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Man the AV is fast!

PerfectReign

PerfectReign

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Okay, didn't think I'd be saying this.  In any case, I got the "itch" today to try something new.  Made an appointment with the fleet guy at the Dodge dealership to try the new Ram 2500 Mega Cab with the 6.7L Cummins.  I'd tried the 5.9L in the past and found it pondering.

In any case, today was my five-year-old's first day at kindergarten.

l_first_day_of_school.preview.jpg


After dropping him off at school, I decided to go test drive the truck.  Man, did it look nice!  I drove a cherry red Lariat version with the leather seats and the DVD/Nav systems. The mega cab has a TON of room in the back.

Starting it up, I noticed the nice quiet engine (as compared to earlier 5.9L engines) and the complete lack of a wait time, as is typical in older diesel trucks I've driven.  So far, so good.

Then on to the streets, it pulled out fine, but seemed to groan under the weight of the truck. Surprising, in my mind,  because I'd always felt modern DI diesel engines were fast.  I looked online and found the curb weight as only about 1,000 lbs heavier than my AV. (5700 - 6600).  Yet, the truck just seemed to not want to go very fast.

Then I got back into my AV and - wow - what a ride. I barely tipped the gas pedal and the truck seemed to take off!

I'm sure glad I didn't test drive the $90K Viper they had in the showroom...
 
That might be. Again I was just surprised at how - um - exuberant the AV was after driving the 2500.

I'll have to check out one of the new Silverado/Sierra Duramax trucks. I'd be interested in how they are. I recently had the chance to drive a '97 Suburban 6.5L TD and it seemed quite responsive.
 
When I was test driving trucks I also noticed that after the test drive of what ever i was in, it sure felt good to drive my Avalanche again. I test drove a Grand Prix GT. It was a very nice car. It has plenty of git up and go. But after sitting down on the ground for 30 minutes. I got back into the Av and felt so much better.
 
wonder if it's like the av and the computer has to learn your driving style
been a couple folks that complained of sluggishness on their test drives of the 07's
 
I test drove an 07 and I did not like the drive by wire setup. It made it very impossible to feather the throttle. I also agree that it had less oomph than my 02. I just chalked it up to the fact that I had a custom exhaust and intake on mine and the drive by wire issue.
 
Not sure what "drive by wire" is, but I was just talking to one of my staff.

He's got a '06 F-150 and a '06 Yukon XL SLT.  He previously had a Dodge Ram 1500 with the 5.9L V8 which he bought to replace a smashed F150 with the previous gen Triton.

In all trucks he's pulled a 20' boat from his house in Orange County up over various grades to the desert. In all but the dodge, he's had no issues towing. In the dodge he often noticed his temp gauge going up, forcing him to turn off the air and - in one case turning on the heater.

He test drove the new Hemi engine 1500 and found the same response.

We figure it is a Dodge thing. IMO, they've got the coolest looking grill and nicest interior of any truck. Yet, if they can't move, I don't want one.

Itch gone.  Back to my Avalanche.

Of course, I'm thinking I'll need to test drive the new suburbans when they get equipped with the 4.5L Duramax....  >:D
 
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