Tundra for RAM?

I have owned a 1998 expedition, 2008/2009/2014 Silverado and they all got better mpg than my tundra. When I bought it I told myself I didn’t care about fuel economy, I still don’t to an extent but Toyota is ridiculous. Our sienna gets garbage mileage too. I’m really looking at a 2021 ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 3.92 gears with leather and power heated seats. Nothing over that. Resale value of the ram is a concern, but in SoCal I think they hold their value better.

I was unaware that the 2500 switched fuel pumps, I know the GM CP2? Pumps were nightmares, destroyed a lot of engines. Why I bought a 1500 instead of 2500 back then.

 

I had 2012, 2015, 2018 Rams. Overall nice trucks. I never felt they were trucks that would last me 150,000 miles which is why I went to a Tundra. Chrysler screwed up the hemi was another reason I quit buying Rams.

 

TL/DR version:

I had narrowed my purchase down to a 2020 Ram Rebel or the 2021 Tundra TRD Pro. Now, for my use case (not a tow / haul rig, more of a daddy-mobile for when the van won't do), I wasn't concerned with payload or towing #'s. I tend to hold on to cars I like for quite a while.

Both trucks seemed to be great options, and if I were going to roll through it in 3 to 4 years, I wouldn't have worried about the buying Rebel as warranty would take care of issues. Since my current plan is to keep my truck for a while longer, I went with the TRD Pro.

Longer Version:

Things I liked about the Ram Rebel:

• Very nice interior. Downright fancy.
• Looked good visually from the exterior
• Very quiet on the road.
• Interior storage bins in rear floor would be nice for kids' stuff
• Rode and handled well
• Price was great (MSRP of $60,500, had it down to $47,800)
• 12" Infotainment screen looked really cool
• Lots of bells and whistles (blind spot monitoring, cross traffic, heated steering wheel, wireless cell charger, front and rear sensors, power side mirrors, adjustable pedals, seat/mirror/pedal memory, etc...)
• Found one with NO sunroof, which was a plus for me as I've heard horror stories on their panoramic sunroof.
• Good power

Some more common (well, common enough to be on forums - but you know how forum people are - heh!) issues on the 5th Gen 1500's I found while researching:

• Sliding rear window frame cracks and leaks. Some have no problems, others have had replaced numerous times to no effect (this appears to be common on the new gen Silverado 1500's too)
• Exhaust manifold bolts have an odd tendency to break around 30-40K miles
• eTorque option may/may not really do much for mileage, but seems to be a polarizing issue between those that love or hate it. Also causes smaller standard gas tank. Check to see which tank truck has before buying if you want larger one.
• The 12" infotainment screen can get quirky and slow to respond at times. Apparently somewhere in 2021, they're upgrading to uConnect 5 which is hoped to remedy this. The 8.4" infotainment screen seems to be mostly bug free.

Things I liked about the TRD Pro

• Interior was comfortable, but not "showy"
• Cavernous center console
• Judging by looks (I didn't measure), there is bit more rear seat room (kids)
• Looked good
• Quiet on road
• Rode and handled well (A little stiffer than Rebel, but that didn't bother me - it's a truck)
• Good power
• Sounded great
• Simplicity in operation of major controls
• The lowering rear window was very nice

Ultimately, the simplicity of the TRD Pro won me over. I was looking at all the gadgets and goodies on the Rebel, but then started thinking... "Man, I bet it'd cost a ton to replace that 12" screen if something happened..." I did pay more for the TRD Pro than I would have paid for the Rebel, but I felt comfortable with that.

 

If at all possible wait for the 2022 to be on the table. Then you have all options available. Internal combustion is on the way out, you next new truck maybe the last one that requires gasoline if you keep your vehicles 5 plus years.

 

Cp4 pumps are a joke on the new cummins and powerstrokes. They wanted to charge my buddy $32k for a new cummins when his pump failed.
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/engine/what-is-cp4-failure/

 

Yep. I compared 1/2 tons recently, and the Tundra had the cheapest five-year cost to own unless you went with a 4-cyl Ford or GM. That is how much repairs on a domestic outpace the Tundra’s poor fuel economy over a typical ownership period.

Exactly.

 

My neighbor returned his new Dodge Rebel, cause the air suspension when out on it.

 

Air suspension system is not a matter of it will fail it’s just a matter of when it will fail. Never understood why anybody would want or install this type of suspension...

 

FIAT!! , It makes sense to wait till the 4th Gen comes out before jumping ship for a Fiat Ram. I have a buddy who's only had problems with his fiat.

 

I had a Ram rebel and it was constantly being recalled and had around 5 recalls and I owned it for 3 years. I was tired of having problems with the truck so I switched to a Tundra and no issues since! I know it gets bad mpg but I do not want the headache of always having to take it to Chrysler for a recall.

 

I think you should get a prius.
https://www.toyota.com/prius/

 

I commute 50 miles to work and 50 miles home from work in a Scion FRS. I get 35-36mpg(6 speed manual) with motul eco lite 0w20. When I use other brand oil I get 33-34mpg. I also think mileage is slightly better with Exxon gas. I’d be willing to bet motul oil in a tundra is worth about 1 mpg. When my 2 1/2 year Toyota service expires I’m putting motul in. I drove my brothers big horn 2016 5.7 hemi ram . I really liked it but I like my 2021 tundra SR5 SX better. FWIW I think the i force 5.7 in the tundra is just as powerful as the ram 5.7 hemi.

 

by comparison i just traded my 2017 Tundra. 80k miles on it and got $11k less than i paid new.

 

Exactly. . .I traded in my 19 tundra for a 21 and got about 4k less. . .
And not because there was anything wrong with it. I went in for an oil change and left with a new truck for less money a month. Funny how they had ZERO used tundra but probably 25 used ford's and rams.

 

I traded in my 2016 Toyota Tacoma and got $500 more than I paid for it with 79k miles

 

tacomas hold their value very well.

 

The OP should NOT read this ^^^. We'll see him back here in 19 months.

 

Most likely. . . Mad as hell. .lol

 

I have a 19 Rebel and I’ve had no issues with it at all except for a recall on the drivers floor mat ( they just replace it with the new version ) .
There’s a few at work and as far as I know they haven’t had any problems with theirs either , one of them has a 2010 with over 400k on it and still going strong .
As far as fuel mileage goes the Ram isn’t going to be much better than the Tundra unless you get a stripped down Big Horn or Tradesman with the Hemi or get the 3.6L V6 .
The Etorque will give you better mileage in the city and the Etorque system is warrantied for 8 years or 80k miles .
Every make has recalls and or problems from what I’ve read
The Rams have had issues with some 2019 & 2020 with the rear window frame cracking and leaking , now there’s a few guys that have the 2021. Rams and they’ve shown that the rear window frame is in fact different than the earlier ones .
Some have complained about the transmission “bumping” on deceleration which has been been fixed with a soft wear update .
The air suspension has problems on the earlier models ( 2015 - 2018 ) in the colder climates but as you’re in Cali you probably wouldn’t have a problem with it if you chose to have it .
For the manifold bolts there’s been 2 guys on the Ram forum that have had them replaced under warranty ( there’s over 50k members on the 5th gen Ram forum ) .
There’s been 3 of them that have had there’s lemon lawed, one for a vibration that they couldn’t figure out and one was for the transfer case and one was for the engine . ( apparently when they bolted up the oil pan they left something in it )
The majority of them haven’t had issues and still love their trucks except for the MPG’s .
If you can wait about 7 - 8 more months you can really look at all of them again , Fords are new as of 2021 , GM twins should be getting an updated interior , Tundra will be all new and Ram should have the Uconnect5 out .
2022 will be an awesome year for truck shopping ! lol

 

Never knew that

 

@ultra1988 I normally don’t respond to “my MPGs suck” thread but from what I’ve read, your complaints are gas mileage and creature comforts. I think you should list your priorities and select your next vehicle based on that. Check out a Prius for MPGs, check out a Lexus, GMC Denali for comfort. If you need towing or payload - check out a 3/4 or 1 ton.

I chose my Tundra for it simplicity, 5.7L engine and reliability. It’s like buying a two seater coupe and complaining it doesn’t have room for 7 passengers.

 

Like Scotty Kilmer says... "just lease it and get it out of your system."

https://youtu.be/kxaw5NB9oQs

 

The new rams look great but just being in them you can tell they aren’t built for long term use.

It seems like all the newer trucks are going more towards the “subscription base” type of sale. Meaning, lease it for 3 years and trade it in before it falls apart and they’ll have an all new model waiting for you.

So if that style of buying works for you then I don’t see why not.

But if you are going to buy and plan on having it long term it’s just tough to pick a different truck.

For what it’s worth, I love the rams, I was super close to getting one and I still creep over on their forums for a reality check.

 

I went from a 18 Ram Laramie to a a 20 Tundra SR5 Sport. I had one recall on my Ram and had to have the radio replaced under warranty, thankfully, because it was a 2000.00 replacement and the first one they put in did not work so they had to order another one. I was out a truck almost two weeks.

FWIW I do miss some of the comforts of the RAM, especially the remote start, radio and seats. However, that quickly went away when I factored in reliability and resale.

 

The only way I would trade my Tundra for a Ram is if the Ram came with the bed filled with gold, but that’s probably just me.

 

^This!

 

Well let's see. I kept my Tundy and gave it to my son as a wedding gift two years ago he's had 45k trouble free miles except 1 battery at 16k

When we left California mid October, we towed a 28' car hauler that fully loaded was outside the Tundras capabilities for my cross country San Diego to Fayetteville Ga extravaganza. My brother in law and I flew to Dave Smith picked up a Bighorn long bed 2020 3500 Ram dually with the high output cummins and aisin tranny. We drove it back to San Diego and it has been to Ga and back 3 times moving our families and towing across the 8,10 & 20 with all its glory on the 20 from louisiana through georgia on the freeway that felt like it was used for artillery practice.

What I liked she pulls like a freight train. The 50 gallon tank is real nice. Alpine tunes are pretty sweet. 12 inch screen I dig it. The MPG I'm not crazy about 10-11.5 Loaded 13.5-15 unloaded but it's a tool and diesel is 2 bucks a gallon or less. What I didn't like is she's a rough ride unloaded. But again, its a tool to get me across country. I'm looking into carlie lift with a front torsion bar and diesel tech steering box stabilizer.

Of the 13k miles on her 12.5 are towing and she does it well.This being my first diesel I'm trying to pay close attention to her needs be johnny on the spot for maintenance or recall but so far she's been real good to me. If it turns out great or to a complete shit show I'll be honest about it. Diggin' her so far meet big red

 

do you have push button start in your tundra? The reason i ask is i have a trd sport sr5 and remote start is factory equipment. Either from the connect app or key fob (two quick presses of lock then long press lock button til truck starts.

 

@aperezsh that color is nice!