V8 or V6....need advice?!?!

[CamperMike]

And no matter which rear end gears you get, they are change-able.

With a 4x4 this becomes cost prohibitive.

 

[GRN69CHV]

I'm sure the V6 has plenty of pep for daily driving and light towing. My '16 has the Hemi with 3.21 gears. I've not been this impressed with a powerplant in a long time.

 

[davidzog]

New question....how does the v6 do in hilly terrain?? With the 8 speed does it shift itself to death going up and down hills??

We travel to the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri which is very hilly.

 

[bruce219]

It has hill assist,it will hold a gear climbing and also descending,feels like your driving a stick shift.

 

[davidzog]

Actually hill assist holds brake pressure on the brakes so the truck does not roll backwards on a hill when moving your foot from the brake to the gas pedal

it has nothing to do with the transmission

 

[TheEnder]

New question....how does the v6 do in hilly terrain?? With the 8 speed does it shift itself to death going up and down hills??

We travel to the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri which is very hilly.

The V6 does great in my Chrysler 300, which has the same drivetrain as a RAM 1500, minus a few HP.

It likes to stay in 4th when climbing a STEEP hill, and it’ll drop into 6th on other hills. No issues with it whatsoever. Only difference is the 2.35 rear gear ratio on the 300 which keeps the engine RPMs close to idle at 55MPH...


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[CamperMike]

New question....how does the v6 do in hilly terrain?? With the 8 speed does it shift itself to death going up and down hills??

We travel to the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri which is very hilly.

I have the v8 but your asked about the transmission. Ozarks should not be an issue. I go down that way every summer and tow a decent size TT there. We camp near Piedmont mo. Trans does a good job keeping the truck in the power zone without excessive gear changes with and without the trailer in tow.

 

[tap4154]

New question....how does the v6 do in hilly terrain?? With the 8 speed does it shift itself to death going up and down hills??

We travel to the Ozark mountains in southern Missouri which is very hilly.

I travel some very steep roads to my sister's cabin in Crestline California often in my Tradesman SC Pentastar, and it does great in hills. Going uphill I usually use normal mode, going downhill I'll hit tow/haul on the steeper sections to get some engine braking. Mine has the 3:21 rear end, and one thing people forget is that the ZF 8-speed has very low first and second gears. In fact 3rd gear in the Ram is lower than first gear was in my old 2000 F150.

 

[SitKneelBend]

Actually hill assist holds brake pressure on the brakes so the truck does not roll backwards on a hill when moving your foot from the brake to the gas pedal

it has nothing to do with the transmission

I think there are actually some trucks equipped with a different form of hill assist and not "hill start assist". If I'm remembering correctly it's an actual button down by the tow-haul that allows the truck to engine brake...I could be misremembering but it would be a nice feature to have.

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[Rick Gabler]

Love the V6!!! Quiet, smooth, fast and good gas mileage. Doesn’t have all the issues you constantly hear about with the v8. My 1500 Classic (2019) drives like a car! Great ride. You’ll love the 6 cylinder

 

[PoMansRam]

It is a tough time to buy, from other comments in the forum and my own knowledge, used and new inventories are low.

Man if that isn't a fact. I've probably mentioned it in other threads, but the 2019 classic I bought as an ex-rental from Enterprise car sales in July 2020 for just under $28K, is now $34K+ People are still buying them up almost as fast as they prep them. To me, once you get into the mid $30K range, you may as well get a brand-new one.

Like I say, having owned both the pentastar and now the hemi, the pentastar is ideal for probably 80% of Ram 1500 owners.

 

[brentwasham]

I only towed once with the 3.6 and standard 3.21 Tradesman gear ratio, a U-haul trailer loaded with furniture. On gently rolling Texas interstate it shifted relentlessly at highway speeds, some hills requiring 3 different gears. The tow-haul button helped and gas mileage seemed slightly better using it, but the revving going on was significant. As has been said many times, the V6 needs the high RPMs to develop the horsepower.

 

[Trail Ryder]

I have a 2015 4X4 CC Hemi with the 3.92 axle ratio. That being said, I test drove a 4X4 QC with the Pentastar V6 and it surprised me how peppy it was; I did not feel it was under-powdered at all. Unless you are regularly towing over 5,000 lbs, the V6 is more than adequate.

On the highway though, I imagine a Hemi with the 3.21 axle ratio and Pentastar are not far apart in MPG. Of note, axle ratio can be changed BUT IT IS NOT EASY OR CHEAP.

 

[Marine Les]

I love my 3.6/3:55 2018 Ram. Plenty of power and great MPG. towing 2000# at highway speeds gets me 17+ mpg. Not towing highway will get in the 24mpg range easily. Get the 3:55 gears for sure.

 

[FL-RAM]

Man if that isn't a fact. I've probably mentioned it in other threads, but the 2019 classic I bought as an ex-rental from Enterprise car sales in July 2020 for just under $28K, is now $34K+ People are still buying them up almost as fast as they prep them. To me, once you get into the mid $30K range, you may as well get a brand-new one.

Like I say, having owned both the pentastar and now the hemi, the pentastar is ideal for probably 80% of Ram 1500 owners.

Got mine two weeks ago brand $29K. I was shopping for a used truck in the $25-30K range, but they don't seem to exist for under $30K...even with high mileage. Still can't believe the deal I got on a new truck.

 

[JS4024]

For 2 mpg difference get the V8. Much more valuable down the road as things change.

 

[2019RamInSC]

For 2 mpg difference get the V8. Much more valuable down the road as things change.

Agree with that.

My 2019 hemi CC 4X4 3.92 Laramie. Will get 22.5 on highway at 70 mph on cruise control. On mild hills.

 

[Lucy Girl]

Just got a 2020 Classic Tradesman with the V6. If you have a strict budget, the V6 is the way to go. The Hemi's are like a $6000 upgrade. That's a pretty big difference for a sub-$30,000 truck. I'm new here also, but from what I have read the Pentastar is bulletproof. Of course it's no Hemi in power and acceleration, but if you aren't towing super heavy loads and aren't a stoplight racer, I think you will be perfectly satisfied with the V6. It's got 305 HP...not exactly underpowered by any means. Not sure what the 0-60 times are for the V6 vs the Hemi, but it's probably insignificant (like around 1 second). My wife has a 2018 Grand Cherokee with the PEntastar and it's plenty.

I have seen quotes from 5.9 to 6.0 for 0—60.

 

[BigJohnJeep]

I would just like to comment on fuel mileage and towing ability for the HEMI coupled with 3.21 gears. I have a 2014 Crew Cab, 4x4 Limited, with 6.5 foot bed. I took a long trip from middle Tennessee to Roanoke, VA last year. Truck bed was full under the tonneau cover and had 3 adults in the cab. I averaged 23mpg for the trip. That's amazing to me for a full size truck with 390hp. I also tow a 28 foot travel trailer, 7000 lbs. We have made 2 long trips so far with the truck: last year from middle TN to Williamsburg, VA and back. This year from middle TN to Myrtle Beach, SC and back. The truck has no issues towing and we averaged between 9.5 to 10.5mpg towing the travel trailer. A lot of guys would say you must have 3.92 gears to tow. Not so. Only on one stretch of interstate just below Asheville, NC did the truck get down into 3rd gear. That was only for a couple of miles on a pretty good grade. The 8 speed transmission is where it's at. You can have plenty of power when needed and also get good mileage when not towing. I say get the HEMI.

 

[cimeelsekalb]

I bought a leftover 2019 RAM 1500 Classic Express 4x4 in April and she’s got the 3.6L V6 and tops out @ 305hp (haven’t put her on a dyno personally) but she’s DEFINITELY got *****! I have the 32 gallon tank + flex fuel, not that I’ve put anything except Mid-Grade in since the dealer and I went to fill up after I signed all the paperwork. She’s also got the upgraded 3.55 Rear, which for some reason the dealer opted to delete the trailer hitch but leave the wiring harness complete and ready. So I just bought the Hitch Receiver and bolted it up to the frame as per the instructions. It’s rated for 12 or 13k payload, I haven’t towed anything yet but am sure it’ll hold its own.

I love my truck and this is literally my FIRST TRUCK and I’ve always wanted a RAM 1500. So when I finally have the ability to purchase my dream truck I made sure to research, research, research and I think she’s plenty powerful and everything I need. I don’t really like the look of the Gen 5 in comparison to the Gen 4, so that’s another reason I selected to the classic. That and the fact that my wife’s JGC has the same engine and it sucks fuel like an SOB! Plus all the horror stories I’ve heard with RAMs and their HEMi made me decide to go with the V6. Sure I regret it sometimes when I really wanna drag race someone or miss the gurgle of the dual exhaust but other times I’m glad I went with it b\c you don’t see many V6 RAM Classics. Every time I’m stopped at a light and I see a RAM pull up, first thing that grabs my attention is the HEMi badge.

So basically I say go with the V6. You won’t regret it that much lol.