Fiat Chrysler debuted that truck and engine combo last year .When GM was going into bankruptsy back in 08 they owned that Italian engine builder since just after the WW 2; I was told Fiat bought 50% in 08 and then when they bought Daimler Chrysler they bought other 50%,so it could have been a GM designed engine,which has been used in europe for many years but saying that there probably has been modifications made for sale in North America.If you can pickup recent copy of Trucks Plus Magazine from Lordco there is good article in there.Last year's article stated that in actual road test the writer got up to 40 plus mpg ;this years test includes towing trailer with 6000 lbs on20 ft trailer at 11.88 litre/100km about 25 mpg,now it doesn't state whether they included weight of trailer.That won't matter because its a comparason test with a Chev 1500 with 5.3 v8 ,and two Fords with different size ecoboost v6's.And all can be had in same price range dependind on options .Not Cheap!!!!! If I were in the market I would buy the GM for gas model over the Fords.[ I remember Frank Loucks saying to me back when he was shopping for new truck to tow his trailer and trying to put in factory order but computor kept throwing out V8 spect and putting in V6 eco boost,He said I don't want a race engine for towing] small block v8 is proven engine in both Ford And GM. The Ford 2.7 Eco Boost gets 325 HP at 5750 rpm 375 torque at 3000/ The Ram 3.0 L 240 HP at3600 rpm 420 torque at 2000
The only truck that comes close to the Dodge,is the new GMC Canyon with a 4 cyl Duramax for mileage and for a little less money.But they had only 4000 lbs on trailer. This is what he sent me about it, maybe it will be some help to others.
Stude
Car and truck magazines are not the best place to get honest unbiased information about any vehicle or engine. All too often they pander to their advertisers...not good to bite the hand that feeds you.
I always find it interesting that the "Truck of the Year" in popular truck magazines is almost never the highest rated truck (or car) in "Consumer Reports".
You might also note that everything that Chrysler has owned ended up in some sort of trouble. Their products are seldom listed as the most reliable.
Industry joke...FIAT = Fix It Again Tony !!!
Do a lot of research before you fall in love with any tow vehicle.
Remember it is not all about gas mileage. The quality of the engine and transmission is the most important thing when towing. Interview a lot of owners and find out how many trips to the service department they have made.
My Tow vehicle has gone without any service issues for over 90,000 miles and is still running and towing like new. Trailer weight +/= 5,000 lbs.
4.0 Ltr V6....manufacturer: Toyota. Model: FJ Landcruiser...manufactured in
2007.
If I had a bigger and/or heavier trailer I would get a Tundra V8 truck.
Check Comsumer Reports for reviews...they do not accept advertising.
The 3.0 is a new combination, but my neighbor has a few years older RAM with the Cummings engine that he tows a toyhouse with and, while the engine has done just fine, he is forever repairing/replacing external components such as fuel pumps, a/c compressor, radiator etc and now, at 120,000 miles, the transmission is making ugly noises.
Add to that, the factory wiring for trailer towing is there, but good luck getting the charge line or the trailer brake line to work. Most peeps on-line recommend to just wire around them.
I will not drive , purchase or own any vehicle whose name / brand starts with T and ends with A. Just my personal preference.
I like my Ram 1500 and have as much trust in consumer report as
I do in most politicians. Using this forum to bash a particular vehicle manufacturer to feed your ego leads to nothing but arguments.. There is not a vehicle made that does not have
issues or problems. IMHO
So, I shouldn't say that I love my RAV4 and hated the Omni, Caravan and Neon company cars that I had to drive? At least I didn't have to pay the repairs on those.
Should we not discuss tow vehicles on a trailer forum?
Guess there is no Tesla in your future.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
My tow vehicle expectation is that it will run without significant repair for 10 years. We've had a series of Hondas and Acuras and never had a driveline failure during our ownership, each providing about 250,000 trouble free miles.
Our last tow vehicle, a Honda CRV, was retired after 250,000 miles and 10 years having towed our trailers all over North America getting excellent mileage and virtually perfect reliability.
We have similar hopes for our present tow vehicle.
I certainly believe automobile reliability is improving across the board. However, My experience keeps me with what has worked.
I will not drive , purchase or own any vehicle whose name / brand starts with T and ends with A. Just my personal preference.
I like my Ram 1500 and have as much trust in consumer report as I do in most politicians. Using this forum to bash a particular vehicle manufacturer to feed your ego leads to nothing but arguments.. There is not a vehicle made that does not have issues or problems. IMHO
You're certainly right that tow vehicle choice does lead to arguments. As you say, no vehicle is perfect and each represents a compromise among various attributes: performance, handling, comfort, utility, economy, reliability, and more. Beyond the individual vehicle there is the manufacturer as a whole- its perceived philosophy and ethics. Everyone who posts has a different way of prioritizing those attributes. That's why, even given accurate information, we come to different conclusions. And, human nature being what it is, few people will admit to making a bad choice in public.
I'll have to say, though, Steve, your blanket dismissal of Toyota doesn't sound to me much different than another person's "trashing" of Chrysler products. At least they offered some basis for their opinions, revealing their biases, which helps me, as a reader, assess how much weight to give their opinions. I am glad you like your Ram 1500, and you are not alone, but "personal preference" does not help me decide if it's the right choice for me.
Regarding reliability in particular (since that's a high priority attribute for me), it does not follow from your observation that all vehicles have "issues or problems" that all have them with equal frequency or severity. While I have not owned enough vehicles to assess the value of CR's overall ratings, I have found their model-by-model, system-by-system reliability data to be helpful and fairly consistent with my long-term experience of several different vehicles and manufacturers (in the same way I might not trust what a politician says, but I would give weight to their voting record as a factor in my decision). Would I depend on CR alone? Probably not. For one thing, emerging issues often take a while to register in their data. For another, they only track data for about 6 years, and, like Norm, I keep vehicles at least 10 years. Vehicle-specific online forums (for emerging issues) and a trusted independent mechanic who regularly services a variety of vehicles (for long-term, comparative assessments) are other useful sources of information about reliability.
This topic regarding the 3.0L Ram engine has generalized a bit into a discussion of tugs, TV/Trailer combos, manufacturers/makes, function, reliability, etc. Given that we purchased our first trailer and tug in the last six weeks and I tend to be a "bit" obsessive compulive ,I find this subject very fascinating. I agree with Jon, that all of us take the variables of trailer/tug combination, intended function of the tug, reliability, fuel mileage, reliability, preferences, etc. into consideration when putting together our rigs. How we weight these variables as well as the issues of budget, etc. yields different results. I have a friend on this forum that I met at a rally in October when Laura and I spent a day visiting with great folks and their egg campers. He emphasized the merits of diesel and/or turbocharging in terms of torque and fuel mileage. Unfortunately, my budget did not allow me to pursue the merits of these variables. Also, our tug is going to be used some as a daily driver for my DW, so she vetoed a pickup.
I turned over about every stone looking for a used tug and that search lead me to a truck based mid-sized sport utility given our parameters. I researched Consumer Reports, Google, Edmunds.com, Cars.com, CarGurus.com, Kelly Blue Books, NADA, YouTube, other forums, and this forum. All of this is relatively new to me; I have been a MotorTrend reader for nearly 30 years. The earlier comment about a manufacturer whose name started with a T and ended with A, I thought what does Tesla have to do with this!!! Actually, my OCD research based on my preferences, priorities, and realities lead me to a Toyota FJ Cruiser or Toyota 4 Runner. Again, I am not brand loyal. My DW and I liked the quirkiness and overall packaging of the FJ Cruiser, but IMPOSSIBLE to find within our budget. That left the 4 Runner, but our budget would only buy us a high mileage 4 Runner. So, we ended up with a really cool, affordable, functional '09 Kia Borrego Limited with "relatively" low miles, tons of capacity, subjective good looks, and my DW was comfortable driving it. We own an '08 Kia Rondo that has been a solid vehicle, so we are open to trying the Borrego recognizing it as a bit of an alternative outsider. Time will tell in terms of our decision. At this moment, we are excited and eager to test our decisions.
Personally, if money were no object and I was retiring and going to buy a tug based on serious travel, I would love to own a full-size pickup quad cab with a 6' bed. I think it offers the most function. I think the Big 3 and Toyota (and Nissan) put out quality products, but I would probably choose a Ford F-150 Quad Cab with the 2.7L Ecoboost as a top choice.
On the other hand, I am intrigued with the Chevy/GMC Colorado/Canyon (V6 or small diesel) as well as the new small diesel in the Rams, but I love Tacos, too.
Kinda glad I don't have to worry about having that many choices!!! Just darn happy to have a Casita and tug.
Take care,
Dean
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Laura & Dean | '05 Casita 17' FD | '09 Kia Borrego Limited V8 2WD
Most of the relevant towing done here is of RV trailers.
Weight gets WAY too much attention as the primary gauge of towing capability while box shape and frontal area are virtually ignored.
As an example...
I towed my car trailer for many years with my Ranger.
Also, of course, many fiberglass trailers as well as box trailers and car dollies.
One thing I found was that the car trailer with a full sized car on board actually towed easier than an empty 14ft square front box trailer.
Overkill is commonly argued as prudent on this forum when it comes to tow vehicles. Many times it is just a waste of resources, with gross overkill simply looking silly (like clown shoes), while too small a TV can look like automotive (Grinch dog)cruelty!
The smaller fiberglass trailers which are most common here on FiberglasRV are known quantities with consistent shapes and loads, unlike cargo trailers(open or closed). This makes it both possible and practical to pick a right sized TV, leaving both margins for those who just like heated discussions.
Most of the relevant towing done here is of RV trailers.
Weight gets WAY too much attention as the primary gauge of towing capability while box shape and frontal area are virtually ignored.
Good reminder Floyd. Few realize the primary trailer load most of the time is frontal area and shape.
I will not drive , purchase or own any vehicle whose name / brand starts with T and ends with A. Just my personal preference.
I like my Ram 1500 and have as much trust in consumer report as
I do in most politicians. Using this forum to bash a particular vehicle manufacturer to feed your ego leads to nothing but arguments.. There is not a vehicle made that does not have
issues or problems. IMHO
Woops .... Maybe steve was misunderstood as there are several other makes that fit his coded message "Starts with a T and ends with an A"
Here is the Tatra, (Top and bottom left) one of which should fill the bill. And, the other two are Tata's which are soon to be seen in a Land Rover/Jaguar dealership near you.
I will not drive , purchase or own any vehicle whose name / brand starts with T and ends with A. Just my personal preference.
I like my Ram 1500 and have as much trust in consumer report as
I do in most politicians. Using this forum to bash a particular vehicle manufacturer to feed your ego leads to nothing but arguments.. There is not a vehicle made that does not have
issues or problems. IMHO
Well, we all have different experiences. I'm still driving a 1996 C*****a Wagon with 250,000 miles on it, still running strong. Gets "routine" maintenance when I start feeling guilty about it, but that belt thingy has been replaced a couple of times. Has lived its entire life outside. Looks like h**l, but has been in the shop only one time for other than routine maintenance, and that was when the master brake cylinder went bad in its 15th year.
I have no issue with anyone's choice of vehicle or their positive /negative comments on vehicles they have or do own . My issue is with individuals who degrade a brand of vehicle they do not own to justify their choice of vehicle .I was always taught that criticising
someone or something to prove you or your choices are superior
was wrong. I made no negative comments about any brand of vehicle and spoke only about a vehicle I personally own.
A fine example of a useful post (IMHO) was Norm's.
He made positive comments on a brand of vehicle he owns
and found no need to bash other brands to prove his point.
I made no negative comments about any brand of vehicle and spoke only about a vehicle I personally own.
Actually Steve, this is what you said: "I will not drive , purchase or own any vehicle whose name / brand starts with T and ends with A. Just my personal preference".
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
Well, we all have different experiences. I'm still driving a 1996 C*****a Wagon with 250,000 miles on it, still running strong. Gets "routine" maintenance when I start feeling guilty about it, but that belt thingy has been replaced a couple of times. Has lived its entire life outside. Looks like h**l, but has been in the shop only one time for other than routine maintenance, and that was when the master brake cylinder went bad in its 15th year.
Not too shabby...
Wow... And I thought that Studebaker stopped making the Conestoga wagon back in the 50's. Ya better not take it in for repairs, those Studebaker parts are a bear to find, LOLOLOL
Uplander did make one very good point. When you are choosing a tow vehicle look for something that has proven reliability, and durability. While gas mileage is important, it should not be the only deciding factor. A vehicle that gets great mileage is not much use to any body if it spends most of its life in the shop racking up huge repair bills.