F150 2.7 22MPG vs Ram ED 23MPG

boocoodinkydow wrote:
It's a shame these threads turn into a push & shove match between the ford & chrysler camps but unfortunately there are some that relish stirring the pot. We're fortunate to have a choice of well engineered fuel mizer trucks. There's no denying that diesel is at an historic premium to gas. While I've seen some spotty $1 differences, I've had no problem finding diesel at $.60 higher, still almost 25% over gas. Historically, diesel equipped vehicles demand a far greater resale value over comparable gas powered units & often recoup much of the initial premium, but I understand how many don't feel they can justify the high option cost of the ecodiesel. In spite of these facts, however, the ram Ed is an obvious home run; chrysler has been unable to come close to keeping up with demand. You'll be hard pressed to find one on a dealers lot. There have been other threads similar to this using a lot of speculation some slanted spin to compare the 2 trucks. I now have in excess of 11,000 miles on my Ed & can share some real world experience. My best mpg was 31.1 & worst was a little over 24. Both were hand calculated on a full tank quantity. I've made numerous trips from south al to east tenn at speeds of 70-75 and consistently get over 26 mpg. On a 1500 diesel forum there is a thread entitled "30 mpg club" with numerous accounts of 30+mpg. Another forum has a thread following a family of 4 towing an almost 6000# tt with gear on a trip from n.c. To Cali. Daily mpg reports range from 14-16. Much attention has been called to the Rams anemic tow/haul ratings. I've had over 2300# in the bed on 2 occassions. Both were short trips of less than 40 miles but were on some pretty gnarly east tenn mountain roads. I hauled 1850# on a 450 mile trip. The air suspension leveled the load on all occassions perfectly. I did a before & after load measurement once & registered a deflection of only 1 3/8" with the 2300# load. While its definitely not a hotrod, I've never found myself longing for additional power. Never felt uncomfortable entering traffic flow nor in a passing situation. I've seen objections over the added cost of def. I've filled once & the cost came to less than one quarter of one cent per mile. Oil changes are expensive. Purchased in the southeast region I got the added Benny of 4 freebies but at my local dealership it would have otherwise cost $161 (yes, ouch). For the diy'ers, look for about half that amount. I'm not so much touting the accolades of the Ed but rather simply sharing some real world accounts. With the premium cost of diesel and the added option cost of the Ed it's surely not an easy financial justification in all instances. As compared to what was available just a short ten years ago, I think both trucks are great examples of modern engineering and I'm anxious to see what else the future holds for us truck enthusiasts, irrelevant of what it's branded!!