pgr1990
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2016
- Posts
- 490
- Reaction score
- 352
- Ram Year
- 2015
- Engine
- 3.0 EcoDiesel
For the past week, while my Ecodiesel was in the autobody shop getting fixed, insurance gave me a Ram 1500 5.7. I thought it would be helpful to compare the two and inform people teetering between the 3.0 v6 diesel vs the 5.7 gas v8 the pros and cons of each engine in the 1500.
The rental truck was a big horn, without Nav or any premium features and it was a quad cab vs my ecodiesel in the Laramie trim with a crew cab. I did really enjoy the larger bed on the big horn, but for all intent and purpose the suspension setup and ride were pretty much identical in both trucks.
Performance-
The 5.7 HEMI v8 was just so powerful it felt like a rocket ship in comparison to my ecodiesel. When you hit the gas in the v8, the truck just never seems to slow down. It has long legs as is the case with most every v8 and it has plenty of power to handle the weight of the Ram. My only negative is that if I drove that truck any longer I absolutely would have gotten a speeding ticket because it's horsepower and torque are addicting!
My ecodiesel around town has plenty of torque to disguise its low horsepower figures. When I get on the highway and am at higher speeds the engine gets gassed pretty quickly once the rpms start reaching their ceiling. It still has plenty of power for what it is and it pairs nicely with the 1500. It is not a performance oriented engine obviously and for its small size of only 3 liters it is an impressive power plant.
Its really not even close, if you're shopping with performance being a very important factor you just have to go with the 5.7.
Sound-
There is a special place in my heart for the sound of a v8 at wide open throttle that just cannot be duplicated and the HEMI is no exception. It sounds amazing when you get on it and I would suspect a proper exhaust system would add even more to that exhilarating sound. I also enjoyed being able to go through the drivethru for a coffee and the person taking my order being able to hear me over the speaker with the HEMI. With my diesel I have to repeat myself often as they cannot hear me over the motor.
After 5 days I really yearned to hear the sound of my diesel again. There's something about the spooling of the turbo and the constant clacking of a diesel motor that is satisfying. The 3.0 is very quiet for a diesel as well so it is not obnoxious like the bigger diesel motors in the HD models.
I know sound is very subjective, but in my opinion I enjoy the sound of the HEMI at wide open throttle and the ecodiesels clatter and spooling during every other type of driving. So I call it a draw.
Fuel economy-
The 5.7 gets absolutely awful gas mileage. I drove my normal work week of 70% highway and 30% city driving and I averaged 14.5mpg in the v8. I watched my estimated miles until empty go down like there was a hole in the gas tank.
My ecodiesel averages 24-25mpg on average and I can even get to 25-26 if I'm
Extremely conservative. For comparison, I owned an awd Acura TL prior and it got 18-19 mpg average, so basically the ecodiesel is the most impressive vehicle in regards to fuel economy I have ever owned especially considering it's a full size truck. It's seriously like magic how long the fuel tank lasts and how the truck just sips fuel.
So as expected, the ecodiesel clearly takes this category easily. I drive a LOT for work, so fuel economy was the biggest factor in my purchase. I was looking at midsize trucks at first, but after driving them they were just far to small and crammed, so the ecodiesel was a perfect fit just very hard to find one in stock at any local dealerships.
Throttle response-
The 5.7 I have no complaints about it has just a "normal" throttle response. You hit the gas and the truck moves.
The ecodiesel has the worst throttle response I've ever felt in a vehicle before. When I got my truck back I was so used to the 5.7 that I'd hit the gas and wait for my truck to move for like 2 seconds and push down further until it lurched. It actually took me a while to get accustomed to it again. I forgot it was that bad but was reminded of when I first bought the truck and had to get used to the pedal being so unresponsive. If anyone has a fix for that via mod I'd really appreciate it because it's ridiculous!
All in all with my work involving so much driving I'd buy the ecodiesel again. If fuel economy wasn't a concern for me and I drove minimal miles I'd buy the 5.7. The premium price for the ecodiesel is only worth it if you're driving long distances daily like I am. The 5.7 just doesn't get enough range out of a single tank of gas for anyone that drives a lot. The ecodiesel also has a very cool novelty to it and whenever I'm pumping fuel and another Ram truck is at a neighboring pump I always get asked questions about my truck which is cool and you don't see many ecodiesels around at all.
In conclusion, both engines are fantastic and I had a great time with the 5.7 all week. At the end of the day it all comes down to what you're looking for in your Ram 1500 and what you will be using your truck for. Just be rest assured that whether you choose the 3.0 diesel or the 5.7 v8 HEMI you won't regret your decision. I hope this helps anyone on the fence!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The rental truck was a big horn, without Nav or any premium features and it was a quad cab vs my ecodiesel in the Laramie trim with a crew cab. I did really enjoy the larger bed on the big horn, but for all intent and purpose the suspension setup and ride were pretty much identical in both trucks.
Performance-
The 5.7 HEMI v8 was just so powerful it felt like a rocket ship in comparison to my ecodiesel. When you hit the gas in the v8, the truck just never seems to slow down. It has long legs as is the case with most every v8 and it has plenty of power to handle the weight of the Ram. My only negative is that if I drove that truck any longer I absolutely would have gotten a speeding ticket because it's horsepower and torque are addicting!
My ecodiesel around town has plenty of torque to disguise its low horsepower figures. When I get on the highway and am at higher speeds the engine gets gassed pretty quickly once the rpms start reaching their ceiling. It still has plenty of power for what it is and it pairs nicely with the 1500. It is not a performance oriented engine obviously and for its small size of only 3 liters it is an impressive power plant.
Its really not even close, if you're shopping with performance being a very important factor you just have to go with the 5.7.
Sound-
There is a special place in my heart for the sound of a v8 at wide open throttle that just cannot be duplicated and the HEMI is no exception. It sounds amazing when you get on it and I would suspect a proper exhaust system would add even more to that exhilarating sound. I also enjoyed being able to go through the drivethru for a coffee and the person taking my order being able to hear me over the speaker with the HEMI. With my diesel I have to repeat myself often as they cannot hear me over the motor.
After 5 days I really yearned to hear the sound of my diesel again. There's something about the spooling of the turbo and the constant clacking of a diesel motor that is satisfying. The 3.0 is very quiet for a diesel as well so it is not obnoxious like the bigger diesel motors in the HD models.
I know sound is very subjective, but in my opinion I enjoy the sound of the HEMI at wide open throttle and the ecodiesels clatter and spooling during every other type of driving. So I call it a draw.
Fuel economy-
The 5.7 gets absolutely awful gas mileage. I drove my normal work week of 70% highway and 30% city driving and I averaged 14.5mpg in the v8. I watched my estimated miles until empty go down like there was a hole in the gas tank.
My ecodiesel averages 24-25mpg on average and I can even get to 25-26 if I'm
Extremely conservative. For comparison, I owned an awd Acura TL prior and it got 18-19 mpg average, so basically the ecodiesel is the most impressive vehicle in regards to fuel economy I have ever owned especially considering it's a full size truck. It's seriously like magic how long the fuel tank lasts and how the truck just sips fuel.
So as expected, the ecodiesel clearly takes this category easily. I drive a LOT for work, so fuel economy was the biggest factor in my purchase. I was looking at midsize trucks at first, but after driving them they were just far to small and crammed, so the ecodiesel was a perfect fit just very hard to find one in stock at any local dealerships.
Throttle response-
The 5.7 I have no complaints about it has just a "normal" throttle response. You hit the gas and the truck moves.
The ecodiesel has the worst throttle response I've ever felt in a vehicle before. When I got my truck back I was so used to the 5.7 that I'd hit the gas and wait for my truck to move for like 2 seconds and push down further until it lurched. It actually took me a while to get accustomed to it again. I forgot it was that bad but was reminded of when I first bought the truck and had to get used to the pedal being so unresponsive. If anyone has a fix for that via mod I'd really appreciate it because it's ridiculous!
All in all with my work involving so much driving I'd buy the ecodiesel again. If fuel economy wasn't a concern for me and I drove minimal miles I'd buy the 5.7. The premium price for the ecodiesel is only worth it if you're driving long distances daily like I am. The 5.7 just doesn't get enough range out of a single tank of gas for anyone that drives a lot. The ecodiesel also has a very cool novelty to it and whenever I'm pumping fuel and another Ram truck is at a neighboring pump I always get asked questions about my truck which is cool and you don't see many ecodiesels around at all.
In conclusion, both engines are fantastic and I had a great time with the 5.7 all week. At the end of the day it all comes down to what you're looking for in your Ram 1500 and what you will be using your truck for. Just be rest assured that whether you choose the 3.0 diesel or the 5.7 v8 HEMI you won't regret your decision. I hope this helps anyone on the fence!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
