Need a little help guys. Getting ready to go with a MegaCab. Need the room for the kids & gear we haul. Looking at the 6.7 & Hemi. I know this is a diesel site so be objective please. I have been running diesels for the last several years from dodge to ford & back to dodge recently. I drive 20,000 miles a year or so & pull a small trailer with 2500 lbs or so an average of 3 times a week during hunting season. With the price of diesel compared to gas[which I understand could flip flop at anytime] & worrying about the long term cost of repairs once the new 6.7 goes out of warranty it has me wondering about a 2500 hemi MC. The thing that scares me on the Hemi is I probably will be lucky to get 10 -11 mpg once I put the 35's on it. I plan on keeping the truck for a long time. I know the 6.7 doesn't get as good of MPG as the 5.9 in most cases,but will more than likely get better than the hemi. My main concern is repairs later down the road with all the emission add ons. The price difference buys alot of gas ,but at a point later it would probably be better with the diesel. Help me out guys,give me some feedback & more points. THANKS!!

 

The 1500 megas and the 2500 megas with Hemis have the same suspension. So, if you go the gas route you could save more money by getting the 1500 version. The gasser version also comes with the new Lifetime warranty whereas the Cummins does not.

 

I have a hemi(MDS) in my Commander and not only is it going to get terrible milage in a 4x4 MC, but it will be extremely underpowered compared to the 6.7L. Forget about the 5.9L vs. 6.7L unless your willing to buy used. THe 6.7L will be a much better fit in the truck you are wanting. If you hunt w/ a group of guys like I do, you better not pull into the lease w/ a big powerful looking truck w/ a little hemi under the hood!

 

Hemi versus cummins seems like you could go either way and get by just fine since you're not towing that often or heavy. With prices how they are now though I think mpg's would make cost of operation pretty close to a wash but that's just a guess. Fuel prices are what they are. Who can say what they will be 1, 2, or 5 years down the road gas versus diesel almost makes it a non-issue imo. I think if you intend to keep the truck long term the cummins would be best. If only short term the hemi would be although trade-in or re-sale value of a used hemi 2500 later on is gonna be down in the toilet so maybe not?. Seems like the 08 model 6.7's are not having as many teething problems as the first 6.7's in the 7.5 models. So even though rebates might be better on 7.5 that's something to consider. Who knows about the 6.7 long term that's anyone's guess. I suppose for every guy complaining about bugs and looking for help around forums there are plenty of happy 6.7 guys not posting. I'm biased and would go diesel. It's a tough call sorry I wasn't much help lol.

 

I have owned both a gas 2500 and a diesel 2500 in the last two years. Fuel costs have been a wash. When shopping for my Cummins, the dealer got me to test drive a hemi 2500 QC. I was digusted with the lack of acceleration and couldn't think of trying to haul a trailer into a merging highway situation.
Toss in the extra 600-800lbs of the megacab and things could get really hairy. I'm also willing to bet that the 10-11 mpg you think you'll get will be more around the 9 on a good day, since your foot will have to be stuck in the injectors all day long. Not only that but resale value will come into play. A gasser will not hold it's value over time like a diesel will. I have had that factor beat me several times in years past. This conversation might be a little different if we were talking an 8.1 liter Chevy gasser, but the hemi in a heavy duty Ram leaves much to be desired. Just my.02

 

When I purchased my 5.9 megacab, I had the dealer add on leather, steps, and other stuff. While it was in the shop getting it all installed, I was given a 1500 QC hemi. I know the overhead is usually high on any vehicle and I sure was glad when I noticed the highest it got on the overhead was 11 on my way to work. The overhead on my 5.9, yeah I know they are off, will be in the high 17s to low 18s and that is all stop and go traffic.

But then again, I choose the diesel because I need to be able to haul cattle to auction, hay, horses, tractors, and jeep.

 

I struggled with this for a long time when I was looking to buy an MC... months. To be honest, I am more of a gasser guy. I preffer the rumble of the V8 over the diesel. The diesel is also a little more of "thinking" truck. You have to be more concious about maintenance, what fuel you are putting in, etc. The engine has a little vibration in the cab and the clatter in town takes some getting used to. On the highway you don't hear it any more than the gasser. Wait to start light is a PITA in the cold weather and the truck takes a lot longer to warm up (never does under just idling). Oil changes are more expensive, but also farther apart. It evens out or is better on the diesel (depending on your chosen service intervals), but you need to be prepared for that cost when it comes. The ride quality is different (not necessarily better or worse) in the diesel and takes some getting used to. The throttle response of the pedal is not "on command" like in a gasser. Takes a second to get the turbo to spool and get her rolling... sometimes.

All that said, the cummins is worth it in this truck. All of the above goes away after you get used to it. This was my first diesel, so I was very critical of it when I bought it. But the reason I bought it was because the mileage on a quad cab 1500 is rumored to be in the 12's (realistically). I can't imaging what it would be in a truck this heavy. I also tow occassionally (lightweight enclosed 3-place snowmobile trailer), and I know the hemi would be terrible on gas. In addition, the added weight of the MC made the Hemi seem sluggish compared to my previous silverado. They allowed me to take the Hemi overnight and hook my trailer to it. It towed the same, if not worse than my 5.3 Silverado did (which I was trying to get away from). With the diesel, the truck gets up and goes as it should (in stock form...nevermind all the big HP you can add with just a simple programmer). When I tow, the mileage barely changes from my normal driving (since my trailer is so light - ~3000 - 4000lbs). And it's like the trailer isn't even there.

About a month ago I considered getting rid of the truck. I love it, but the payment is big and fuel prices were starting to scare me. After starting my research that was done a year and half ago when i bought the truck all over again, I ended up coming to the conclusion that I couldn't replace it with anything. I can't get a 6.5ft bed on a 1500 crew, so I need a 2500. In the 2500 gas mileage would kill me, so I need a diesel. THEN, when i think about the room in my truck, I know I can't give that up. Plus I would be back to screaming a gasser to tow my light trailer. Add in the fact that I am driving a Cummins engine that has the best reputation on the planet... I wouldn't go back to the gas truck.... or even anything other than the MC. I miss some of the bells and whistles of my Chevy (memory seats, more comfy seats, automatic volume adjusting radio, etc.), but I don't miss the steering shaft, speedometer, air conditioning and other problems.

Sum it all up, I am happy I went with the Diesel and getting more so everytime I drive it. They have their quirks, but i am enjoying the idea of adding some power (smarty JR), leveling kit (Lorenz) and some wheels next year. If you are considering some big meats, I would definitely go with the diesel. You won't regret it.

Hope that helps.

 

if you look hard you can still find new 5.9's out there. may have to take a drive to get one but it would be worth it in my opinion. I was shocked when I first looked under the hood of a 6.7 truck. I agree, once the warranty runs out you are going to have to maintain the truck and I have heard that if anything goes wrong with any part of that smog crap a check engine light comes on till its fixed and there is no removing that stuff. look for a new 5.9 QUICKLY

 

I can't help you as far as Megacabs, but as you can see in my Avatar I have a 2500 QC 5.9 Cummins and I just sold the 1500 QC 5.9 Magnum, both units were 4X4 and Autos.

1500 @ 5000lbs or so got me an average of 10.5mpg commuting and if lucky 16mpg highway, it was severely underpowered, didn't know that until I got the Cummins.

2500 @ 7000lbs or so gets me 15-16.5mpg (17.1mpg If I don't carpool, too many stops) commuting and 18-19mpg highway, I have attained 21mpg once and I don't expect that to ever happen again too many things were in-line to achieve that.

 

If long term is your goal get the diesel

 

Why doesn't Dodge put the 6.1 Hemi in the the trucks?

Pete

 

I would usually agree with that, but...

You have the option of purchasing a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty in addition to the lifetime powertrain warranty available on the Hemi powered trucks. If you're planning on keeping a truck for a long long time, I think this would be worth the additional expense.

I'm not too terribly worried about the longevity of either the Cummins or the Hemi; I'm more worried about ball joints, transmissions, transfer cases, differentials, on board computers, air conditioning systems, power windows and stuff like that lasting longer than the warranty period. The lifetime bumper to bumper warranty addresses those concerns.

If they offered the lifetime bumper to bumper warranty on the diesels, I'd probably be driving a truck like you're looking at right now. But since they're not, I'm either looking at keeping my current truck for a long time and crossing my fingers, or looking at a replacement with a Hemi in it. I've decided to keep my truck for now.

 

I drove both and really had to look deep (inside my pockets), but I really don't think a hemi and I were meant to be together. Maybe in a Challenger but not a truck, JMHO.

 

I've never seen a gas station that a Hemi didn't like. I know guys who have the Hemi and get worse fuel mileage empty then my CTD does empty. Also if you tow much you will like the power of the CTD and you should get better fuel mileage then a Hemi when towing.

JMHO

 

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/towing...sel/index.html

Read this it mite help, or not!!! Chevy comparison!