Okay...objective..third party who drives a Pentastar powered Minivan.
I have no interest in hot rodding or driving the fastest up the mountain.
The Ecodiesel appeals to a different group of people. I happen to be in that group. I put 30k miles per year on a vehicle... I travel a lot for both business and pleasure. I am interested in the following
1) comfort (I need to be able to be in the seat for 10-12 hrs comfortably)
2) power (has to be able to move itself around adaquatly)
3) economy (30k miles per year is expensive regardless of the vehicle)
4) capability (towing, hauling light loads, etc)
I nearly bought a new truck last fall and I drove all of the Big 3 trucks. I don't need a V8 out of these offerings, a smaller more efficient engine option is great for me
The 3.7 Ford didn't interest me after I drove it... Seemed to have to spin to 7,000 RPM's to feel power...
The GM 4.3 is FANTASTIC... how anyone could talk bad about that motor is beyond me... Lots of power off idle...
I had the pleasure of driving the Pentastar Ram and the Ecodiesel Ram side by side right after the other.
The 8 speed transmissions in both trucks are great! No lacking of power in either truck. The ED had reserve power throughout the test drive. The Pentastar felt like it had more power. Plain and simple, from a pure power perspective 305 hp > 240 hp by a large margin.
The Pentastar is a proven platform, will get 20-23 mpg hwy, and cost a little less than a similarly equipped ED.
Payload has not been an issue on the ED 2wd Rams I have looked at... I like cloth seats in my trucks and the tradesman line with a few bells and whistles (cloth, power options, back up camera, IBC) still have 1400 ish lbs of payload.
The issue with the Ecodiesel is that it meets a narrow need... A need not everyone has...but a need nonetheless.. What other full size truck can I reliably get 25 MPG highway empty, reliably haul 1000-1500 ish lbs of payload, and haul a 7k lb trailer? No, I won't get 25 MPG hauling a 7k lb trailer, but it would not suprise me to get 12-15 under the right operation.
The EcoDiesel has absolutly nothing to do with racing up a hill, neither does the 3.5 NA Ford, or the 4.3 GM, or the Pentastar.
Maybe I am strange, but I am okay with a tv working while towing.. I don't expect the truck to be fast, I expect it to be reliable and capable of moving the load at highway speed which for me is 60-62 mph in the flats. That's my personal MPH limit.
The ED will be a pleasure to tow with... 420 lb ft of tq at 2000 rpm... It will purr down the highway... May not win races but it should be a low stress tow.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
