AD #2897 – Is the Polestar 2 A Tesla Killer?; UK Denies Bailout for JLR; Judge Throws Out GM Racketeering Case
August 17th, 2020 at 12:00pm
Listen to “AD #2897 – Is the Polestar 2 A Tesla Killer?; UK Denies Bailout for JLR; Judge Throws Out GM Racketeering Case” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 11:07
0:07 Judge Throws Out GM Racketeering Case
0:48 UK Government Denies Bailout for Jaguar Land Rover
1:37 CATL Developing Batteries w/o Nickel & Cobalt
3:04 Rolls-Royce Develops New Suspension System for The Ghost
4:09 Super Cruise Subscription Fee Revealed
5:52 Michigan Creates Autonomous Vehicle Corridor
6:43 Viewer Barn Find
7:41 Is the Polestar 2 A Tesla Killer?
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This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.
JUDGE THROWS OUT GM RACKETEERING CASE
General Motors was hoping to breathe new life into its racketeering case against Fiat-Chrysler. A judge had thrown out the case, but GM claimed it came up with new evidence involving secret offshore bank accounts for bribing UAW executives. GM claimed the union was working with FCA to financially hurt GM and eventually take it over. But the judge threw the case out again saying GM’s evidence of offshore accounts was too speculative. GM says it’s going to appeal his decision. But GM should do what so many of you suggested in the comments section when it made the new accusations, and that’s make it into a movie.
UK GOVERNMENT DENIES BAILOUT FOR JAGUAR LAND ROVER
Jaguar Land Rover is struggling due to the coronavirus. It lost close to a billion pounds in the first half of the year. So it turned to the UK government for financial support, which started a program to help cash strapped companies. But the Financial Times reports those talks broke down and the automaker won’t receive a bailout. The UK Treasury said it did not qualify for taxpayer support and that Tata, Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company, has deep enough pockets to support it. The deal would have required the automaker to speed up its electric vehicle development and phase out its diesel-powered vehicles but JLR balked at those demands. So now JLR and Tata will have to turn to private financing to try and weather the downturn.
CATL DEVELOPING BATTERIES W/O NICKEL & COBALT
Chinese battery maker CATL is once again in the news. Last week, the company announced its developing technology to integrate battery cells directly into the frame of a vehicle to extend range. And over the weekend, a company executive revealed that it’s also developing a battery for electric vehicles that doesn’t use nickel or cobalt. It wasn’t revealed what the battery will use instead or how much it will cost. Nickel and cobalt are expensive, so not using them in a battery should lower the price. CATL supplies batteries to Tesla, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen and Daimler.
ROLLS-ROYCE DEVELOPS NEW SUSPENSION SYSTEM FOR THE GHOST
Rolls-Royce is revealing more information about the all-new Ghost, which debuts sometime this autumn. It said the goal was to make a vehicle that’s great to both ride and drive in, in any condition. Instead of using an existing platform, Rolls modified its spaceframe architecture to accommodate the features it wanted, like all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering. To achieve the automaker’s magic-carpet-like ride quality, engineers spent the last three years developing a new Planar suspension system. Cameras and GPS data tell the vehicle what’s coming up in the road ahead and both prepares the suspension and selects the optimum gear for the transmission. There’s also an Upper Wishbone Damper unit that’s mounted above the front suspension assembly and is said to stabilize the ride and make driving the car feel more effortless. Rolls claims this is a world-first technology. If you’d like to learn more about the new Ghost, Rolls has a series of podcasts available on Apple, Google and Spotify.
SUPER CRUISE SUBSCRIPTION FEE REVEALED
The song says the best things in life aren’t free and customers who want to use Cadillac’s Level 2 autonomous driving technology, called Super Cruise will have to pay a monthly subscription fee. Some current owners won’t have to start paying for another year, but new buyers will only have free access for one month. After that they’ll have to set up the subscription, which is bundled into OnStar. There are two OnStar packages that unlock SuperCruise; one costs $25 a month, while the other is $45. The more expensive package has 6 more driver assistance features outside of Super Cruise that the cheaper package doesn’t offer. But that means the yearly cost to operate Super Cruise will come to $300 or $540. What do you think, does that seem like a fair price?
The auto industry is developing new technology at a faster and faster pace. So to keep up with what’s going on with connected, autonomous, shared and electric technology, TU-Automotive Detroit has joined forces with TU-Automotive Awards, WardsAuto Interiors Conference and WardsAuto UX Conference, for a one year only virtual event. It takes place August 18th through the 20th. Click the link in the transcript or description box below to sign up or learn more.
MICHIGAN CREATES AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE CORRIDOR
Autonomous vehicles may not be hitting the streets as early as we thought a couple of years ago, but they’re still on the way. The State of Michigan is partnering with Alphabet and Ford to create a corridor between Detroit and Ann Arbor for autonomous vehicles. The effort will be led by a company called Cavnue, which is a subsidiary of an operation called Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, which in turn is part of Alphabet, which is Google’s parent company. And they’ve put together an impressive advisory board to set standards that don’t favor one car company over another. Those partners include Ford, General Motors Co., Argo AI, Arrival, BMW, Honda, Toyota, TuSimple and Waymo. They’ll develop a feasibility study over the next two years and are expected to start construction after that.
VIEWER BARN FIND
We got a great letter the other day from viewer Nick Hernandez. Nick was recently out on a group scavenger hunt that found him at the Motor City Dragway. Even though it closed in 1978 and is pretty overgrown, you can still see where the drag strip was. Nick also ran into a pair of old trucks, which he identifies as a Ram Power Wagon and a 1957 to 1959 GMC 800-series that was a limited-year facelift and has amazing patina. And if you have any tidbits of info you’d like to add about these trucks, we’d like to hear that too. Nick ended his letter by saying “Not sure if you’d want to do this for the Barnfind series, but I figured I’d share it anyway.” Well, thank you for sharing anyway, and anyone else is welcome to do the same. Oh, and one last thing to Nick. What’s the deal with the die-cast Pontiac Vibe? We’d love to know.
IS THE POLESTAR 2 A TESLA KILLER?
Every time a new electric car comes out it’s instantly called a Tesla killer. And the same goes for the Polestar 2. It’s the latest electric car to hit the market, the product of a joint venture between Volvo and Geely. We got a chance to test drive the car and here are our impressions. First off, this sedan sure looks like a Volvo. And thanks to its conventional looking grille, it could easily be mistaken for a Volvo powered by an internal combustion engine. But that’s where the similarities end. With over 400 horsepower and 487 pound feet of torque on tap, this car is a blast to drive. Of course, you can say that for just about any car with 400 horses. Polestar claims it will accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds, and our rough timing attempts bear that out. Not only is it quick off the line, this thing picks up its feet and sprints at any speed. Passing cars on a two-lane country road is an adrenaline rush that makes you want to do it again and again and again. Inside, it’s quite conventional and familiar, mainly because all the switchgear is from Volvo. And while it does have the obligatory center screen, it doesn’t dominate the IP like you’ll see in any Tesla. The cabin features what Polestar calls a vegan interior, using materials such as flax and cork. The carpet is made from recycled plastic bottles, while the seats are covered in a recyclable material called Weave Tech. The good news is that this is sustainable and healthy for the planet. The bad news is that it feels plasticy. In fact, the interior is dominated by a lot of hard plastic. The rear seats offer decent head room and knee room but the seat back is very upright and your head is very close to the side rails of the roof. But the trunk space is gigantic. Out on the road the Polestar 2 has a low resonance boom that rumbles through the cabin as you drive over rough pavement or surfaces with a coarse aggregate. That may be due to the fact that it sits on 20-inch low profile tires, and it uses the same platform as the Volvo XC40 which can be kind of buzzy. There is a gear whine in the background that is noticeable while driving at a steady speed around 50 miles an hour, but you can easily drown that out with the radio. Now for the price. The first ones going on sale are what Polestar calls the Launch Edition. They’re fully loaded and tip the scale just over $61,000, but later editions will start closer to fifty grand. And that’s before any EV subsidies. So is it a Tesla killer? No, it’s not, despite the fact that it’s a connected car that provides over-the-air-updates. It’s a very well done electric car but lacks the pizzaz and surprise that Tesla delivers. Perhaps that will change when they come out with the Polestar 3, a crossover that will sit on a dedicated EV platform. But the Polestar 2 serves notice that there’s a new EV brand in the market.
But that wraps up today’s show, thank you for watching.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (48)
August 17th, 2020 at 12:10 pm
Jaguar LRR is done like diner, they will eventually be sold off to the Chinese, who have deep pockets , You heard it here first!
Anybody see TSLA stock price lately? Yeah, almost
August 17th, 2020 at 12:15 pm
Those trucks look like they have been abandoned for decades, but the tires are not flat. Does someone pump them up every couple years.?
August 17th, 2020 at 12:24 pm
To replace my Std Rng Plus Model 3 would cost $38k. So how much is that Polestar 2? Then it has to use Electrify America and EVgo away from home
August 17th, 2020 at 12:24 pm
1. Tata is a huge conglomerate which, presumably, has deep pockets, but there may be a limit to how much they want to spend on JLR.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:30 pm
3. Also, it sounds like it isn’t any batter, if as good as a model 3, except for having more user friendly controls. Being boomy and having gear whine doesn’t sound very good. I’m not too crazy about the gear whine my van has at 55 mph, even though it is 31 years old.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
Is the Polestar a Tesla killer, well as Sean said, “no”, however it sure is a lot nicer to look at (inside and out); at least to me.
How long will it be before instead of saying C.A.T.L., we/all just say ‘cattle’.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
GM’s Super Cruise subscription. Well, that alone would make me look at other brands that offered autonomous features for free.
Have the automakers not figured out that people do not want to add another fee to their car payment. The smart phone has already killed many of their previous attempts. Navigation which worked great for a couple years and then would require an update for a few hundred bucks. Now people just use their phone and it makes navigation on the vehicle basically worthless. Same for On-star and to some extent satellite radio. People can call for help or stream music to their car from their phone and not have multiple subscriptions for each vehicle.
Certainly autonomy isn’t something you can get from your phone but I think the previous examples prove most customers are not going to be thrilled about paying a monthly fee to use a feature their car has.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Subscription service’s are just Auto Maker Greed. The system is already built into the vehicle,and prices are threw the roof,but they want you to pay for them. My view if it’s in there then it’s free.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:48 pm
Sean give me a break. $61,000 for a glorified (?) baby Volvo that booms on the highway and whines so you have to turn up the radio. Is that the best they can do? Tesla killer? probably not it may end up being a Polestar killer as a poor attempt to produce a viable electric vehicle. These manufacturers don’t seem to understand that they have to up their game if they want to be successful in the electric market. A nice interior sophisticated controls and electronics. Have a real story to tell not just we are making an electric vehicle and you should buy one because we told you to.
Where are the great engineers that can really design something people want and the marketing geniuses that can convince people that they ought to buy one. More and better content not plastic soda bottles on the floor and phony leather on the seats.
Get a life!
August 17th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
@Chuck – We used to say “Cattle” but when we had Bob Galyen on AAH, he said most people in the company prefer C.A.T.L. So, that’s what we’ve been using since.
August 17th, 2020 at 12:59 pm
GM charging monthly for Super Cruise Control? I’m going to go with a no on that. You can’t pass these subscriptions on to the next buyer thus lowering your resale and Cadillac’s resale was already pathetic to begin with. It moves Cadillac from maybe to absolutely not when looking for a new vehicle.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:16 pm
GM Subscription Fee for Super Cruise – If I was in the market for a vehicle of that type, the fee would be a negative factor in my decision. We have a 2016 GM product & 2018 Ford product, & while both attempt to sell us map updates for the navigation systems, our response is No. Agree with those that have said. “They consider this part of the purchase price & updates should be included”.
My 10 year old Garmin with Lifetime Maps & Traffic is this way.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:24 pm
Cadillac charging for Super Cruise is another MBA dream. What’s next, charging for heated and cooled seating based on the season? They should follow the korean model of loading their cars with useful surprise and delight features as standard which lowers the cost overall and assembly complexity.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:36 pm
With Tesla, you pay $7000 once for “autopilot.” With Cadillac, you pay $540/year for the fancier system. Break even is 13 years. I guess it depends on how long you keep the car, how depreciation works out, etc. I’d rather pay once, and don’t subscribe to anything, except cell phone service. I’m still getting mailings for SiriusXM trying to get me to subscribe for a car I haven’t had in years.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:37 pm
GM super cruise… kinda like going for a hamburger on a string. As your leaving they take it back. I have the same “gut reaction” to both. Like the Tesla model S at resale who loose some features previously bought, but removed from the new owner at the next update. Not a good plan, not interested.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:38 pm
10, thanks Sean, I figured something like that. Probably similar to why there was no Chevy Nova in Mexico (or if there was, it didn’t go over very well). No va………no go
On Cadillac’s monthly charge for Supercruise; it appears that Cadillac is not the lone wolf on these type charges as Tesla, Ford and others are also charging to help finance these systems. Supercruise seems to be really cool, and having to purchase the option for 5,000 dollars outright, it doesn’t come cheap to begin with, so it does rub a little raw that there is a monthly maintenance fee too.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:40 pm
12. I have a 12 year old Garmin that I got specifically for a trip to Europe, where I would be mostly in rural France and Belgium. I used it a few times in the U.S., but since I’ve had a smart phone, that is my navigation. I’ve never had a car with built in nav.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:42 pm
10,15. The batteries are still “cattle” to me.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:49 pm
Gonna have to weigh in with 7,8,11,12,13. No way GM should be trying to initiate a subscription service on Super Cruise.
If autonomy is to be the way of the future, let it be baked into the purchase price of the car.
Unless at least 50% of other car makers follow the same subscription model, GM’s climbing out on a limb that will surely break. I hope they realize this and simply back off before loosing sales to competitors who don’t charge monthly for similar tech.
August 17th, 2020 at 1:55 pm
Sean,
This is the second time I’ve heard you mention that CATL is making batteries that can become part of the frame of a vehicle, supposedly to save weight and space. Am I correct.???
Well, all cars, CUV’s and most SUV’s have unibody construction. So I don’t understand how you can use the frame any differently than is currently being used on these vehicles. The battery’s are currently being made to fit the spaces on top of the Unibody (frame) or anywhere in between.
Maybe I’m just old school, but when it’s mentioned that Batt’s will be made to fit in the frame, I think of open “C” channel frames.
That would mean the battery maker is just packaging the battery in such a way to fit into the open “C” channel. Nothing earth shattering or progressive in my mind.
I know I’m missing something regarding this topic but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what the heck they are talking about.
Maybe you can help me understand.
Thanks
August 17th, 2020 at 1:58 pm
19. I agree. If no one else is going to use “subscription” for autonomy, Cadillac shouldn’t either. If everyone else used it, especially a leader in autonomy like Tesla, then, it would be ok.
In my case, I’d pass on it, whether a $8K option on a Tesla Model Y, or $45/month on a CT5, two cars I might consider. I guess it’s not available on the CT5 anyway, though it might be at some point.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Everyone brace yourselves for the response to the last story of the day . Oh boy .
August 17th, 2020 at 2:03 pm
9 well said , agree 100%
Written from the summer home balcony overlooking the after-sunset glow.
Had two of my best flights ever, my exit row seat (two, one was empty) had more room than a FIRST Class seat, let alone a business class one. From Amsterdam on, a short 3 hour flight, I had 3 seats (sat at the window). At the destination, they made me wait in line and took the CV test again, but the upside is by then all y luggage pieces had arrived, and were the only ones on the belt, so I had quick exit. Then taxi to home, got the web set up, did some shopping, rested, a few phone calls, and enough time to do my first swim, 30 mins before and after sunset.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:05 pm
I wonder if Cadillacs subscription service fee is just a way for them to gage consumer interest. Is it an option consumers are willing to pay for? If so are they willing to pay a monthly fee? Seems like answers that could be had with surveys but maybe they just want to test the waters.
I really hope automakers don’t continue to think the way to generate revenue is by continued cash flow through subscriptions.. If so I’m thinking they will see a serious drop in sales on the horizon.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:09 pm
on top of all the rest of it, the Polestar seems to not have discovered COLOR, glorious COLOR, in the interior. Everything is a bland and boring grey, white and black, very industrial and not luxury looking at all. No serious wood veneer (ironic, since the Scandinavians produce huge amounts of top quality wood)
I dont know if Geely, the owner of Volvo, did sa market survey and the resPonders went for this lame styling, and what is this subsegment of the market. I doubt it.
(typing in the dark)
August 17th, 2020 at 2:13 pm
20 I too have wondered exactly what they mean by battery frame integration. I could easily see using the battery pack as a structural member. Due to the weight and structural integrity that would already be needed for the batteries it only makes sense to use the pack as a structural part of the vehicle.
Plenty of upsides however seems at that point the battery may need replacing in an accident.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:23 pm
24. It’s been a few years, but I once heard some numbers for “take rate” for Onstar, and it was in the low single digits for Cavalier, Cobalt, or something like that, but around 50% for some Cadillac models. Maybe typical Cadillac buyers won’t mind the subscription thing. Obviously, though, all of today’s commenters here would.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:24 pm
As to Cadillac (aka GM) wanting to monetize as much in their cars as possible, why would you buy a car that requires a monthly fees to just drive ?? If you just must have this car, lease it and when you are tired of it including the fees as they are increased by GM…..walk away from all the monthly fees!
August 17th, 2020 at 2:44 pm
If Cadillac is still charging $$$$ for the SuperCruise initial purchase, a subsequent monthly (or any time frequency) subscription fee seems very inappropriate. I just don’t see how the razor blade or cell phone revenue model applies. If there is no up-front acquisition fee, then I understand the subscription model…. but not both.
August 17th, 2020 at 2:55 pm
In the barn find picture all you need to do is put a set of cardboard eyes in the GMC and you got yourself “Tow Mater” right there.
August 17th, 2020 at 5:38 pm
POLESTAR GEELY VOLVO ARE A CHINESE COMPANY.
AFTER THE WUHAN VIRUS RELEASE TO AMERICA FROM CHINA WHILE BANNING ALL FLIGHTS FROM WUHAN TO SHANGHAI AND BEJING ..
CHINA and CHINESE CARS ARE BEING BOYCOTTED!
Want to sell chinese trinkets to americans? Fine…want to sell 50 or 60 grand cars here…No Thanks.
We will be at war with china in the south china sea soon enough. Try and get oarts for those ev polestar and Volvos then.
Volvos leasing out volvo xc40s for 1000 DAS and $250 a month and while two years ago i looked at them. Now as my alfa lease is up…ill NEVER LEASE A VOLVO OR POLSTAR.
Corona virus up their @$$. Boycott chinese communist party crap.
August 17th, 2020 at 6:58 pm
31 People will miss getting new iPhones.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:49 pm
If GM were to put the SuperCruise hardware in their entire product line, as they do with OnStar, I can see the subscription model. For me, I’d want to make sure it was easy to turn the subscription on and off at will. For most of my driving I’d have no use for it. For a road trip, I’d turn it on.
August 17th, 2020 at 8:42 pm
25. Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but no one, except some premium brands have color. Tesla are worse than most in that regard with only 5 paint colors, all except one costing extra, and two choices for the interior.
I’m surprised that Volvo even released the Polestar 2, given that it’s boomy and whiney. I wouldn’t want that in any car, even a $20K econobox. They should have done their homework before releasing it. As far as it looking “generic,” that should be ok with a lot of people, given the hate we’ve heard against Priuses for 15 years, because they do not look generic.
August 17th, 2020 at 10:50 pm
After reviewing the Power Wagon and GMC truck pics, I still am wondering what kind of vehicle is the red cab at the upper right in the first pic of the trucks?
August 18th, 2020 at 5:42 am
Totally off-topic and probably a topic in Tuesday’s show, Ram announced the TRX pickup (Raptor competitor) with the ‘Demon’esk’ supercharged hemi; 707 h/p. Fully off-road capable and fast/quick. There are videos available on TFL Trucks (no link from me, but available if you want to peruse).
August 18th, 2020 at 7:11 am
36, Oops; 702 h/p, not 707. (as if that’s makes a difference)
August 18th, 2020 at 9:30 am
I too doubt that the polestar will be a TESLA killer with boom and whine noises. In fact, the TESLAs I have driven all had boom and whine at about the same speed too and I hate it on those cars. I haven’t driven the Audi E-Tron yet but I have driven the Jaguar I-Pace and that car is eerily quiet without any driveline noise anywhere. Jaguar really did a good job on NVH with the I-Pace. A shame nobody will notice LOL
August 18th, 2020 at 9:44 am
I checked out the TRX, it will be over $70K and not for me, but looks cool. I like the interior, except there is an exclusive metal badge right where my right elbow would rest (ouch!).
The Challenger/Charger/Durango variants make 800 horsepower with that engine, so I wonder why they used the smaller supercharger and only 702 HP for the TRX. Maybe they wanted to leave room for improvement if Ford responds with a souped-up Raptor?
August 18th, 2020 at 9:58 am
39. The TRX may cost a LOT over $70K. Car and Driver just wrapped up a long term test of a top trim Ram with the 5.7 mild hybrid, and it was $66K. They generally liked it, except for a few problems they had. It was luxurious, as promised, but thirsty, averaging only 14 mpg over the 40K miles, and they found that its hugeness was clearly not a good thing when parking, and when making turns in town. I see that a lot where I am now, these big pickups going far left of the center line, when making turns at some intersections.
August 18th, 2020 at 10:13 am
34 Ι am aware and notice everything.
BTW
Geely-VOlvo reported a 43% drop in earnings.
No wonder.
And Ford, you will hear it in today’s show, is slashing the prices of the Explorer and its other SUVs I wonder why. (remember their ridiculous heights, esp the top editions. a few months back?)
August 18th, 2020 at 10:21 am
Hi Kit, I actually do drive a RAM 2500 now, so I know exactly what you are talking about. It is very thirsty; 13 mpg is about what I average without being a hybrid. I just averaged 17 MPH on a 1100 mile roadtrip from ATL to STL and back. I’ve gotten used to driving the RAM, but it is larger than any vehicles I come across unless they are 4X4 or lifted.
I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Explorer, and Element, so I thought I would downsize for a commuter car when I was ready to trade the Jeep, but ended up buying a large travel trailer and needed something with more towing power. I only drive 5 miles to work, so with a huge fuel tank I don’t have to fill up often, but it hurts when I do!
August 18th, 2020 at 10:49 am
42 C and D got 17 mpg with their Ram 1500 4wd test truck at a steady 75 mph. Slowing down makes a huge difference in highway mileage with big vehicles like that, as Consumer Reports got 24 mpg at 65 mpg with a similar truck in their tests. CR seems to do a good job with their gas mileage testing, but I don’t know how C and D does their steady speed testing.
August 18th, 2020 at 11:44 am
Checked my investments on the web just a min ago and yesterday (I was traveling and with all the unpacking forgot to check) new all time records were made (US Markets only! European ones, I also found out, did MISERABLY all this time), and my total jumped (it was close for days) to its next million. Very strange difference, Euro markets fell by 20, 30 and 40% in 2020, while the US market goes from new all time high to higher ones every day. I am sure there will be a ton of exlpanations and excuses.
August 18th, 2020 at 11:44 am
Checked my investments on the web just a min ago and yesterday (I was traveling and with all the unpacking forgot to check) new all time records were made (US Markets only! European ones, I also found out, did MISERABLY all this time), and my total jumped (it was close for days) to its next million. Very strange difference, Euro markets fell by 20, 30 and 40% in 2020, while the US market goes from new all time high to higher ones every day. I am sure there will be a ton of exlpanations and excuses.
August 18th, 2020 at 11:45 am
43) That is terrible fuel economy. When I had my 2018 F150 4×4 I was averaging 19MPG at 85MPH. slowing to 70 and taking it easy netted me 22MPG. I would expect much better from the Ram, but I guess that is not the case. Must be one of the reasons why the F150 outsells the RAM.
August 18th, 2020 at 12:04 pm
46. Did you check your mileage by dividing out a few consecutive fillups, or just use the readout? Those readouts are sometimes “optimistic.”
CR’s F150 with the 2.7 turbo got 2 mpg better “overall” and highway than a Ram with the 5.7 V8. Both were 4wd “crew cab.”
August 18th, 2020 at 2:01 pm
The RAM is a 2500 with the HEMI, geared for pulling, and a bit loaded down (not towing anything this time though). The 1500 rides much smoother and gets better MPG. The best I’ve averaged on a highway trip was 21.5, the worst was when towing at just over 7 MPG.