What's old is new, and what's new is new

[John V]

Thanks. I love the truck so far. Driving back from Sam's, I averaged 20.5 MPG (calculated) which seems crazy for a 3/4 ton 4WD truck with a 6.7L engine, and I wasn't exactly going slow.

Initial impressions are that it drives ... big. My Silverado was much lighter. The Ram also has solid axles front and rear. I posted above that I did a long tow with a friend's 1500 Ram Ecodiesel (3.0L turbo diesel). That truck has rack and pinion steering, is probably 2,000lbs lighter, and essentially drives like a large car. The 2500 drives like a truck. Perfect for towing, but pretty cumbersome around town.

I'm very happy with the truck but it strikes me as odd how far apart those two trucks are. I would guess that most people buying a 2500 are towing big enclosed trailers or running businesses. Most people buying the 1500 are people who occasionally tow but mostly want an easy-driving truck that can very comfortably tow 6,000lbs. With how many trucks are sold every year it seems there should be a middle ground. I like the stability of the load range E tires that are on the 2500. I like the bigger brakes (they're phenomenal). I like the stiffer suspension, but it's probably a big much for what I do. Same with the power. The 1500 felt squishy, not that solid and lacked a bit of power and brake margin when towing. The 2500 is just plain overkill. A mythical 2,000 would be perfect for most people doing what I do with my truck.

Oh well, I'll have to settle

[ff]

Better too much, than not enough.

[Nick M3]

Well, I'm pretty sure that you're also driving the truckiest of trucks out there.

[John V]

I suppose that's true.

Another thing I noticed, the exhaust brake is one of the coolest features of this thing. You can do one-pedal driving on the interstate. It doesn't really work at lower speeds unless you manually downshift the transmission, but it's very effective if the engine is turning some revs.

[bren]

Originally Posted by John V

I suppose that's true.

Another thing I noticed, the exhaust brake is one of the coolest features of this thing. You can do one-pedal driving on the interstate. It doesn't really work at lower speeds unless you manually downshift the transmission, but it's very effective if the engine is turning some revs.

It's annoying that you have to enable it manually every time you start the truck, but yes you're really going to like it on i68. I really wish my truck had one.

edit:
I think your truck is a year older, but I imagine it works the same.

Also, if you haven't figure it out yet, the button is actually two-mode. There's a "smart" mode that's a bit more progressive.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by John V

I suppose that's true.

Another thing I noticed, the exhaust brake is one of the coolest features of this thing. You can do one-pedal driving on the interstate. It doesn't really work at lower speeds unless you manually downshift the transmission, but it's very effective if the engine is turning some revs.

I don't think that the newer GMCs drive larger than the old ones, after all. And the only difference between mine and your old one is that it has extra weight and a lot more power. (But not nearly as much asyour new one.)

[John V]

Originally Posted by bren

It's annoying that you have to enable it manually every time you start the truck, but yes you're really going to like it on i68. I really wish my truck had one.

edit:
I think your truck is a year older, but I imagine it works the same.

Also, if you haven't figure it out yet, the button is actually two-mode. There's a "smart" mode that's a bit more progressive.

Sam walked me through all of the controls and features. It does have to be turned on every time you get in. No big deal. I'm used to getting the Boxster and immediately turning the stability control off

[kognito]

Pretty sure it is an EGR/emission thing (for startup) that cycles the engine brake off when you stop the engine.

My Cummins 14.9 liter ISM motor had a 2 stage/3 position rocker switch for engine braking. If I stopped the engine with the rocker switch in stage 1 or 2, and restarted, a message would appear on one of the display screens that engine brake was not really enabled yet.