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Looking for advice on two options - sunroof and e-Torque

fourbg

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I've done lots of searching on the forum and haven't gotten a clear answer on two choices that my wife (and I) are trying to decide about.

We are shopping for a Rebel 12. We have found two that meet all of her required criteria. However, one offers a sunroof and the other e-Torque. For all of you that have shopped, driven, and purchased a Rebel would you choose one of these over the other? Or would you prefer to have neither of them (exploding sunroof/unknown nature of this e-Torque engine, etc)?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
 

Scott6069

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I’ve got the Longhorn Ram. First truck I’ve had with a sunroof. And from now on I’ll always have one if possible. I had it tinted to help with the west Texas summer. Quick way to vent heat out and since I occasionally smoke a cigar on a long drive it really helps there too.
 

slauso

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I've done lots of searching on the forum and haven't gotten a clear answer on two choices that my wife (and I) are trying to decide about.

We are shopping for a Rebel 12. We have found two that meet all of her required criteria. However, one offers a sunroof and the other e-Torque. For all of you that have shopped, driven, and purchased a Rebel would you choose one of these over the other? Or would you prefer to have neither of them (exploding sunroof/unknown nature of this e-Torque engine, etc)?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
I did buy a Longhorn with the sunroof...no etorq. No issues with the sunroof although some say they have had leaks. I liked the etorq equipped truck I test drove. I did some research on the etorq and did find some battery failures as well as belt issues driving the generator. Being the first year for the etorq I decided to go with non etorq equipped truck. Very happy with that decsion.
 

Ellisstrong

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If I had to choose between those two I would get the moonroof. I think it’s definitely worth it. I’m glad I got etorque too but it’s not a wow option.
 

Trooper4

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I have the Limited with both, and although both work as designed and without problems, I would not order one with a super-sunroof. Just don't use it much for the cost. The e-torque now, is a different story. If you drive a lot in town/stop and go traffic, it does save gas. Also, when towing, off the line it gives that added boost at the start. Some complain about the stop/start, but with the e-torque it is seamless, and hardly noticed. I would definitely test drive it before discarding it.
 

392DCGC

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I would always pick the sunroof. Adds a certain airyness and brightness to the interior when the shade or glass is open you'll never get otherwise. The exploding sunroofs are pretty rare... I've never heard of or seen it in person.

eTorque is cool, but the price difference buys a lot of gas that would take years to recoup. Start/stop is very seamless, but it's still start/stop meaning your AC will slowly warm up until the engine eventually kicks back on, and you will always have a slight delay vs the engine just running constantly if you need to get moving ASAP. There are other benefits of eTorque though... regenerative braking (which saves your brakes), shift advantages (smoothness, saves fuel, and reduced trans wear). Overall I think it's worth it assuming they developed and built it to be reliable, but I wouldn't pick it over a sunroof.
 

Jhill

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I have a loaded Rebel I custom ordered in April 2018. I had every possible option available at that time except etorque, ram box, and engine block heater. I would choose the moonroof over the etorque as it only makes sense if you are in stop and go traffic a lot. (Also some reliability issues) The most important option really is the big 33 gallon tank in my view. In the winter the moonroof lets in more light on dreary days. Highway driving can get you 500 plus miles to a tank. second pic is in entry exit mode of air suspension. kinda looks sinister! Etorque trucks sometimes have dinky tanks if no option ordered. IMG_2787.jpg IMG_2620.jpg
 

Cross88

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I personally haven’t driven an etorque, so I can’t say anything on that part other than it’s new tech and anything can happen. On the moonroof/sunroof front, ive had that option on many vehicles and most without issue. But i also never really used it nearly as much as I thought I would. I currently don’t have one on my truck, but my wife does on her new 2020 explorer st. I personally am glad I don’t have one. 1 because I rarely used it and 2. One less thing to possibly go wrong. And even tho we’ve only put about 3k miles on the explorer, we’ve rarely used the moonroof/sunroof. So let’s get down to it, if it were me personally, and it was between the 2 options, etorque or moonroof, I think I would choose moonroof. Only because brand new tech (like a new gen, from ground up refresh of a vehicle) 9/10 is going to have issues. We are actually going thru minor things with the explorer st. Best of luck on your decision, I think either way you’ll love the truck.
 

ponypride

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I have a Larimie with eTorque but no moon roof. I also have the 33 gallon tank. The eTorque works fine and the start/stop is seamless. When I ordered, the up charge was only about $900, so I believe it was worth it. The 33 gallon tank is a must have. I did not get the moonroof, because all my other vehicles had sunroofs that I never used and I found the cost to be high.
 

Willwork4truck

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I have the Limited with both, and although both work as designed and without problems, I would not order one with a super-sunroof. Just don't use it much for the cost. The e-torque now, is a different story. If you drive a lot in town/stop and go traffic, it does save gas. Also, when towing, off the line it gives that added boost at the start. Some complain about the stop/start, but with the e-torque it is seamless, and hardly noticed. I would definitely test drive it before discarding it.
X2 on that. We got the sunroof cause it came with our extremely narrow color selection choice. I have opened it once in 4.5 months... :unsure: I was opposed to E Torque and didnt look for one due to some early negative feedback on this forum, but now (2020 models) I would think they have the battery management systems all figured out and I wouldn't hesitate to get one.
I was going to say I’d had no sunroof leak issues but I don’t think that’s a real issue.
 

MJP

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I've done lots of searching on the forum and haven't gotten a clear answer on two choices that my wife (and I) are trying to decide about.

We are shopping for a Rebel 12. We have found two that meet all of her required criteria. However, one offers a sunroof and the other e-Torque. For all of you that have shopped, driven, and purchased a Rebel would you choose one of these over the other? Or would you prefer to have neither of them (exploding sunroof/unknown nature of this e-Torque engine, etc)?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
I love the sunroof in the Limited. Although I never open it I love all the light it brings in. Every vehicle I have owned in the past 30 years has had one for that reason. The etorque I could live without. I am not concerned with gas mileage as it’s nit a daily driver and it has too much potential to be problematic. I had a battery pack issue less than two months into ownership. Just my two cents.
 

Cptcoolie

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I don't have a rebel, I have a Limited. However, I have both the e-Torque and the Panoramic Sunroof. I have always disliked the auto off/on features of the various rental/loaner cars I have driven over the past few years. And always vowed to shut it off if I ever had it on my car. Turns out I like Ram's execution of the feature (virtually seemless) and I never turn it off. I also didn't include the sunroof on my list of must have features as I was shopping for my truck. Turns out I love this particular one. I won't open it that often (Maybe 15-20 times a year) but I love the added light and views it provides.

So, since I originally didn't care about these options, but have since fallen in love with them, and I have had no issues with either option, I would recommend either without reservation. If I had to choose one or the other, I would take the sun roof since all the passengers would benefit from the added light and views...I figure only I (the driver) would truly appreciate/benefit from the e-Torque.

Nice problem to have...good luck!
 

LouCap

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Is "neither" an option? I wound up with a Limited without a sunroof or eTorque (end of June scramble for the huge discount), and I don't miss either. I've always had regular sunroofs, and even living in Florida I rarely used them because it's just TOO hot. Also, I saw a video on YouTube where the reviewer was talking about how crazy hot his truck got because of the sunroof, so I passed. With the eTorque, my wife has it on her 2019 Jeep JLU Moab, and we just turn it off every time we drive, so that was a waste for us too.
 

Jtr

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My advice is if you live in a temperate climate and not in stop and go traffic- go with the sunroof.
If you live in a really hot climate where you only get a month or two decent weather to open the roof or you drive in a city area with a lot of stop lights where you are sitting in traffic for a couple minutes at a time, go with the e-tourque.
 

Mike504

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I’ve got the Longhorn Ram. First truck I’ve had with a sunroof. And from now on I’ll always have one if possible. I had it tinted to help with the west Texas summer. Quick way to vent heat out and since I occasionally smoke a cigar on a long drive it really helps there too.

Man I live in Texas too, I had a panoramic on my previous truck and it was just too hot to use it most of the time. Does the tint help that much?
 

SpeedyV

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My advice is if you live in a temperate climate and not in stop and go traffic- go with the sunroof.
If you live in a really hot climate where you only get a month or two decent weather to open the roof or you drive in a city area with a lot of stop lights where you are sitting in traffic for a couple minutes at a time, go with the e-tourque.
This is a solid argument. I have both. I’ll admit that I added the sunroof for the “wow factor”, but it’s rarely used (especially in summer). I use eTorque daily, and it’s been flawless.
 

_StangPGH

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I have both on my Rebel and wouldn't change a thing. Pano roof open, back slider open and all other windows up is awesome on the highway. Looking forward to that even more now that fall is approaching. E-torque has six different functions (youtube their engineer explaining it) but I'd take it just for the stop / start smoothness.

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Dr. Jim

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If you get the sunroof, check the two drain tubes exiting through the rear wall of the cab. I ordered my Ram in July of 2018 and both of my drain tube grommets were hanging loose. I would have expected the assembly line workers to have known how to install them by that time. I removed the carpeted panel behind the second row seats and reinstalled them properly. I then cemented them in place on the inside with some black silicone weatherstrip adhesive.
 

flynfish

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2 of our previous vehicles had issues with the sunroofs, so I opted to get my ram without one. If I was only going to keep the truck for 3-4 years maybe, but we tend to keep our vehicles for 10 years and I didn’t want to pay for repairs 6 years from now.


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