Ford F150 3.7 L V6

jerem0621 wrote:
Well, today I got to spend some miles in both the EcoDiesel AND the Pentastar Ram side by side, well, one right after the other.

My dealership that I bought our Minivan let me test drive both today knowing that I wasn't buying today.

First drive was the EcoDiesel. It was a 3.55 rear axle Tradesman club cab model. 2wd. Man, this thing rides NICE. I couldn't hear the turbo spool up but I did feel a bit of turbo lag, especially from a stop light. Overall, pretty nice.

Next drive was the Pentastar V6. The Model I drove was also a tradesman club cab 3.55 rear axle ratio 4x4. Driving the 2wd and the 4x4 one right after the other I can say that the 2wd obviously rides better. Particularly in the front end. The 2wd was more nimble in handling, the 4x4 felt a bit more "chunky." Probably due to increased weight...(duh! Right!!)

As far as power the Pentastar performed as expected. The Ram edition of the Pentastar has about 15-20 ish more HP than the Pentastar in my Town and Country Van and I knew that the power should be great off the line.

Side by side, the Pentastar pulled harder and had more power than the EcoDiesel. I was surprised at how apparent the HP disparity felt in the seat of the pants. The Pentastar pulls hard off idle and moves the truck seemingly effortlessly. The Ecodiesel required me putting my foot in it a bit from a stop.

Overall, I am not sure that I personally would be happy paying $4000.00 more for 65 less HP only to gain an alleged 3 mpg gain on the highway.... this experience has me scratching my head a bit at the logic. The Base V6 simply outperforms the EcoDiesel.

Since I drove the trucks one right after the other and I drove the exact same road in the exact same conditions I figured that I would test the MPG indicator on the dashboard. I have found the indicator to be within .5 mpg on my Pentastar Van so I confidence that its relatively close.

Unscientific MPG Test Alert!!

How I did the MPG indicator test was to get both trucks up to speed and reset the MPG indicator. I did both on both trucks at about the same time and at about the same speed. When I got back to the dealership I noted the MPG indicated on both trucks.

EcoDiesel - 18.5 MPG
Pentastar - 23.3

Now, this MPG test was only over a 10 mile circle, but was interesting none the less... and really proves nothing. Just an initial obeservation.

Conclusion

The EcoDiesel is 100% out as far as I am concerned. Not enough positive gain for my money. The Pentastar can do everything the EcoDiesel can for thousands less...without future DPF and DEF issues to deal with just for the sake of a few more possible MPG.

In the battle for the V6 Full Size trucks the Pentastar Ram is the winner in my book followed by the Ford 3.7, EcoTec 4.3 GM, and the EcoDiesel last. Why the EcoDiesel last? Simple, it has less power than any of the base V6's available (you can even lump the Tundra's 4.0 into the mix and say the same thing) and you can FEEL the power difference.

Taking the motors out of the equation... the Ford fits me better. The seats are more comfy, the visibility over the dashboard/hood is better for me, the ride is better in my perception, Maybe its my 5 ft 8 frame that fits in the F150 better, I don't really know.. but I'm probably going to buy a 2wd SuperCrew XLT 3.7 Ford in the near future.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Kinda jives with my experience, though honestly, other than the unfamiliar interior, I find the Ram a softer, more carlike vehicle. Neither which are my preferred qualities in a truck. Nice to see and unbiased comparison. And the 0-60 is almost 2 seconds disparate on those 2 trucks, so seat of the pants is spot in on this case. A typical non brake torqued start is probably is even more of a difference.

Are you thinking the Ford will be the one because the comfort of the seats, or are there other factors you consider to be more important?