RAM 1500 as daily commuter?

[Boston]

I used to worry about gas and when the old family bus was getting on in miles got a compact SUV as my DD.

25 years ago I was happy with 12-15mpg. The replacement family bus got 17-19 which amazed me. CSUV, 26-31. But the CSUV isn't comfortable, roomy, quiet etc. So as soon as things trend back to normal, its a case of getting the new truck...and back to 17 or so mpg depending on what I am doing with it.

 

[blue tom]

I don't have a long commute most days, but I do a lot of 180+ mile round trip weekends with the in-laws, and we never drive my wife's car anywhere.

I haven't owned a vehicle that got more than about 22 mpg in the last 12 years, and I've had many sedans, a wagon, and a smaller truck in that time.

The only time I've even considered the gas mileage was when I was switching from a VW Jetta to an Infiniti M45 back in 2008, when premium unleaded was $4.25 a gallon! Even then, I calculated the big V8 would cost me something like $20-30 a month more in fuel. Well worth it for the luxury upgrade.

As for the RAM, I was coming from a 2010 Ford 4.6L, so I get a lot more power out of the Hemi with no change in efficiency. To answer your question, yes I would still be driving my Longhorn as a daily commuter regardless of distance. It's comfy, luxurious, safe, and nobody complains if they have to ride to lunch in the back seat. Plus it still hauls the kids and the dog and their gear to grandma's, it's great for weekend mulch or home project tasks, and it'll tow the odd boat or trailer as needed. I've got the 33 gallon tank, too, so I don't even think about filling up these days.

You're obviously going to get the most biased answers from this forum, but I'm not purely a truck guy. I just think this truck is a great all around vehicle choice. Only other consideration for commuting would be for me to spend a bit less on a nice Laramie and then pick up a cheap 10-year-old Lexus LS or something for the commutes. Wouldn't save me much on gas, of course.

 

[SpeedyV]

One of the biggest mistakes I made was trading away a pickup truck for an econobox in 2009, when I had a long commute and gas prices topped $4/gallon here in Texas. The truck was a Chevy 2500HD with 8.1L/Allison/4.10 gears, so I would get 9 mpg city / 14 mpg highway. With that fuel economy and a 45-gallon fuel tank, I had to fill up twice each time at Costco (I think the limit was something like $75 per credit card transaction back then). I traded it on a new Honda Civic Si, which was supposed to be fun and reliable. Instead, it spent 40 days in the shop the first year, and I am afraid that my truck (in nearly perfect condition) was sacrificed in the "Cash for Clunkers" boondoggle. I went back to a truck after that Honda; fuel economy was no longer a deciding factor.

Ironically, I now work from home and put maybe 8,000 miles/year on my truck at most. That old "beast" would have worked great for me now. But I'm equally interested in the possibility of an electric vehicle, e.g. the Atlis XT, Hummer EV, or Tesla Cybertruck (as long as the production model looks nothing like the concept). The bottom line...make the best decision for your needs in the moment, but know that your needs (and tastes) are certain to change.

 

[hunter1234]

I drive a little over 150 mile round trip commute and then 200 one-way trips to the cabin, throw in the 300 mile one-way trips every month to other offices, I do tend to have a lot of time in my truck. I have a 2016 1500, Diesel with all the accessories, love the MPG, and the ride. Use to try it with an outback and a few of the jeeps I had but at my age, and I am tall at 6'2" makes getting out of small cars and issue, love the height and ride of the truck (I will be getting my 6th new truck since I started driving). Just ordered a 2020 Laramie1500, Diesel with all the goodies and until I retire (not too far now) will likely never go back to a car. Just love the ride, interior and utility of the truck. In my opinion, you cant go wrong with a truck if you have a long commute. Though if I spent a lot of time in the city (currently live in the country and office right off the freeway) I may prefer a smaller vehicle to make the turns and parking (loved my Liberty and wrangler for that). With my 6'4" bed it works and I do go in the larger cities but I do have to pay a little more attention to parking and what's around me. I will also admit I have never been a speed demon and while I do travel a lot and have rented chargers, challengers, a convertible mustang, I just never felt the need for the fast cars and enjoyed them for a week but glad to turn them back in. I am looking forward to trying the new cameras in the 2020 and the other parking/lane assists. Currently have the parking assist (front/back) and like them but I can see where the cross warning would be nice as well the side ones. My thoughts but for me age and long legs have firmly put me in the truck category for long rides.

 

[LimitedGRR]

One of the biggest mistakes I made was trading away a pickup truck for an econobox in 2009, when I had a long commute and gas prices topped $4/gallon here in Texas. The truck was a Chevy 2500HD with 8.1L/Allison/4.10 gears, so I would get 9 mpg city / 14 mpg highway. With that fuel economy and a 45-gallon fuel tank, I had to fill up twice each time at Costco (I think the limit was something like $75 per credit card transaction back then). I traded it on a new Honda Civic Si, which was supposed to be fun and reliable. Instead, it spent 40 days in the shop the first year, and I am afraid that my truck (in nearly perfect condition) was sacrificed in the "Cash for Clunkers" boondoggle. I went back to a truck after that Honda; fuel economy was no longer a deciding factor.

Ironically, I now work from home and put maybe 8,000 miles/year on my truck at most. That old "beast" would have worked great for me now. But I'm equally interested in the possibility of an electric vehicle, e.g. the Atlis XT, Hummer EV, or Tesla Cybertruck (as long as the production model looks nothing like the concept). The bottom line...make the best decision for your needs in the moment, but know that your needs (and tastes) are certain to change.

Look At the Nikola Badger....I think it will be a cybertruck killer.


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[SpeedyV]

Look At the Nikola Badger....I think it will be a cybertruck killer.

Seen it. But so many of these come and go...let's see something "real" hit the market...

 

[Maconi]

I've always driven small sedans/coupes. This is my first truck and I don't think I can go back. Parking is abysmal (I miss being able to easily whip into any space I see in a parking lot) but that's also just because I don't have my truck legs yet (still getting used to the wide turn radius and what not, rims are already scuffed to hell lol).

If you can afford the gas (I only get 10 MPG in my fully loaded Limited) then go for it.

 

[SpeedyV]

I've always driven small sedans/coupes. This is my first truck and I don't think I can go back. Parking is abysmal (I miss being able to easily whip into any space I see in a parking lot) but that's also just because I don't have my truck legs yet (still getting used to the wide turn radius and what not, rims are already scuffed to hell lol).

If you can afford the gas (I only get 10 MPG in my fully loaded Limited) then go for it.

360 degree surround-view FTW

 

[go-ram]

Seen it. But so many of these come and go...let's see something "real" hit the market...

.
Maybe listen to this podcast: https://truckshowpodcast.libsyn.com/ep-123-nikola-from-the-inside
.

 

[Limitedlifestyle]

I drive 72 miles round trip to work. I have driven that for many years. I have had a sedan and a truck. As saving money on gas is great, the comforts, safety features, and riding high off the ground are great. Also it doesn't rain much where I live but when it does the 4 wheel drive is great to have. All in all having a truck is by far a no brainier for me. If your really worried about gas mileage and have extra cash you can get the eco-diesel but you would have to weigh the pros and cons of hemi engine vs diesel.

Thanks for the insight! I think I’m over thinking how much the gas may “bother” me


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[Le_Slacker]

360 degree surround-view FTW

That feature has been awesome for some of our drive-thrus

 

[Limitedlifestyle]

I don't have a long commute most days, but I do a lot of 180+ mile round trip weekends with the in-laws, and we never drive my wife's car anywhere.

I haven't owned a vehicle that got more than about 22 mpg in the last 12 years, and I've had many sedans, a wagon, and a smaller truck in that time.

The only time I've even considered the gas mileage was when I was switching from a VW Jetta to an Infiniti M45 back in 2008, when premium unleaded was $4.25 a gallon! Even then, I calculated the big V8 would cost me something like $20-30 a month more in fuel. Well worth it for the luxury upgrade.

As for the RAM, I was coming from a 2010 Ford 4.6L, so I get a lot more power out of the Hemi with no change in efficiency. To answer your question, yes I would still be driving my Longhorn as a daily commuter regardless of distance. It's comfy, luxurious, safe, and nobody complains if they have to ride to lunch in the back seat. Plus it still hauls the kids and the dog and their gear to grandma's, it's great for weekend mulch or home project tasks, and it'll tow the odd boat or trailer as needed. I've got the 33 gallon tank, too, so I don't even think about filling up these days.

You're obviously going to get the most biased answers from this forum, but I'm not purely a truck guy. I just think this truck is a great all around vehicle choice. Only other consideration for commuting would be for me to spend a bit less on a nice Laramie and then pick up a cheap 10-year-old Lexus LS or something for the commutes. Wouldn't save me much on gas, of course.

33 gallon is a must! I miss the large tank (36) from my 2015 F150


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[Limitedlifestyle]

I've always driven small sedans/coupes. This is my first truck and I don't think I can go back. Parking is abysmal (I miss being able to easily whip into any space I see in a parking lot) but that's also just because I don't have my truck legs yet (still getting used to the wide turn radius and what not, rims are already scuffed to hell lol).

If you can afford the gas (I only get 10 MPG in my fully loaded Limited) then go for it.

10 mpg? Ouch! Lots of city driving? Lift/ larger tires?


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[Maconi]

10 mpg? Ouch! Lots of city driving? Lift/ larger tires?


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All city driving (fully loaded stock 5.8 Hemi E-Torque 3.92 always 4WD Auto). I've started using 2WD more now though as you can clearly feel the front end binding in sharp turns so I assume it causes an MPG hit (and my MPG has been slowly climbing since so we'll see).

 

[OldMarine]

All city driving (fully loaded stock 5.8 Hemi E-Torque 3.92 always 4WD Auto). I've started using 2WD more now though as you can clearly feel the front end binding in sharp turns so I assume it causes an MPG hit (and my MPG has been slowly climbing since so we'll see).

View attachment 57551

well no wonder your mileage is so bad...you have an extra 10th of a Litre with that 5.8...should have got the 5.7 lol

 

[Stevenc150]

All city driving (fully loaded stock 5.8 Hemi E-Torque 3.92 always 4WD Auto). I've started using 2WD more now though as you can clearly feel the front end binding in sharp turns so I assume it causes an MPG hit (and my MPG has been slowly climbing since so we'll see).

Houston, I think we found ur problem...dont drive around in 4wd auto. Yes that's causing ur low mpg & worse ur binding. [...4wd-auto works well in Dry conditions on FWD vehicles as the front axle "pulls" & steers so it never has a chance to bind with the rear. For a Rwd vehicle, no matter how much nerding they do...the rearend ends up pushing/binding with the front, especially in turns. Yes the manual says that it's ok...those engineers make recommendations and that's it; they never deal with the real-world repurcussions. I should know I'm an engineer...and I make likewise recommendations all the time. ]

 

[SpeedyV]

Houston, I think we found ur problem...dont drive around in 4wd auto. Yes that's causing ur low mpg & worse ur binding. [...4wd-auto works well in Dry conditions on FWD vehicles as the front axle "pulls" & steers so it never has a chance to bind with the rear. For a Rwd vehicle, no matter how much nerding they do...the rearend ends up pushing/binding with the front, especially in turns. Yes the manual says that it's ok...those engineers make recommendations and that's it; they never deal with the real-world repurcussions. I should know I'm an engineer...and I make likewise recommendations all the time. ]

I was riding with a co-worker once who told me that he’d been driving his Chevy around for two YEARS in auto 4WD - since it’s “auto”, that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Apparently, this is what the salesman told him. Once I stopped laughing, I explained how the system works.

 

[James1414d]

Cant think of a better commuter then my Longhorn.

 

[go-ram]

That feature has been awesome for some of our drive-thrus

.
How do you get 360 Surround View to stay on long enough? Mine times out when inching forward in Drive,
.

 

[z0n3]

My truck is my every day car. I have never owned a fuel efficient vehicle in my life as my first car was a 2002 Durango that got 12-13mpg, and my truck now gets 15-16 regularly. It was a no brainer for me.