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

[MoparFin]

I'm a noob.. what's "3.21"?

Gear ratio of the gears in the rear axle of 2wd or front/rear axles of 4wd.

 

[Fediej]

why does Cummins not introduce a smaller Diesel for the light trucks?)

They did. It's in the Nissan Titan. (Well it was, anyway)

 

[RayC]

V8 etorque with LED package, sport appearance package and Level 2

V6 with night edition package and bed utility group and level 2

Top one is 4K more…thoughts???

If your gonna get a V6 get the Ecodiesel. You'll average about 15mpg with the Hemi and 21 or more with the diesel depending on gears.

 

[turkeybird56]

If your gonna get a V6 get the Ecodiesel. You'll average about 15mpg with the Hemi and 21 or more with the diesel depending on gears.

ED is going away. FCA discontinuing the truck motor option in RAM as of Jan 2023. I had an ED, but was Gen 2, did well, but I opted and went to Hemi since not a lot of towing and Gen 2's had stated issues, I was lucky mine was OK. OP, if not towing or hard trips, maybe V6, but honestly, I would get a V8 5.7L, and a 2022 at that to stay away from E-Torque, get straight VVT motor, but that is just MY personal preference.

 

[ppine]

Buy a diesel.

 

[Colt4thHorseman]

That old quote comes mind when I read the post: “Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”

 

[Dusty]

The one I’m looking at is V6 with 3.21. Bad???

If you spend the majority of time on the highway at highway speeds, the V6 with 3.21s might give you a gas mileage benefit, but you wouldn't want to tow much with it. I know someone with that combo who drives from Oswego, NY to Rochester every day and he's always in the high 20s for gas mileage. However, for all around driving I think the 3.55s would be a better ratio with the V6.

I have a 5.7 Quad Cab with 3.21s and I occasionally tow 7000 pounds. I've also hit 25 MPG quite a few times on straight highway driving. My summertime weekly average is around 21 MPG (non-aggressive driving).

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 3 June 2018. Now at 78209 miles

 

[scottperk]

I would like to assume a useful life of 125,000 miles for the V6 engine and avg price per gallon of 5 dollars and mileage of 14 for V8 and 21 for V6. Over the life of the vehicle what would the total dollar savings be in mileage ? Now you know the actual operating cost of the smaller vs the larger engine and coupled with the extra price for the V8,,,,,, now you know how much more it costs to be able to tow more. Whatever your tow application is,..... it might not be worth it.

 

[2020PW]

I would like to assume a useful life of 125,000 miles for the V6 engine and avg price per gallon of 5 dollars and mileage of 14 for V8 and 21 for V6. Over the life of the vehicle what would the total dollar savings be in mileage ? Now you know the actual operating cost of the smaller vs the larger engine and coupled with the extra price for the V8,,,,,, now you know how much more it costs to be able to tow more. Whatever your tow application is,..... it might not be worth it.

Or…. You could just run a 5 year cost of ownership comparison. Same truck model, different engine.

Get the V-8

 

[star_deceiver]

Same truck model, different engine.

Your comparison has the v6 using more gas than the hemi, lol, higher financing charges and maintenance cost? Yeah, not buying that on what would be identical trucks with a different engine.

The correct answer is test drive them both and buy what you want.

 

[ramffml]

Your comparison has the v6 using more gas than the hemi, lol, higher financing charges and maintenance cost? Yeah, not buying that on what would be identical trucks with a different engine.

The correct answer is test drive them both and buy what you want.

They definitely got those labels backwards. The v8 takes more oil, and is definitely higher maintenance with twisted manifolds or bolts snapping, "hemi tick" etc. I love my truck in general, and the v8 was the best choice for me by far, but saying it is cheaper to drive than the v6 is just fantasy.

According to fuelly with real world user logging, the v6 gets on average, 19 mpg. The v8 gets on average 16 mpg. So whatever else they put in that graphic can't be trusted with such a glaring error in the fuel comparison.

Ram 1500 MPG - Actual MPG from 2,914 Ram 1500 owners

The most accurate Ram 1500 MPG estimates based on real world results of 72.9 million miles driven in 2,914 Ram 1500s

www.fuelly.com

Ram 1500 MPG - Actual MPG from 251 Ram 1500 owners

The most accurate Ram 1500 MPG estimates based on real world results of 6.5 million miles driven in 251 Ram 1500s

www.fuelly.com

 

[Okie345]

You can turn a hemi into a 4 cylinder. But you can't turn the v6 into a hemi.

 

[Sargon]

I have the V6, which tows much better than my 98 Ram (V8 5.2 318) did. I've towed several boats and trailers with it. I usually tow a pop up that's about 3,500 lbs, but since the air drag is less it tows like a dream. I get over 20 mpg towing on the highway in PA. If I towed a full size trailer I'd want a V8.

 

[Reaver]

Your comparison has the v6 using more gas than the hemi, lol, higher financing charges and maintenance cost? Yeah, not buying that on what would be identical trucks with a different engine.

The correct answer is test drive them both and buy what you want.

It's possible, especially if you live in a mountainous area. The 6 has to work much harder than the 8 climbing mountains. I had the *same* calculated mileage between a Nissan Frontier with a 4.0 V6 and a Cadillac Escalade EXT with the 6.0L V8. The Frontier had to work damn hard to clear some of the mountains around here at 55 mph, where the V8 barely had to downshift at 60 mph. On the interstate the V8 had better mileage, running at about 2/3 the RPM of the V6 at equal speed. Final gearing makes a big difference too, as we all know.

I agree with your last statement...whichever one feels right is the answer.

 

[Narg]

I think, for a non-towing owner, it all depends on personality. I would not own the V6, but appreciate what it is. I test drove one of the I4 Silverado trucks once. Highly impressed by that incredible 4, but still, not me. Haven't driven a RAM V6, the numbers do look good. Low end torque would stink off the line. If you don't care about umph when trying to move, V6 would be great.

P.S. I still wish they'd put the 3.55 rear end on the V8.

 

[scubasteege]

You would be happy with the V6. Easier maintenance and better mpg. The only thing I wouldn’t be happy with is when I start it up in the morning or step on the gas pedal to go fast. Hearing my hemi roar is worth it

 

[Juice17]

I agree with the buy what you want. When I was working for a repair shop customers would always ask what do you recommend I buy. My answer was always it doesn't matter what you buy something is going to break so you might as well buy what you like and enjoy driving that way when it comes time to fix something you won't be fixing something you hate.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Hemi doesn't matter - it's a marketing ploy for a race engine. A 2 valve Hemi does nothing for you below 5,000 rpm. Even Engine Masters recently documented this on a dyno.

Give us a double overhead cam V8. Then you got something. Even Harley-Davidson went to 4 valves per cylinder to increase power from the new Milwaukee 8 engine (without a turbocharger or blower). DOHC is the modern architecture for naturally-aspirated engines. Instead, Stellantis is giving us a BMW engine.

 

[Rodney Belair]

That old quote comes mind when I read the post: “Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”

Grasshopper.

 

[sunnysolar]

I have a 2019 RAM 1500 V6 BIGHORN with E-torque and axil ratio 3.55. I have no regrets purchasing it. I purchase it because I wanted to save on fuel. Even though I have the tow hitch on the truck I don't tow at all. My tow hitch has a small RAM head break light installed in it.

The mpg is excellent on highways with an average of 9.8L/100km. I must also state that I am a momentum driver, so I try not to depress my gas pedal more than is necessary to maintain a certain speed and I use cruise control whenever possible

The cluster also assist me to drive efficiently and conserve fuel. By the way HEMI's I am never intimidated by the v8 grunt as they passed by. (smile)

Don't be fooled this v6 is a fast truck.

I suggest following an advice made on the forum before of renting a V8 and V6 each for a day or 2 . Doing so can help anyone who is torn between the 2 trucks to come to a decision which truck to buy.

By the way, I am a Newbie. This is my first post