Bionic Man, I thought I had made it clear that I manually downshifted at the top of hills, but a quick scan of my post leads me to believe I thought about it, but it never made it to the keyboard.
Yes, I manually downshift at the top of hills, while going slower. I would even downshift to 3rd gear when I knew it was a steep hill. But, as the speed increased, the computer would upshift, and continue to do so if I did not brake.
I have found out since purchasing my latest diesel, that gas engines have better engine-braking than diesels, due to the mechanics of the engines. So, my hope now is that someone comes out with an after-market engine brake for the GC diesel, but I am not holding my breath!
In my opinion, based on my experience, if you are going to be towing your boat regularly in the mountains, I would not get a 6-cyl GC to tow a 6,000 lb boat. If you are only going to go through mountains occasionally, it will be fine, if you monitor your downhill braking, and don't overdo it. Hills across the midwest are no problem, as they are short enough. My hills are over a mile long where I complain about having to brake, instead of letting the engine hold me back.
