Ram Eco-Diesel vs F150 2.7 TT - Davis Dam

Tystevens wrote:

mcsurveyor wrote:
Ok, so I read through all the comments and no one has said anything on how the 2.7 EB did against the Chevy. And seeing how the video glossed over it in about 30 seconds, it probably didn't do well enough to talk about. They claimed the 2.7 beat the 5.3 in two runs, but then lost when the outside temp went down.

My takeaway from that is there isn't a lick of performance difference between the 2.7 EB and the 5.3L, which perhaps speaks better for Ford than it does Chevy.

Well, it probably isn't that simple. I know my GM 5.3 and my 3.5 Ecoboost both get the job done, but feel very different in doing it. They both can tow up a grade in about the same amount of time. But the power delivery characteristics are probably different. The 2.7, like most turbo charged engines, probably makes near peak torque much lower in the rpm range, so it is going to feel different towing.

And the 2.7 probably is capable of a lot better mpg when driven carefully.

And that's what it comes down to. The 2.7 probably is well matched power-wise against the 5.3, but if it get's another 2-3 mpg on the highway, that's a huge plus in favor of the 2.7.

To me, the biggest benefit I see with the Eco-Diesel is the towing fuel economy, which from all accounts I've heard, is tremendous. The whole package is compromised, however, with the truck having no payload, the price of entry, and I have a suspicion that this truck was engineered strongly for mileage, not towing, and I wonder about the long term durability using it as a tow vehicle.

But getting 15+ mpg while towing 7,000 lbs is something that I could get on board with.