X4 Duramax with the factory Trail Boss 2” lift gets about 27 mpg Summer, average, maybe 22-23 mpg winter.  It’s rated at 22-26, city/hwy.  As far as payback of the price difference, that was about 1600 but diesel is more expensive now. It’s a lot more efficient than the 5.3 gasser so it’s a math problem but close either way.

One thing to note.  Ram killed its diesel, GM just redesigned theirs

https://www.motor1.com/news/610347/ram-1500-ecodiesel-production-ends-january-2023/

In the chevy, the diesel is only $800 more than the 5.3 liter V8, so the fuel savings won't take long to recoup there. The Ram diesel is $2200 more than the 5.7 liter V8.

I did not know Ram was ending the ecodiesel. That's interesting.

Not that bad a markup IMO.

How does DEF and current diesel prices factor in to the equation?

well the rear timing chain on the chevy pretty much makes it a non-starter in my book. that an the first batches had lots of issues with the rear main seal blowing randomly. the ecodiesel, last i read was 90% all new so no longevity of proof of performance there. a friend of mine just had a cousin buy one new down in houston. 5 days later the ecodiesel engine blew and with no parts available, the dealer just swapped him trucks off the lot with another one. i can't keep track of who owns dodge this week and while i really would like an ecodiesel based on friends' performance, don't want to deal with the hassle of bad dealers who will soon have a new boss and don't give a crap.

know how i know they're going out o fbusiness soon?

""As we quickly pivot toward an electrified future, we wanted to celebrate this last EcoDiesel milestone by offering our loyal light-duty diesel enthusiasts a final opportunity to order the truck they love," said Ram brand CEO Mike Koval Jr."

we have a product we know people love, so we're getting rid of it for a product most people hate lol. winning formula there.

Neither. Gear drive > chain drive.  

I would just get a Cummins, but if you must have a half ton I would go with the Ram Eco Diesel. The 3.0 Duramax is interesting as it is an inline 6 but that rear mounted timing chain with a limited life span is retarded.

You better act quick if you want an EcoDiesel though, they are dropping it as an option.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-diesel-ram-1500-is-going-away

Yes, it’s absurd. Electrification is a decade away from really being a good option for trucks and efficient diesels make a lot of sense.  Fords is gone, Rams seems on the way out and GM’s has recently been updated and is now found in their big SUV’s as well.

As far as that rear timing belt that needs transmission removal on the GM, that’s the absolute last thing I would worry about – some maintainers plan to let that run to 200k and in any case, you’re more likely to have issues with the DEF, EGR or DPF but that’s true on any diesel.  

For the doubters I would just say that 600 miles between fill ups with a 24 gallon tank in the GM Diesel in the summer is real nice, $4.60 diesel vs $3.50 gas less so, but I’d guess around  25 mpg overall vs 18 (gas) is a decent place to start your cost comparison.  DEF for non-towing is virtually a non-issue. I’ve added just 5 gallons in nearly 12k miles, am due to refill but it’s a negligible cost.

The Duramax is relatively quiet and it’s stupid torque combined with that fantastic 10 Spd Auto is very nice

I remember when I bought my first Duramax and the Dodge guys told me that the only good diesel was a inline diesel then Dodge comes out with a V6 diesel and the Dodge guys love the V diesels.
I have a friend that is a Huge Dodge guy and he bought a 1500 Ram with the V6 3.0 Diesel he loves it and has bragged about it to no end and seems to forget how much he ragged on me about buying a V8 diesel.
In March I bought my ZR2 with the 2.8 Duramax and it has been a great little truck. Another friend bought a Trail Boss Duramax after down sizing from a 2500 Duramax and says it is just exactly what he needed and loves the 10 speed.

Comparing the Cummins ISB 5.9 & the VM 3.0 EcoDiesel…….

I have both - they are in very different vehicles/use models.