Hybridhunter wrote:
jerem0621 wrote:
I had a 97 F150 with a 5.4 with 235 hp and 335 lb ft of tq. I pulled my TT that weighed 7000 lbs all over Tennessee. The truck handled well and accelerated fine, it wasn't winning any races but it wasn't slowing traffic down.
Now this Ram EcoDiesel has a little more HP (at lower RPM) and a what 90 more lb ft of torque? That with a better transmission and lower rear axle ratios will make a light duty towing beast that will get much better MPG.
I may have to look long and hard at buying one of these. I put a lot of miles on a vehicle and tend to travel 500 plus miles on vacation.
Anyone have any idea what kind of MPG this thing will get towing a 7-8000 lb travel trailer?
Thanks!
Jeremiah
The ED should get around 13-14mpg towing a full sized TT at a reasonable speed (say 65mph). It will likely tow a lot better than the older F150 as well. That being said, most anything modern will tow it better.
As another poster mentioned, it's worth waiting to see what Nissan comes out with, but for those "not in a hurry", and money is not a concern, it would be hard to beat the ED. For a premium, it will offer a more subdued towing experience. Unless you do buttloads of miles every year, especially towing, it will not cost you less.
I like new vehicles, and low operating costs, so the base V6 on the domestic trucks are all viable options power wise, as they outpower, and have have ways better transmissions than trucks of even 10 years ago. Most are under 8 seconds to 60mph, which is downright quick.
You are right! I have been studying the Base trucks for some time. The ford 3.7 is appealing because it has been out a few years and has some nice models popping up used in SuperCrew configuration.
The Pentastar and the 4.3 from GM both have over 7000 lb tow ratings with the right rear axle ratio.
But this EcoDiesel may beat them all for my purposes... We will know in the next 6 months if there are any glaring faults in the EcoDiesel. The 6.0 Powerstroke debacle had negative reports concerning head gaskets and cooling system issues almost immediately.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
