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| I have owned both a Duramax in a 2002 Chevy 2500HD ext. cab sb 4X4 and a 2005 Dodge Cummins 3500 Quad Cab 4X4 with long bed. The Chevy had 3.73 gears the Dodge has 4.10's. The Chevy averaged 16 MPG in combined driving. The Dodge averages 18 MPG in the same driving. On long trips with 95%+ of highway driving the best the Chevy ever did was 19. The Dodge the best so far has been 21.2 MPG. I drove the Chevy for 70k miles and I have drove the Dodge for 15k miles. I would have expected the Chevy to do better beings it was smaller (less weight) and had the 3.73 gears but it hasn't been the case. As far as pulling trailers I don't think it would be a fair comparison since I now have a Dually but it is a lot better. As far as the ride and handling, several people who have ridden in both with me comment that the Dodge rides smoother than the Chevy did but I contribute that to the longer wheelbase. I test drove a Chevy crewcab Duramax when I bought the Dodge but it didn't seem to be equal to the Dodge in load hauling abilities. I say that based on Chevy's theory of using light springs for a soft ride then continuing to more heavier springs. It kind of gives you that lights in the sky look when you load the bed heavy while the Dodge seemed like it would be more consistent and not shine the trees as much and it has held true to that .The Chevy has more bells and whistles at similar trim levels; i.e. auto headlights, etc.
As far as you question about the 06 versus 07 I am not much of a fan of the first year out of new things particularly in automobiles. There always seems to be some issues with things that didn't get fully tested before production while the 06 with the 5.9 has many years of use and testing behind it. Plus if you are looking for aftermarket parts there are a lot for 5.9 out there.
All my thoughts and experiences- worth what you paid of them;) | |
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Considering a new Dodge 2500
