First impression on the 6.4 Hemi was it is capable of towing the trailer without the engine being dog piled on. It was quite, confident and more than acceptable experience with a larger trailer. I think mountain terrain may be put more stress and reduce the comfort feeling but pulling in the mountains for most RV drivers is less than 10% of the driving experience. I see why IB516 enjoys the performance because I did as well.
It did feel lower on the rear end but the hitch needed adjusting but I think it will still have some of the rear squat but it should based on the specs.
My cummins has more power, but it bloody well better because I paid 10k more.... Did the DSL feel better towing? Maybe a small difference compared to the 2500 so I think both trucks handled the trailer with confidence and the driver experience was pleaset which is a key aspect of towing. The gap difference on bump stops is a consideration but that can be managed.
I can't stand how the DSL performs from an acceleration performance test. It is a slow based on what my expectations are for the specs. I like the DSL truck and it suits my needs because I take my family 5000-6000 miles driving with the trailer every summer. I hope it gets better because it only has 2800 kms with respect to the torque management but The Hemi performed very well compared to my Cummins except for fuel mileage but that's a no brainer.
I am not saying one should make a decision to buy a gas or DSL truck based on our simple tests but it can help remove some of the noise around the many myths of gas engines pulling heavey trailers. Now when we travel the Silverback is loaded to near max capacity it was not for this test.
Overall these were good real world tests but I think next summer IB and I will go camping together and we can do some more side by side testing albeit different trailers will be pulled.
Good job IB516 this a fair test.
