Had the pleasure/pain of driving a new 06 Hemi powered 1500, extended cab, short box for a week while getting my tranny done.
Pleasure - nice get-up-and-go power for a pickup. Pain - put about 1200 miles on it to the tune of about $250.00 for middle grade gas. I really feel for the gasser owners - couldn't get over 15.5 m.p.g. no matter how I drove it.
Got my CTD back today and am truly believing that this baby is a keeper. I think I'll be driving it till the wheels fall off!!

 

15.5? Not too bad really.My 1998 1500 318 got less the that straight hiway before mods.After mods it around 16.5. Kinda around the same as my 03 diesel.

 

My previous truck was a 1/2 ton 4x4 reg cab long box with a hemi. One of the biggest reasons for buying the CTD a couple of weeks ago was gas mileage. over $100 a week to go to work. It got 14 mpg when it was going downhill on the highway with a tailwind. It got 12 around town when it was in a good mood. Pulling the boat, forget it. 6-7 mpg. I pull about 180 miles round trip.

The CTD isnt broke in yet and it gets 14 pulling the boat. 16 around town. I do miss teh long box though, but with a quad cab, it would have a little too long to park in the lot at work.

 

I bought the CTD just for the pulling power. Average with no load has been from 17 to 19 mpg. With moderatly heavy load (6,000 lbs on flat bed trailer) it seems to get somewhere around 13 to 14. The best I ever get out of the 1500 is 12 to 14 with no load and drops to 6 to 8 with the same load. Last time I used the 1500 to tow the 6,000 lb load it took out my rear axle seals and tranny temp went way to high. Now the CTD does all the heavy work!

 

I dont think I have ever gotten over 16 with my truck, more like 15 most of the time.

 

Hemi Power? What a joke, at least in my experience. I had a great '98 QC 4X4, CTD, camel leather, Etc, A really sharp truck. In '03, they put the hemi in the 1/2 ton & started advertising it extensivley. Well, I've got three grandkids who like to visit grandpa so I thought the full four door truck would be great for them. I sold my '98 and bought a flame red 1500, hemi QC short bed, 2wd, trailer tow, leather, 3.92, 20" wheels, etc, etc. Beautiful truck. Wouldn't tow, wouldn't spin a tire, and sucked gas like my old 428 Super Cobra Jet '69 Cougar with 4.30 axle. I pulled my open bike trailer with two Harleys from my (then) home in the FLorida Keys to Sturgis. Tried to run 70. Got 9mpg. Tried running 60 and got 11. This is an OPEN trailer, not a box. As I mentioned, this truck would not spin a tire. It was NOT fast! I kept it 9 months and finally traded it in on my '04. Back to diesel power for me. The next year, I towed the same trailer, same two Harleys, same trip, same route, same time. The '04 got 19 mpg runng 65. As I started out, Hemi Power? What's that? It went away when the 426 did. JOIBO.

 

Ain't that the truth. I do have to give Dodge/Chrysler credit though for one heck of an advertising ploy.

Nick

 

I tell you one thing, the 5.7 Hemi works pretty dang good in the 300C/Magnum/Charger.

MikeyB

 

My dads been gettin around 18mpg with his hemi...its an 06 with the MDS.The other thing is they are fast...smoked me very easily.

 

I had a '93 Dakota with the V8 and Holley fuel injection. It was strong and great fun, and it towed my travel trailer just fine, but the gas mileage was nothing to write home about. It got 12 around town, 17 mpg empty with a tail wind, and 10-12 mpg towing a 4,500 lb trailer. Last year I got a bigger travel trailer, and although the truck will was willing, I got a bad case of the tail wagging the dog. I got this CTD to pull my Airstream. It gets 20-21 mpg combined since I've had it. I haven't pulled the trailer yet (repairs needed and hitch needs lowering), but I'm curious about what mpg I'll get towing.

Note that my truck is a standard cab ST 2WD LWD auto. It's over 1,000 lbs lighter than the typical QC found here, and I don't drive it like I stole it.

 

Hemi fuel economy reports seem to vary wildly just like the diesel reports. All of the configuration differences account for a lot of the discrepencies, but I think driving style is just as--if not more--important. My Dad has a '97 V10 2WD 3.54 with auto. He consistently gets 16 mpg with it; however, when I borrow it I've never broken 10.

I was able to drive identical Hemi to Cummins G56 trucks back-to-back on the same loop. Keep in mind that the overhead readings may or may not have been spot-on, but the Cummins showed 13.0 and the Hemi showed 11.9. I was much easiear on the go pedal in the Cummins. I'm pretty confident I could have driven the Hemi to the same numbers with a little restraint. Things would probably change after break-in, etc.

From strictly an unloaded standpoint, I would probalby pick the Hemi. That G56-3.73 combo is just too short for empty driving.

Best regards.

 

Everyone I tell about my '03 Hemi tells me they know someone who has a hemi that is "fast". All I know is that my '03 was NOT and it was thirsty. Running empty with no tow, it got 14 mpg at 70, on a flat road, no wind, with the cruise. I posted my towing mpg in my original.

My '03 would not spin a tire. Others have reported theirs will lay down big black stripes. Of course, "fast" is subjective. Will any stock hemi take a stock Harley Ford F150 with the supercharged engine? Both are 340 hp. I think not.

 

OK guys, I was just joking about the hemi power - although the truck did get up and go pretty good. It would break the tires loose at about 2k r.p.m. from a dead stop. Impressive for those that like to leave a little rubber behind AND have money to burn for petro.
Haven't owned a gasser for some years now - wouldn't own one now either. The truck wasn't bad - a little lite. Would start floating at about 90 m.p.h. Now I understand why I saw so many of them flipped over during the heyday of hauling FEMA trailers down south.
As I said earlier, my 04.5 is a "keeper"
Jerry

 

I just sold my chev 8.1/allison and that was the worst truck ever! Besides the piston slap, that POS got about 6-8mpg unloaded driving very lightly.
VERY HAPPY WITH MY CTD

 

i cant say id want one to own, test drove a 2500 hemi mega this last week, as mine was in for a 3.5 hr u joint replacment Anyway, Had good get up and go, for the size of truck anyway.... would spin the tires no problem, and for the lil i drove it had an average of 15.5 on the highway. Now if they gave that MDS and e85 capable, id own one i guess. my old 360 pulled what i own fine, i just have and love the 3 diesels i have haha