2019 Ram 1500 eTorque First Drive: More than Just Miles Per Gallon

Real World Fuel Economy

My drive from Detroit to Lexington in the 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel started around noon in Michigan and it rained for much of the drive. I spent the majority of the soggy trip with the cruise set within 5 miles per hour of the speed limit, so I was driving anywhere from 60-75 miles per hour with the majority of those miles being towards the upper end of that scale. I made two stops along the way with only a short stint off of the highway, so my 375 mile drive to Kentucky consisted of about 355 miles worth of highway driving with a few areas of stop-and-go driving through road construction.

In theory, this is the type of driving that should yield the greatest fuel economy numbers with a non-hybrid truck, but cruising at speeds over 70 miles per hour, I am aware that I was driving much faster than the EPA does. With that in mind, I certainly didn’t expect to hit EPA number of 21 miles per gallon, and I didn’t. I ended up averaging 17.2 miles per gallon, slightly better than the EPA combined figure even with the road work hurting my numbers.

‘I should point out that during that drive, I wasn’t driving like a maniac, but in no way did I drive gently to get better fuel economy numbers.’

The next morning, we hit the road in the new eTorque trucks. My test subject was the dark metallic brown Ram 1500 Longhorn shown here, with the same basic drive train configuration, cab size, and bed size as the black Rebel that I drove from Michigan. Our drive route snaked all over the Lexington area, with lots of country driving through small towns and past many of the most famous thoroughbred stables in the world.

Mind you, this is a truck that is expected to return 17 miles per gallon in the city and 19 miles per gallon combined, being driven through the countryside in situations where we were constantly speeding up and slowing down for tight turns, hills, stop signs, and animals wandering across the road. This was not the ideal driving situation to get the best fuel economy numbers possible, but after a hundred miles or so of driving in this setting, I averaged 20.2 miles per gallon.

I should point out that during that drive, I wasn’t driving like a maniac, but in no way did I drive gently to get better fuel economy numbers. That 20.2 figure included some hard launches and plenty of spirited driving along the twisty backroads of Kentucky, and the big four-door truck still averaged better than 20 miles per gallon with mostly city-type driving. Compare that to the highway-heavy average of the Rebel on the way to the hybrid drive event and it is clear that the eTorque system makes a significant impact on fuel economy. But I expected that, after all, it is a hybrid. But what I didn’t expect is that the eTorque system makes the new Ram a much smoother truck in every driving situation.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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