MotorTrend Tests the 1500's

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

Lessmore wrote:

AndrewM wrote:
The EcoDiesel was the slowest in every performance test - by a lot. With no fuel cost savings compared to the EcoBoost. Why would I want buy the EcoDiesel? What am I missing?

You're right the Dodge diesel is slower than the Chevy and Ford. Performance figures of the Ram, are 0-60 mph in 8.8 seconds, 1/4 mile in 16.6 seconds. That's not bad, probably a little better than average for the mix of new vehicles out there today.

To me and many others it's more than satisfactory. In a truck I don't need the acceleration of a Top Fuel dragster. I want really good low and mid range torque.

Everybody has different wants.

The math just does not come out on the 1/4 mile time with this truck. A 16.6 time in a truck with 240HP and weighs as much as it does should clock the 1/4 at low 17's; not mid 16's. The 0 to 60 times are way off too for some reason. Someone is cheating somewhere or this truck is an anomaly among anomalies. :h

My 2013 5000# VW Touareg with a 3.0 L TDI motor rated 240 HP and 406 ft lbs of torque, in an AWD configuration does 0-100km/hr in 6.9 seconds. That is not a misprint. You can see all kinds of videos of folks getting the same results on YouTube. So no, I don't find that 0-60 number to be that far off. It is known that VW fudges on the 0-100 km times in brochures, and err's on the conservative side, for insurance purposes and to keep insurance costs down. This has been observed since as far back as their first Direct injection TDI motor in the 1996 Passat TDI.

Clicky

Of course, all of that is a non issue to me... because I don't take my Touareg to the drag strip or the race track. It's a daily driver sometimes employed as a tow vehicle for my 4000 lb wet 21 foot travel trailer. Which is where the torque of a diesel motor comes in as a bonus feature while towing, it's the preferred fuel for doing heavy work and towing at steady state speeds on the interstate.