Which engine for reliability?

I have a 2020 Ram Longhorn 4x4 crew cab with the rambox and air suspension. It replaced my 2014 1500 longhorn ecodiesel. I also have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica minivan with the Pentastar V6. I don't live inthe mountains or drive inthem regularly. I tow occasionally sometimes with a 35oo lb pontoon boat and trailer, sometimes with a tandem axle flatbed trailer with up to 7000 lbs total load and sometimes with a 7' interior by 12 ft long single axle V-nose trailer with a snowmobile or other stuff in it when I need a protected trailer. I opted for the PEntastar V6 with 301 hp when I ordered my truck and couldn't be happier. The Pentastar is known entity in the FCA lineup. It is plenty of hp and coupled with the 8 spd ZF transmission with close spaced upper gears it makes a nice match. I opted for the 3.55 rear end ratio, a bit lower speed geared than the standard 3.21 and higher speed geared than the 3.90. The match is perfect for me. I have towed 7000 lbs for a few hundred miles in rolling hills and rolled along nicely at 70 mph. The transmission shifted as needed and the engine spins quietly and freely as needed to produce the hp needed to pull the load. Empty it does nicely on the Freeway at any speeds that keep you from getting a ticket. THe snowmobile trailer pulls the hardest due to wind resistance. With towing less than 10% of my miles driven it makes a great setup for me.

I wanted a high trim truck and air suspension and it took them a while to offer the Pentastar in that kind of truck but I am happy I waited. 23-24 mpg when not towing at 55-60 mph on the rural 2 lane highways I do most of my driving on in the summer and 20-21 with Blizzak snowtires on the same roads in the winter.

They are probably hard to find but I think they are a perfect match for people not towing a big trailer regularly or the 'boy racer' type that likes loud exhaust and intake roar.

Brent 1955 said:

Depends on if you want gas or diesel. My Diesel has 600,000 plus on it right now the 6.7is a million mile plus engine.

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The 6.7 may well be a million mile engine . . . .but the drive train usually dictates life!

Hemi guys will disagree but the V6 pentastar engine is the most reliable engine when it was offered. Lots of power (more than our V8s of the 70-80's). Don't know if its still offered in current Rams. BTW i have an Eco Diesel, but wish I had the V6.

I just bought a 2008 1500 big horn with the 5.7 hemi. I bought it because the engine was replaced 7000 miles ago ... the dealer never even knew and was surprised when I showed him the carfax after I bought it.. I still drive my 1996 Dakota SLT with the 5.2. I love dodge engines...

I have a 2020 with 6.4 and it is a pig and dog compared to the Ford 7.3 and my buddy's 3.5 ecoboost will leave me for dead on the highway and gets about double the mpg and I actually get pretty good mpg compared to many. I have another buddy with a 5.0 and his sounds better by a mile than my hemi. I have a buddy with a ford 250 with 6.2 and we are about equal in mpg and power. I have had 4 jeeps with the 3.6 and would not want that in a truck but some like it. Ram needs to get going on a new power plant.

danielmid said:

The 6.4 if I have the choice.

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Except that choosing the 6.4 also means choosing a 2500 or 3500 and the OP says "I wont be towing much, if at all". For someone who won't be towing, the 2500 6.4 would be a hard sell just to get the 6.4 over the 5.7.

I went from a GMC Sierra 1500 6.2L to a Ram 2500 6.4L and can say for sure, that ride quality in my Ram is no where close. I'm not being over critical, but I was willing to lose the cushy ride to get something that would tow my travel trailer better. The GMC 6.2L also had more power and Torque as well as a 10 speed transmission. For everything except towing the travel trailer, the GMC was more pleasurable to drive. But since towing the trailer is the truck's primary reason for existing (for me) that was a worthwhile trade.

I didn't own the GMC long enough to vouch for its long term reliability, but it sure was fun and very comfortable to drive.

We had nothing but positive experiences with the 5.7 Hemi, both in our 2013 Durango as well as 2018 RAM.

I'll stick to my Cummins 6.7. They've been song turbos since the early 60's or even earlier.

I have always been about the simpler the better on stuff. That being said, I needed a good used truck for the illinois home. (The Big "D" is down in fl and we gave up driving back and forth...we just take a 3 hr flight now and be done with it.)
So, as to ram, I still like the 5.7, have had that motor and the 5 spd in all but one my rams, (had a 6 spd on column in my reg cab 2014) wanted the 8 spd but nothing to be found except for ungodly high prices. Ford, I like too but NO NO NO ecoboost of ANY kind, and no 6 cylinder. 5.4 is ok, 4.6 belongs in a crown vic or town car imo.

SO....ran onto a 2011 Blue Oval Lariat Supercab 4x4 off road with tow package a 5.0 coyote type motor and the tried and true 6 spd (ford had trouble with their earlier (2017-21) 10 speeds so even if I wanted to pay the money those were out as well. My 2011 rides great, love the nice sound system and the leather seating, very comfortable and easy for me to drive.
196000 miles but got a great price and everything underneath is dry shifts great and nothing needs attention...I'll live with IT.

P.S. I DID drive a pentastar in an earlier ram seems to be a good motor but MPG isnt a factor with me and I would ALWAYS go with the 5.7 because "yeah...It's a Hemi" Good Luck!

Lariat

XL Denali said:

Looking at getting a used crew cab 4x4. I thought I knew what I wanted but keep changing my mind between RAM and F-150 all engines. ‍ Found out I might be able to get a better deal if I go Ram due to a friend of a friend. lol
Which engine would you choose for reliability? I won’t be towing much if at all.
Thanks in advance

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Get a V-6 Ram or the Chevy 6 mentioned earlier, if not towing much of anything.

Don't just look at the engine... look at the powertrain as a whole.

I've owned 8 F150s, ALL with the Triton 5.4 and 6 speed trans. I never had to turn a wrench on them aside from 1 alternator.
I've owned 4 Expeditions, 3 with the Triton 5.4 and 6 speed trans. Never turned a wrench on the ones with the 5.4.
One Expedition was the 3.5 Ecoboost.
I've owned a Durango (3.6 with the 8speed) , Charger R/T (5.7 with the 8speed), a 2500 (6.7 with the 68RFE) and 3500 Ram (6.7 with the 68RFE), and now a 1500 Ram (5.7 w/8 speed). All worked flawlessly and I have not turned a wrench on any of these.

My take so far is that the 3.5L Ecoboost is impressively powerful for what it is (but they STILL have cam phaser issues just like the 5.4s). Our trim package on our 19 Expedition came with 400HP and you could absolutely feel every bit of it. As much as I was opposed to a V6 in such a large vehicle it won me over pretty quick (for a while)

However, the 10 speed transmissions behind them are ticking time bombs. Our Expedition spent 9 months in the shop while Ford worked out a redesign of the components. It lasted for 80 miles after the rebuild before it failed again. Ford is preparing to issue a recall on top of the 3 current trans TSBs that are open on them)

If I were looking for another truck and it wasn't going to be a Ram (my first choice) I would likely look at an older GM that doesn't have cylinder deactivation. They're a pretty tried and true platform. Second behind that would be the 5.4L (or a 5.0 if you can find it) F150 with the 6 speed. The 5.0 Coyote is a great engine, but it doesn't do you any good if the trans doesn't work.

Doug Ram said:

Right now Consumer Reports has the new Ram 3500, 2500 and 1500 as the three most reliable full size trucks.

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Rated by an organization that is as reliable as a Yugo. CR is garbage, but let's assume their data is correct: Much like JDPower and other orgs that look at repair data, what time frame is that data coming from? Is it factory warranty period? Is it 50K mile data? Is it 100K data? Which climate? Commercial or grocery getter? All that needs to be broken down to get a reliable picture of what is actually happening. Instead, we get soundbites used by the manufacturers to sell things.

Scottly said:

Rated by an organization that is as reliable as a Yugo. CR is garbage, but let's assume their data is correct: Much like JDPower and other orgs that look at repair data, what time frame is that data coming from? Is it factory warranty period? Is it 50K mile data? Is it 100K data? Which climate? Commercial or grocery getter? All that needs to be broken down to get a reliable picture of what is actually happening. Instead, we get soundbites used by the manufacturers to sell things.

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I'm still gathering info. Once in awhile you can come across a review by someone who has actually owned and driven the thing for a year. Far too many reviews are by people who have had something a week and still giddy about the purchase. Even the cheapest mattress feels like a cloud the first week.

My 5.7 has 199K and still purrs like a kitten. No ticks or knocks. The Hemi is a solid engine choice.

nlambert182 said:

If I were looking for another truck and it wasn't going to be a Ram (my first choice) I would likely look at an older GM that doesn't have cylinder deactivation. They're a pretty tried and true platform.

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2000-2006 Chevy 5.3 engines. Some of the best on the planet.

DerickE said:

Hm Ok, I'll defer to your knowledge...perhaps the parties involved in my discussion where the topic came up may have had their wires crossed a bit. I think the concept of the 3.5 is pretty bad ass...towing 10k w/ a V6, I just fear change and turbo is kinda new in the market lol.

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I do not think turbo is so new. Been around since pre WW2. Ditto for super chargers.

gfh77665 said:

2000-2006 Chevy 5.3 engines. Some of the best on the planet.

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Not the strongest in stock form, but yes definitely reliable. I hate the GM platform personally but if I were just looking for powertrain reliability it would be on my list.

Sherman Bird said:

I do not think turbo is so new. Been around since pre WW2. Ditto for super chargers.

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Nah, but definitely new to the US consumer market. US people and turbos are kinda nutty in a love/hate/fright kind of way.

DerickE said:

Nah, but definitely new to the US consumer market. US people and turbos are kinda nutty in a love/hate/fright kind of way.

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I sure loved it when I got to work on GMC Typhoons and Syclones! Those and 89 Trans Am GTA's the the Grand National driveline were all stupid fast with v-6es and turbos.... 30 plus years ago! FUN!