Will I regret not getting the V8 even if I don’t tow? Debating which truck to get…

You'll be happier with the V-8 if you tow anything more than a small utility trailer. The V-6 is also affected more by frontal load because of the lower torque. Resale, if that is a consideration, is also less.

Docwagon1776 said:

Well, at least the 3.6 guys got to experience both, which probably does console the hemi guys. Plus the hemi guys got to have more fun...

I'd rather rebuild a motor than be bored, but understand some people want an appliance automobile. Those people would probably be better served with a stripper Toyota. Or just a stripper and a bus pass.

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No. Those people are served perfectly well with a 3.6, which has a great reputation.

KKBB said:

I agree. My wife had a grand cherokee years ago with the 3.6. It got horrible mileage. Best MPG we got was 18.3 on a long interstate trip. Her last 2 vehicles have been dodge durangos with the hemi. Both of them get better MPG in every way than her grand cherokee did with the 3.6

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Anecdotes aside, the actual data on fuelly aggregated by many owners, proves that the 3.6 will give you better MPG than the 5.7 in the Ram.

Late to the party here but I have the Penstar v6 in my minivan and it is a very capable engine. I have even towed a 2800 lb popup with it and I never had any issues with the engine.

ramffml said:

Anecdotes aside, the actual data on fuelly aggregated by many owners, proves that the 3.6 will give you better MPG than the 5.7 in the Ram.

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So, if you want to use fuelly data, how much better does it say the mileage is between the two. No one believes the mileage I get with the Cherokee V8, or even my Ram 2500, so I quit posting it. Folks must think I photo shopped the pictures of the dash. Also, anecdote aside, what I care about is the mileage I actually get, not what everyone else gets. If I can get better mileage out of the 8 or even close then gas mileage gets entirely removed from the decision.

2020, Summit V8 Grand Cherokee on the highway after 240 miles of running at 65 mph mostly on cruise, hand calc shows actual about .5 less on this trip.



The V6 models never got better than 25 on the highway on the exact same roads, same speeds, same weather conditions.

Dean2 said:

So, if you want to use fuelly data, how much better does it say the mileage is between the two. No one believes the mileage I get with the Cherokee V8, or even my Ram 2500, so I quit posting it. Folks must think I photo shopped the pictures of the dash. Also, anecdote aside, what I care about is the mileage I actually get, not what everyone else gets. If I can get better mileage out of the 8 or even close then gas mileage gets entirely removed from the decision.

2020, Summit V8 Grand Cherokee on the highway after 240 miles of running at 65 mph mostly on cruise, hand calc shows actual about .5 less on this trip.

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The V6 models never got better than 25 on the highway on the exact same roads, same speeds, same weather conditions.

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It depends. If we're making a decision for ourselves whether the v8 is better MPG than the v6 then yes, what we actually get (hand calc'd, not computer readouts) matters more than fuelly reports.

If we're on a forum trying to accurately represent which engine is more than likely going to give a random member better MPG, then fuelly matters more and yours and my MPG reports are just anecdotes, not data.

The other thing to note with using fuelly, is that it is combined MPG, so more for the entire duration of your ownership. I can get 28 mpg (computer) on my 5.7 hemi as well, I posted that on this forum few months ago. But that's not at all indicative of what my yearly MPG will be. In the city, the v6 will still dominate the v8. On the highway, the v8 can close the gap quite a bit and for some guys, maybe even slightly beat it. But when you do calculated MPGs for an entire year of ownership, especially if you do a lot of city or less highway trips, the v6 will still come out on top even though on a single highway trip the v8 might meet/beat the v6 for a bit.

(also: often "exact same conditions" aren't all that exact. That's why my truck's MPG will go anywhere from 23 to 28 mpg on the same trip on the same roads to the same place at the same time of day in the same season with the same tires and the same fuel. I repeatedly drive from my home to an office 3 hours away and that's the variation I saw these past 6 months.)

FWIW, we have both hemi and 3.6 in our fleet. The number one issue is neither. It's transmissions and electrical gremlins, not in that order. We're likely way harder on them than most users, though.

ramffml said:

Anecdotes aside, the actual data on fuelly aggregated by many owners, proves that the 3.6 will give you better MPG than the 5.7 in the Ram.

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Good for fuelly. All I care about is what my wife and I got/get for fuel mileage. The 3.6 was by far worse than the 2 hemis in a little bit bigger durango than the grand cherokee was with the 3.6. Maybe the engine we had wasn't a good one, don't know. All I can say is I feel like the 3.6 lugged too much in the grand cherokee and that is why the gas mileage was poor. That would only be worse in a truck.

Just before buying my '21 1500 Classic with a V8 Hemi, I had tested and signed on the dotted line for a V6 version. I wasn't that happy with the lack of HP or all the noise it made doing nearly nothing when I planted the skinny pedal.

I tried to convince myself that the trivial savings in gas mileage would justify buying a truck with a smaller (gutless)* engine and this after 14+ years of driving and enjoying a 5.7 Tundra.

After a couple of sleepless nights and the anxiety of thinking I made a horrific error, I called the sales manager and said, "how about we tweak that order to include a V8 Hemi"?

This was my lucky day when he said no problem, let me get back to you shortly. Even if I could save 15-20% on fuel economy or more, there's no replacement for displacement and the incredible satisfaction of escaping those Sunday drivers when you're on a time-sensitive mission.

I'm extremely happy with my V8 Hemi decision even with the insane gas prices.
Driving my Ram truck is always a blast and more fun than the Tundra.
I would have been miserable with the V6.

YMMV


* I apologize to all those folks who are happy with their Penstar ride, I wish it would have been satisfactory for my enjoyment. And no offence intended.

.

Fake-Account27 said:

Late to the party here but I have the Penstar v6 in my minivan and it is a very capable engine. I have even towed a 2800 lb popup with it and I never had any issues with the engine.

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Minivan… enough said..

Here’s the ‘16 Cummins and ‘72 Scamper


Here’s the ‘19 6.4 and ’09 Gulfstream



Here’s the ‘21 Pentastar and squaredrop and '15 Coachman


There are many reasons why we buy one thing over another. Sometimes it’s ego. Sometimes practicality. Sometimes impulse, market availability, or spousal approval. Everything has its pros and cons.

The Cummins ate it’s turbo actuator, had numerous emissions gremlins and never reliably got better than 16mpg.

The 6.4 drank 89/91 like a drunken sailor but was only 1 mpg worse than the Cummins over it’s lifetime.

The Pentastar doesn’t have the power of either.

All 3 trucks never failed to get me to the campground and they were never disappointing to drive.

Buy whatever you want and enjoy your travels!

RamDiver said:

Driving my Ram truck is always a blast and more fun than the Tundra.
I would have been miserable with the V6.

YMMV


* I apologize to all those folks who are happy with their Penstar ride, I wish it would have been satisfactory for my enjoyment. And no offence intended.

.

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This, except I don't care if V6 guys whine. If you're an appliance buyer, get whatever. And that's ok, some people view a vehicle like a cordless drill or a refrigerator. There's no joy of ownership, no concern for fun, it's just a thing to own to accomplish a given task. That's a perfectly valid metric.

On the other hand, if you're an enthusiast, the answer is clear. The V6 sucks, as in sucks the fun out of the experience. I've test driven the V6 in the Grand Cherokee and Gladiator and it's incredibly disappointing. The lack of power is immediately noticed if you're used to driving interesting vehicles. If you are used to pedaling everywhere, it'll seem fast I suppose.