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New Owner--First Impressions

Reverendbiker

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I recently purchased a new 2020 1500, Lone Star trim, with 5.7 eTorque engine. I wasn’t just dying to get a new truck, but it was about time to retire my Colorado and I knew that vehicle sales were in the crapper and dealerships might be motivated to bargain. Luckily they were able to remain open in Texas and I was able to do about all of the shopping process online. When the smoke lifted I did the deal at $15k under list and they delivered the truck to my door. 2 months and 2k miles later, here are my impressions--I hope they might be valuable to anyone considering the 1500. Overall, I couldn’t be happier. I’ve read about some issues experienced by other owners and was a bit leery about them, but I’ve seen none of them yet. To wit:

-Fuel economy. Most of my driving is light suburban traffic and highway driving on rural roads. According to my Fuelly account, my overall MPG is 19.2. On a 150-mile trip today to my ranch the trip computer read 22.9. In my experience that’s usually about 1 MPG optimistic, but still as good as the EPA estimates. My old V-6 Colorado averaged 21 for its lifetime and I expected the bigger and heavier Ram to get much worse. I’m happy so far.

-The temperature in Texas this week was near 100 and the A/C blew cold consistently. Apparently Ram has corrected the issues in earlier models. Or maybe I just got a freak…

-I didn’t shop to buy the eTorque hemi, but it came with the truck I wanted. I haven’t owned the standard 5.7 so I have no basis for comparison. I don’t like the extra complexity (just something else to break) but thus far I just love this powertrain.

-I dreaded having the auto start/stop feature; my wife’s Audi has it and I turn it off whenever I drive it. I must say, however, that it is much less objectionable in my 1500 and is so seamless that I just leave it on and almost never notice it. Maybe it’s the eTorque. Some owners express concern about the A/C compressor not running while the engine is off, but it’s never been a problem for me even in extreme heat. I discovered by accident that while the engine is auto-off, it will restart immediately if you adjust the A/C control (either temp or Fan).

-The rotary shifter just isn’t an issue for me. It took me about one day to get accustomed to it and I appreciate the room it frees up on the console.

-I regularly tow a 16’ stock trailer to carry cattle to auction. My truck has 3:21 gears and it pulls the load with no problem. I would imagine that the 3:92’s would be nice for a heavier load, but sure aren’t necessary for me.

That’s my experience so far. The rig might fall apart next week, but as for now I couldn’t ask for more. Just my $0.02.
 

Mustangmike66

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Welcome, enjoy the truck and thanks for the write-up. This forum has a lot of great information.

- Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

mikeru82

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Nice review Reverend, these really are great trucks. Thanks for sharing!
 

Nails

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Welcome, it’s nice to read positive thoughts. As said lots of good info and peeps here. Enjoy
 

PowerJrod

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I recently purchased a new 2020 1500, Lone Star trim, with 5.7 eTorque engine. I wasn’t just dying to get a new truck, but it was about time to retire my Colorado and I knew that vehicle sales were in the crapper and dealerships might be motivated to bargain. Luckily they were able to remain open in Texas and I was able to do about all of the shopping process online. When the smoke lifted I did the deal at $15k under list and they delivered the truck to my door. 2 months and 2k miles later, here are my impressions--I hope they might be valuable to anyone considering the 1500. Overall, I couldn’t be happier. I’ve read about some issues experienced by other owners and was a bit leery about them, but I’ve seen none of them yet. To wit:

-Fuel economy. Most of my driving is light suburban traffic and highway driving on rural roads. According to my Fuelly account, my overall MPG is 19.2. On a 150-mile trip today to my ranch the trip computer read 22.9. In my experience that’s usually about 1 MPG optimistic, but still as good as the EPA estimates. My old V-6 Colorado averaged 21 for its lifetime and I expected the bigger and heavier Ram to get much worse. I’m happy so far.

-The temperature in Texas this week was near 100 and the A/C blew cold consistently. Apparently Ram has corrected the issues in earlier models. Or maybe I just got a freak…

-I didn’t shop to buy the eTorque hemi, but it came with the truck I wanted. I haven’t owned the standard 5.7 so I have no basis for comparison. I don’t like the extra complexity (just something else to break) but thus far I just love this powertrain.

-I dreaded having the auto start/stop feature; my wife’s Audi has it and I turn it off whenever I drive it. I must say, however, that it is much less objectionable in my 1500 and is so seamless that I just leave it on and almost never notice it. Maybe it’s the eTorque. Some owners express concern about the A/C compressor not running while the engine is off, but it’s never been a problem for me even in extreme heat. I discovered by accident that while the engine is auto-off, it will restart immediately if you adjust the A/C control (either temp or Fan).

-The rotary shifter just isn’t an issue for me. It took me about one day to get accustomed to it and I appreciate the room it frees up on the console.

-I regularly tow a 16’ stock trailer to carry cattle to auction. My truck has 3:21 gears and it pulls the load with no problem. I would imagine that the 3:92’s would be nice for a heavier load, but sure aren’t necessary for me.

That’s my experience so far. The rig might fall apart next week, but as for now I couldn’t ask for more. Just my $0.02.
Nice! I have the 2019 version of yours, I like it. I came from Ford...still like Ford...but haven't been liking their prices lately. The RAM seems to be a good value so far...better than GM for sure lol.
 

mtbiker033

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eTorque is probably the only feature my truck doesn't have, I really wanted it myself as I can appreciate the concept.

I wonder if it can be added as an option from the dealer?
 

SpeedyV

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eTorque is probably the only feature my truck doesn't have, I really wanted it myself as I can appreciate the concept.

I wonder if it can be added as an option from the dealer?
I’m a fan, but it wouldn’t be worth the effort, between mechanical parts, wiring harness, battery, and programming.
 

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