2 Weeks Driving a Pentastar V6 Ram

[22hemi13]

Yep completely stock. Except a bug deflector. I just did an oil change with Pennzoil full synthetic the day prior. That was mostly highway with some city doing 60 or less. And the AC was on the whole time. I've seen 26 whith the AC off a couple of times.

It’s has to be the bug deflector. It’s smoother than the paint therefore you get better aerodynamic over the front of the truck. It’s “slipperier” through the air.

 

[BiGMERF]

Yep completely stock. Except a bug deflector. I just did an oil change with Pennzoil full synthetic the day prior. That was mostly highway with some city doing 60 or less. And the AC was on the whole time. I've seen 26 whith the AC off a couple of times.

jeez .. im lucky to get 19 mpg driving like a grandma and i actually lose mpg on the highway..

 

[clay282]

I think it depends on your terrain and highway speeds annnnnd your type of highway. Weekend before last I was running a lot of secondary highway at 60mph and below, I easily got into the 20's.

I'm with ya GsRam I used to be love the exhaust and hearing the intake and now a Hemi passes me with loud exhaust and big wheels and tires singing, all I can think is... I bet that's hell to live with on the highway for a long run.

 

[dav8388]

jeez .. im lucky to get 19 mpg driving like a grandma and i actually lose mpg on the highway..

Ya I loose some on the interstate to. I took that pic just before getting on I95. It dropped to 23 by time I got to my destination 53 miles down the road doing 75 with cruise on

 

[BiGMERF]

Ya I loose some on the interstate to. I took that pic just before getting on I95. It dropped to 23 by time I got to my destination 53 miles down the road doing 75 with cruise on

ooh ok... im like wtf... it was crazy to me when it first happened, i am used to getting better mpg with cc on 75 on all my other cars... since my ram is my first truck all of it is new to me..

 

[dav8388]

ooh ok... im like wtf... it was crazy to me when it first happened, i am used to getting better mpg with cc on 75 on all my other cars... since my ram is my first truck all of it is new to me..

Ya sorry when I said highway I meant US highways. This is my first truck also I'm surprised it is getting as good as it is. My only other experience with trucks is my dad's 93 Chevy C1500 with a 4.3, and he said he has been getting 17mpg

 

[scott68fl]

Agreed. A whole diff experience


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If you really want the best of both worlds, do the V6 8 speed paired with the Pedal Commander.

Does it really make that much if a difference? Getting ready to change out my wheels and do a level on my outdoorsman with the V6. Thinking about the PC down the road. Wish someone posted a YouTube video before and after with the PC on a pentastar.

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[DRkNESS]

When we put it on my neighbors truck and took it for a spin, he was giddy like a school ******* her first date. I’ve already ordered mine for my Hemi and it’s not even broken in yet lol.

 

[clay282]

Does it really make that much if a difference? Getting ready to change out my wheels and do a level on my outdoorsman with the V6. Thinking about the PC down the road. Wish someone posted a YouTube video before and after with the PC on a pentastar.

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It does make that much of a difference but a before and after video wouldn't capture it. It's changing throttle response but not changing the trucks power. It MIGHT be a bit quicker to 60mph but that would only be from the instant throttle response.

Everyone has their setting that they like for their reasons. I don't use sport or sport + because it seems to jumpy. I only use city +2 because it feels more responsive and accurate (for lack of better words) but I don't drive hard and I don't like the overly quick rush or touchy throttle.

The only way you can really show someone is the with the tachometer and speed. You can be driving with it off at a steady speed like 40mph and then turn it on to sport + while your maintaining that steady speed and suddenly it will kick down a gear and start accelerating. It's like General Motors used to do in the 80's and 90's with their throttle linkage. I think they called it "tip in". They didn't have really powerful motors but the way the linkage popped open the throttle body, it felt like it was powerful.

 

[QwikKota]

That is one thing I forgot to put in my OP, the mileage. I was not impressed but drive very aggressively. The dash only said 16.2 mpg after about 250 miles of city driving. I may have been driving a little more lead footed than with my Hemi to see what the powerband was like but I occasionally do that in my truck and I get about 14mpg. I think the numbers would go up a bit for someone who drives like a little ol lady, but not me.

 

[BiGMERF]

Does it really make that much if a difference? Getting ready to change out my wheels and do a level on my outdoorsman with the V6. Thinking about the PC down the road. Wish someone posted a YouTube video before and after with the PC on a pentastar.

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you tube video would do no good.. its something you feel... not see

 

[bchap05]

I went to dealer with the intention of buying the v6 based on it being 1500 cheaper or whatever. But then they had sell and had a Hemi for the same price. So I drove both, reset the meter on both before taking off, and took the same route. Got back at 20 mpg in the v6 and 19 mpg in the Hemi. Thought hmmm I prefer power over 1 mpg so I bought the Hemi. Wasn't the longest most in depth test, but my example. Mine does have the 3.21's though so it will do pretty good on the highway.

I've gotten 24mpg over a 3 hr each way mountain highway trip. And 27 over a mostly flat but with some slightly downhill sections 70 mile stretch.

 

[brentwasham]

I've been driving the Pentastar 3.6L V6 in a '13 Tradesman for four years now and love the way the truck drives and accelerates. Upgraded to 20" chrome Laramie wheels so gas mileage is even better after figuring the extra 4% distance traveled with the bigger outer diameter. Ride was noticeably harsher with the lower profile factory Good Year Wrangler tires that come on the 20" rims. My old 17" stock rims also had the Wranglers but had a lot more rubber between the rim and the ground to cushion the bumps. Get about 20 mpg in town which is probably 75% freeway driving and I am a "light foot" driver. Have noticed computer is about 1 mpg optimistic most tanks. On trips typically get 22-23 mpg depending on how much hill climbing. Only negative was pulling a U-haul trailer full of furniture, most interstate hills in Texas terrain required 3 gears and gas mileage dropped to 13-14. Gas mileage was slightly better in "haul" mode despite the higher RPMs and shifting frequency was much better.

 

[PoMansRam]

I've only put about 2200 miles on the 2017 in my sig, but I too have seen that the dash readout is consistently on the +1 side for average MPG. I've got the 34gal tank on mine and have yet to get less than 23mpg over a ~550 mile tank and that's calculated by hand.

Having owned several 4.3L V6 Chevy trucks 2 and 4wd and a 3.9L Magnum powered Dakota years ago, the pentastar is a powerhouse in comparison. I'm old enough to remember V8s not nearly having the power at hand that this 3.6L does.

 

[BiGMERF]

I'm old enough to remember V8s not nearly having the power at hand that this 3.6L does.

Amen....



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[Typetwelve]

I'd like to drive a 3.6L to see how it compared to my EcoDiesel. I'm not going to get into driving habits/etc...but I'll say this; my '14 5.7L 4x4 with a 3.55 rear and 6spd got a very consistent 12mpg winter, 15mpg summer over the 4 years I had it. I ran mid grade fuel in it so it was not cheap to keep fueled. On average, I would spend $50-60/week on gas.

My ED is getting 19 winter and now 22 summer, even with the upcharge for diesel -vs- mid...I'm saving about $20/week on fuel.

 

[GsRAM]

These are very impressive numbers for a full size truck with a v6 I'll say that! My wife's 16 equinox gets like 18 or 19 city and mid 20s highway and that's it! Not very impressive for a 4 cylinder!

 

[clay282]

Having owned several 4.3L V6 Chevy trucks 2 and 4wd and a 3.9L Magnum powered Dakota years ago, the pentastar is a powerhouse in comparison. I'm old enough to remember V8s not nearly having the power at hand that this 3.6L does.

TRUTH! I grew up in the 1980's and giant Caprice Classic station wagons, Chevy trucks, the iconic "performance" car that made famous the IROC race series = Chevrolet Camaro, all had 5.0 liter V8's that only had 145 horsepower and 240 lb-ft. They towed campers, water wagons, farm equipment and families. My last truck was a Silverado with a 4.3 and that little motor was TOUGH!

This Pentastar is much stronger than people give it credit for. The reason I run on city +3 is because the truck feels sharper. The programming for the throttle from RAM is fuel economy programmed. Nothing fast, nothing punchy, you want speed you have to dip 3/4 + into the pedal to pass comfortably. It's like driving a car with the ECO button engaged... It feels sorta numb and unresponsive. These trucks DO have power. They're just programmed to give you fuel economy over performance.

The Pedal Commander seems to change all that. Moves off the line faster, hop to a different lane to get around a slower car and it drops a gear and hops to it without a bunch of throttle. The other day I went to pass on some back roads and had plenty of room so I didn't have to jump on it and maybe 1/2 throttle and she jumped down several gears, powered up and breezed past.

 

[TerraNewf]

My 2015 Outdoorsman had the Pentastar v6 and I loved it. When I ordered my current truck the v6 wasn't available with the CC and 6.4 bed here in Canada

 

[NCRaineman]

TRUTH! I grew up in the 1980's and giant Caprice Classic station wagons, Chevy trucks, the iconic "performance" car that made famous the IROC race series = Chevrolet Camaro, all had 5.0 liter V8's that only had 145 horsepower and 240 lb-ft. They towed campers, water wagons, farm equipment and families. My last truck was a Silverado with a 4.3 and that little motor was TOUGH!

GM's 4.3L V6 is essentially a 350 V8 with two cylinders cut off. It has the legendary GM small block reliability and the new direct injected versions are quite impressive in the horsepower department as well. I've got an '88 C/1500 with that 5.0L (305CID) V8 in the driveway now awaiting a transmission rebuild. Original engine lasted 27 years and 200,000mi before we had to tear down and rebuild due to loss of compression in 2 cylinders... though it was still running enough to be drivable on the other 6.

I considered going after a six cylinder Ram instead of Hemi. After all Pentastar is 300hp and how much more do you really need. So I did some research, especially over on the Jeep and Challenger forums where the engine is very common. Pentastar is supposedly the most complicated engine Chrysler has ever made and there have been a lot of people with nightmare head problems due to the heads being sand casted.

Bottom line I just couldn't convince myself that the engine would be reliable past 100,000mi... so I went with Hemi. There is nothing really "new" about Hemi... it's a 16 valve V8 and the few faults it does have are well known and well documented. Pentastar, being all new, scares me.