Hello everyone, I would like to know how many MPG does the Ram 2500 Hemi or Cummins get? If anyone could compare the fuel economy on both engines that would be great. I really want a Power Wagon but I would like to know how is it on gas or if I would just prefer the Cummins heavy duty truck. If the fuel economy of the Hemi on the 2500 is somewhat similar to the 1500 I would stick to it only because I love the Power Wagon.
Thanks.

 

heres my take on the hemi vs cummins engine. first, my 04 5.9 cummins 3500 wa totaled back in jan. i fully expected to replace with the same. here is what i found. my 5.9 4x4 would produce an average of 20 mpg on trips from nj to florida. the new 6.7s as i have been told the 6.7s only do about 14mpg. the 5.9 was really a simple engine and bullit proof. 160000 miles and not one repair was required just maintanence. oil changes and fuel filter. had valves adjusted at 150000 miles. 6.7 have all new epa polution controls that are causing soot problems and have killed fuel mileage. so unless you need the towing power of the cummins, you will pay more for fuel, get less mpg than 2500 hemi and possibly have soot problems if it is going to be a daily driver with lots of short runs.

 

Buddy of mine traded in a 6.7 auto 4x4 diesel with 150,000 miles on a Hemi 2500. I told him he'd hate the hemi towing. It took him 12,000 miles to say I was right. Difference pulling about 9,000lbs was 9/11 mpg versus 12/14 mpg and having to mash the hemi to the wood pulling in any kind of inclines. He unloaded the hemi 2500 truck. Oh both were 4x4s. Both trucks were 3.73 geared. He tows about that same weight 50k a year. He says what the auto 6.7 diesel walks off with the hemi was floored and screaming. Sounds about right.

 

The terms "POWER WAGON" and "FUEL ECONOMY" have no business being used in the same post!

Well the 2500 Hemi and the 2500 Hemi Power Wagon are two entirely different animals. Don't expect anywhere NEAR the fuel economy with the Power Wagon that people with normal 2500s get. The Power Wagon is a 4.56 geared, heavy as hell, off-road beast and gets the fuel economy one would expect from such.

A 6.7 doesn't deserve to hold the venerable old 5.9's jocky strap. That's not a real dig on Cummins, NOBODY's modern, environment friendly diesels are on par with any of the later non-emissions standards engines (except maybe Furd, but that's because the 6.0 Power Joke was a total POS). You can thank the government and the tree huggers for sh*tty diesel engines being offered today.

But you'll still get an easy 25% better fuel economy with a 6.7 CTD than a Hemi equipped Power Wagon, even better when towing.

If you need a full size truck and are worried about fuel economy, get an MDS equipped 1500...

 

I was looking into the same thing before buying mine. I determined that unless I am going to be pulling every week, the cummins was no good for me. With my hemi, I do 20-22mpg regularly, I do mainly highway, but even in the city I would do 14-15. Might I add thats highway mpg on my 07 1500. You would be lucky to get that out of a cummins. However when I pull, that would go down to 9-10, where as with a cummins it pretty much stays the same. So unless your pulling, don't go cummins.

This brings me to my next idea, that kinda might straiten things out. Is if you are not pulling, and don't need the cummins, why not just go with a 1500? The ride difference is UNREAL due to the coils. It rides sooo much better. Ya depending on how much your going to pull will matter, but if its just holiday trailers and the odd pulling, this truck will do mighty fine. Theres a lot to say about those coils.


Also I think the days of the power wagon are coming to an end....

 

Your getting 20-22 with a 1500. Not a 2500. There are times a 2500 is needed.

 

Yes I do drive on pretty flat barron land too, im in eco more than 80%of the time.

There is a place for a 2500, but I was trying to emphasize the fact that unless your doing heavy pulling or very large payloads all the time maybe a 2500 might not what hes looking for. obviously he is looking at fuel economy, and the 1500 hemi will get the best out of everything. Vs a 2500, just what he asked is all.

 

I'm now getting an idea, I just wanted to compare the fuel economy between the Hemi vs the Cummins. I knew that the Hemi on the 2500 is a thirsty engine, since it doesn't come with MDS. I just wanted to make sure if I was correct and if it had some improvements on the 2011 truck. I never tow, but I do want an extreme off roader which is the Power Wagon and I do wan't to keep it on my wish list. I think that depending on my needs later on, I might even stick with the Cummins. I mainly want the 2500 just because it has a front solid axle. I prefer those over an IFS.

 

Yeah, I know where you're coming from, my '04 Hemi 1500 is my first IFS truck of seven full size 4x4s I've owned, it will be my last. Too much to worry about and too many limitations when lifting.

Keep one thing in mind though, a Cummins is a HEAVY engine and places a LOT of weight up front. The guys in my hunting club who get stuck the most in the lowlands and swamps we hunt in south Georgia are the ones who own diesels - by far! I've even seen guys with lifted 4x2s with rear LSDs and lockers drive around stuck Diesel trucks with their noses down and buried in the the soft sands and red clay where we go.

I've even seen a Powerstroke stuck up to it's front axle in the sand on the beach in north Florida, while the bikini clad chicks were driving around them in their little front wheel drive Civics, LOL...

 

I can give you a really good idea. I have owned every cummins Dodge except a 12 v, and you can see what I drive now.

My last truck was a 2008 6.7 I got about 16 mpg hwy and 10 - 11 towing. When it was not in the shop. I even deleted all the emissions equipment off the truck so it would say out of the shop, and I just found other new issues like my G56 transmission and DMF.

My 2009 hemi on 87 octane (no corn juice!!) will get 15 mpg hwy and about 8 - 10 towing the same load about 8K lbs. I also have 3.73 gears, so if you got a power wagon you can expect less mgp for sure but I don't know how much less. It also pulls it without any issues at all. One thing is these motors like to rev up, but that is where there power is it is a V8 after all.

I had a ton of issues with my 6.7, and it was the biggest pile of junk I ever owned and I will never go back to a 6.7 again. My 5.9 cummins trucks all got about 18 - 20 mpg hwy and about 12 - 14 towing the same load, and by the way never had any issues with over 100K miles on each of them. They all had NV5600 or NV4500 manual trannys in them as well.

If you are not pulling a huge trailer eveyday then I would say away from any newer EPA loaded diesel.

I have only had my 2009 2500 hemi for about 6 months, but so far not any real issues. I have a whine noise in 1st gear, but some say this is normal either way it would be covered under my CPO. There is so much less to worry about with a gas hemi 2500 over a 6.7 I don't even no where to begin. The maintance on a hemi will be way less, and it will be in the shop a lot fewer times.