First Impressions - 2005 / G-56 CTD

[RJOL]

Flew to Spokane and took the Dave Smith shuttle to Kellogg Idaho. I had been to their dealership a couple of years ago, but it is still an operation that you have to see to believe. Truck was pretty much ready to go, but I wanted to test drive it, and then have them spray in their "TurboLiner" bed liner.



No hassles... No last minute markups... No pressure to buy something I didn't need... No negotiating a price. They sold my SLT to me for $4500 below invoice ($1000 Chrysler rebate; $1000 Chrysler Finance; $1000 Dave Smith rebate; $500 Farm Bureau; and an extra bonus $1000 more from Dave Smith as they said they wanted to clear a lot of trucks out before the end of March).



TEST DRIVE: Took it out on the freeway and checked for any unusual vibrations, or droning noise. Truck was smooth and responsive with absolutely none of the above problems that have been reported on the TDR. Actually checked under the truck to make sure there was no leaks, drips of anything else coming from the powertrain.



DRIVE HOME: Put just over 400 miles on it bringing it home. This truck is so quiet, compared to my 2001, that you would not know it was a diesel, unless you already knew it. Those of you that want a diesel sounding truck will not like this one. Truck actually rides better then my 2001 CTD 4X4 did. Tracked straight down the road with no pull of any kind. Average fuel mileage started out at about 14. 1mpg and by the time I got home, it was 15. 8. Drove between 60-65 most of the way home. From Kellogg to Puget Sound covers a couple of passes and part of the Cascade Range.



G-56 transmission: Took a few minutes to adjust to the new transmission and shift pattern but after a few miles it became second nature. Was a little concerned I might put it into reverse when downshifting to 2nd, but there is a very strong gate spring that you have to overcome to put it into reverse, so I don't think you would have a problem with it unless you really ham fisted it. It shifts very smoothly, and the clutch engages very smoothly. Absolutely no chatter or slipping.



HOME INSPECTION: Took a real close look at it, after I got home, and I must say that the fit and finish is very good. An earlier thread had said that there would be a problem with the closed frame as it didn't have any drains, but that's not correct. Each frame rail had a drain hole, in the bottom, at the low point. One thing I don't think I care for is that the truck came with General Tire "Ameritrac" 235/80/17E tires. Would have preferred the Michelins that came with my 2001, as I don't know anything about General Tires. Another "cost cutting" effort by Chrysler???



OVERALL: I'm more then satisfied with the truck. I will probably see more things as the "newness" wears off, but only time will tell. I have some concerns about the G-56 (my SLT Big Horn was the last one Dave Smith had in stock since the delivery freeze by Chrysler) but it's under warranty, and if there is a significant problem Chrysler can fix if for me...



LAST COMMENT: When you spend a lot of time on the TDR, you can get an impression that the Dodge CTD is plagued with problems. This is my second one and all I can say that if this 2005 is as good as my 2001 I will be more than satisfied...

 

[KCJackson]

You have my truck's visual twin - see my Reader's Rigs gallery



The Michelin LTX M/S was just released in the 235/80R17E size, but only as a white letter for now. I've got 1300 miles on my 05, and the AmeriTracs have done well in wet snow and rain - but of course, they're new and still have full tread depth. From what I've seen and heard, the Generals are better than the OEM Goodyears from 03 and 04.



With the 48RE and 3. 73s, I'm now seeing 18-20 mpg on the comp if I keep it between 57 and 67 or so, and stations here are just getting rid of their last fills of winter mix, so I expect better numbers as it warms up and I'm running straight D2.



Truck is still beautifully tight, although another year or two on NJ roads will loosen something, I'm sure :-laf



Everybody who gets to see the truck in sunshine says the same thing about the Patriot Blue: "oooooooo, I like that color!" DC calls it Pearl Coat instead of Metallic, but if you look closely, you can see flakes in the paint that really catch the sun and create "depth".



Good luck with yours, I'm definitely enjoying mine!

 

[JKlopp]

LAST COMMENT: When you spend a lot of time on the TDR, you can get an impression that the Dodge CTD is plagued with problems. This is my second one and all I can say that if this 2005 is as good as my 2001 I will be more than satisfied...

I totaly agree. My 05 610 has almost 20,000 miles now and the only problem has been a bad clutch solenoid on the AC compressor at 3000 miles. Best truck I have ever owned.



I know how hard it is to wait for delivery of your new truck and worry about problems that may be overstated on the TDR. In general, the info is great but I hate to see someone like Tomygun or Claton get blasted for problems that are not within their control.

 

[klenger]

I predict that (once this initial hick-up is resolved) the G56 will turn out to be a great product.



While many member may not agree with me on this (that's OK), I don't see that Dodge has made a bad decision yet in their changes since I got my 1st CTD in 2001. The 48RE is better than the 47RE and the NV5600 is better than the NV4500. Power and reliability of the CTD has gotten better, the cab size and appointments are better, the fit and finish is better, handling is better, brakes are better, ...

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

RJOL glad to hear you're happy with the truck. Man looks like you got a pretty good deal to boot!



My only comment is on the drive home I would have varied the speed more than 60-65 break-in purposes. . . on my drive I took it pretty easy the first 20-30 miles (around 50-60) then after that would roll up and down on the throttle often (50-75) then at around 200 miles I went ahead and took it up to 90-95 for a brief burst.



Another thing I did was not use the cruise control for the first 500 miles.



Vaughn

 

[mlandis2]

Glad to hear things worked out for the best. I also think the G56 will turn out fine after this initial issue and that they are doing the right thing to solve it prior to deliveries. I found another truck too and should take delivery Monday or Tuesday.

 

[CoastyAV8R]

Figure that there are over 24,000 members of TDR so you are going to see some people posting problems with their trucks on this site as that is one of it's purposes. I think the majority of people who buy the Dodge/Cummins combo are content with the truck. I still really enjoy my 04' and though from time to time I see a truck like my first CTD, 91' 4x4, or my second CTD, 01 4x4 ETH and have fond memories of them, the 04 truck blows both of them away when it comes to performance, handling and comfort. I can't really imagine buying something else as it has the room we need for our family, it tows our trailer where ever we want to go, and is reliable as my daily driver. Congrats on the new truck, you'll get use to the silence of the engine and in a few months when you hear a 2002 or older Cummins, you'll think it sounds cool, but damn it's loud.

 

[RJOL]

RJOL glad to hear you're happy with the truck. Man looks like you got a pretty good deal to boot!



My only comment is on the drive home I would have varied the speed more than 60-65 break-in purposes. . . on my drive I took it pretty easy the first 20-30 miles (around 50-60) then after that would roll up and down on the throttle often (50-75) then at around 200 miles I went ahead and took it up to 90-95 for a brief burst.



Another thing I did was not use the cruise control for the first 500 miles.



Vaughn

Vaughn... I did vary the speeds. I probably averaged 60-65, but I took it up and down the speed range from about 50-70+. I haven't engage the cruise control (only to test that it worked) and probably won't for the first 1K or so. Driving back over the Cascades ensured that the speed was not constant.