AZPLANEDRIVER
New Member
- Jun 26, 2020
- 1
- 2
- Truck Year
- 2017
Hi folks, first post here- hopefully y'all will be able to shed some light on real world performance.
Currently I have a 2017 (bought it during the period when no EcoDiesels were available) 1500 Lone Star Silver Crew Cab 4x2 with the 3.6L Pentastar V6, a 3.55 rear end, 20" wheels, and Michelin Defender tires. It is my only vehicle, and I mostly use it for daily driving to and from work (7 mi commute, 3 traffic lights, 50 MPH speed limit) as well as hauling various homeowner stuff (furniture, tools, groceries). When used for this sort of duty, the trip computer displays a shockingly consistent 20.0 mpg. I also travel to Phoenix (1.5 hr drive on the interstate from my home in northern AZ) once or twice a month and usually see a 22.5 mpg reading for that round trip. I also drive to TX to visit family 2-3 times per year and usually see a 19mpg average for that 1050 mile drive (22-23 highway mpg going 78 MPH in AZ and NM, then a much thirstier 17-18 when doing 83 MPH on the TX interstate). I use 87 octane gas from my local Costco, and I change oil every 7500 miles or so (I use Mobil 1 full synthetic).
I'm looking to upgrade to a vehicle with 4x4 due to the icy winters around here AND the abundance of dirt backcountry mountain roads in the area I live. To complicate things further, I am planning on keeping my next truck for a rather loooong time, and as such would like to have more towing capacity to have the freedom to haul in the future without changing vehicles yet again. To this end, I've narrowed down the engine choice to either the 5.7L Hemi with eTorque or the Gen 3 EcoDiesel.
Based on my experiences with my 3.6L truck, I think I can expect to see fuel mileage equivalent to the window sticker of whichever engine I choose (my current truck is rated 25 highway/17 city/20 combined, and gets *exactly* 20 in most of its use, as mentioned above) when doing my usual around town puttering. I do know that towing and driving trails will return significantly worse fuel economy, but the majority of the driving this vehicle will be doing is the pseudo-highway stuff I do on a daily basis. However, I'm completely flummoxed by the choice between the eTorque Hemi or the EcoDiesel when it comes to ownership costs over time, for a variety of reasons.
I am told by many of my 3/4 ton diesel-driving friends that diesels usually can be expected to last longer than the equivalent gas engine (almost to a T they all drive old Ford 7.3L Powerstrokes). However, after browsing around on various sites I've also seen much information indicating that newer diesels with their EGR and DEF systems tend to lack the longevity of the older engines, and that the emissions equipment also saddles owners with high maintenance costs over time.
I've done some number-crunching, and IF the stickers are to believed ( I seem to be in a rather unique situation where they actually are fairly accurate), the EcoDiesel 4x4 at 29 highway/21 city/24 combined MPG becomes more economical than the Hemi 4x4 eTorque at 22 highway/17 city/19 combined somewhere in the 120K mile range, when you factor in the fuel savings of the diesel against the extra costs of fuel, DEF and more expensive oil changes. That alone would point to the diesel being the proper choice, especially since I drive ~20k miles per year and am intending to keep this next truck for a good long while.
The real wild card is that this data only makes sense if both the engines don't require any extra (and expensive maintenance). I am told that the EGR system on the diesel can result in the particulate filter becoming clogged fairly quickly if the truck is mainly driven on short trips (I would say my daily commute qualifies as such) and that this can significantly shorten engine life if you don't spring for a tune that shuts down the EGR. Admittedly, I don't particularly wish to spend the $3600 extra for the diesel only to have to then drop even more $ for a tune that may or may not void my warranty AND make my truck illegal from an emissions standpoint. But the fuel savings for a healthy engine vs the Hemi can't be denied, especially since this vehicle will be my daily driver for the forseeable future.
Does anyone have any input that may shed some light on the lifetime ownership costs of these two? Admittedly both of them are fairly new (if you count the addition of eTorque as new) so the jury is still out on which one actually makes sense in terms of long term ownership.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any input you may be able to provide.
-J
Currently I have a 2017 (bought it during the period when no EcoDiesels were available) 1500 Lone Star Silver Crew Cab 4x2 with the 3.6L Pentastar V6, a 3.55 rear end, 20" wheels, and Michelin Defender tires. It is my only vehicle, and I mostly use it for daily driving to and from work (7 mi commute, 3 traffic lights, 50 MPH speed limit) as well as hauling various homeowner stuff (furniture, tools, groceries). When used for this sort of duty, the trip computer displays a shockingly consistent 20.0 mpg. I also travel to Phoenix (1.5 hr drive on the interstate from my home in northern AZ) once or twice a month and usually see a 22.5 mpg reading for that round trip. I also drive to TX to visit family 2-3 times per year and usually see a 19mpg average for that 1050 mile drive (22-23 highway mpg going 78 MPH in AZ and NM, then a much thirstier 17-18 when doing 83 MPH on the TX interstate). I use 87 octane gas from my local Costco, and I change oil every 7500 miles or so (I use Mobil 1 full synthetic).
I'm looking to upgrade to a vehicle with 4x4 due to the icy winters around here AND the abundance of dirt backcountry mountain roads in the area I live. To complicate things further, I am planning on keeping my next truck for a rather loooong time, and as such would like to have more towing capacity to have the freedom to haul in the future without changing vehicles yet again. To this end, I've narrowed down the engine choice to either the 5.7L Hemi with eTorque or the Gen 3 EcoDiesel.
Based on my experiences with my 3.6L truck, I think I can expect to see fuel mileage equivalent to the window sticker of whichever engine I choose (my current truck is rated 25 highway/17 city/20 combined, and gets *exactly* 20 in most of its use, as mentioned above) when doing my usual around town puttering. I do know that towing and driving trails will return significantly worse fuel economy, but the majority of the driving this vehicle will be doing is the pseudo-highway stuff I do on a daily basis. However, I'm completely flummoxed by the choice between the eTorque Hemi or the EcoDiesel when it comes to ownership costs over time, for a variety of reasons.
I am told by many of my 3/4 ton diesel-driving friends that diesels usually can be expected to last longer than the equivalent gas engine (almost to a T they all drive old Ford 7.3L Powerstrokes). However, after browsing around on various sites I've also seen much information indicating that newer diesels with their EGR and DEF systems tend to lack the longevity of the older engines, and that the emissions equipment also saddles owners with high maintenance costs over time.
I've done some number-crunching, and IF the stickers are to believed ( I seem to be in a rather unique situation where they actually are fairly accurate), the EcoDiesel 4x4 at 29 highway/21 city/24 combined MPG becomes more economical than the Hemi 4x4 eTorque at 22 highway/17 city/19 combined somewhere in the 120K mile range, when you factor in the fuel savings of the diesel against the extra costs of fuel, DEF and more expensive oil changes. That alone would point to the diesel being the proper choice, especially since I drive ~20k miles per year and am intending to keep this next truck for a good long while.
The real wild card is that this data only makes sense if both the engines don't require any extra (and expensive maintenance). I am told that the EGR system on the diesel can result in the particulate filter becoming clogged fairly quickly if the truck is mainly driven on short trips (I would say my daily commute qualifies as such) and that this can significantly shorten engine life if you don't spring for a tune that shuts down the EGR. Admittedly, I don't particularly wish to spend the $3600 extra for the diesel only to have to then drop even more $ for a tune that may or may not void my warranty AND make my truck illegal from an emissions standpoint. But the fuel savings for a healthy engine vs the Hemi can't be denied, especially since this vehicle will be my daily driver for the forseeable future.
Does anyone have any input that may shed some light on the lifetime ownership costs of these two? Admittedly both of them are fairly new (if you count the addition of eTorque as new) so the jury is still out on which one actually makes sense in terms of long term ownership.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any input you may be able to provide.
-J