4.7 PowerTech V8

When I pop the hood on my '05 Ram 1500 it actually says 4.7L Magnum V8 instead of PowerTech. It was rated at around 240 hp and 300 lbs of torque. I have yet to do better than 18 mpg on the highway, or worse than 11 mpg in town running the heater. It's really fun to drive, though, and feels like it can handle anything I'm likely to ask it to do.

1/2-ton Diesel

In order to meet future CAFE standards in light-duty trucks, Chrysler will probably replace the standard 3.7 V6 it currently uses with the new 3.6 Pentastar V6 (hopefully with a six or eight-speed transmission). However, in order to meet the performance expectations of truck buyers while still improving fuel economy, I think they will eventually have to offer a diesel engine in the Ram 1500. Whether this engine comes from Cummins or Fiat, it would be desireable to have close to 250 hp with at least 350 lbs of torque and fuel mileage in the high-teens in town and mid-twenties on the highway. Cummins was working on a 4.6 V6 for the Ram 1500 that fell by the wayside when Chrysler went through bankruptcy. I wonder what kind of performance could be had with a turbocharged 2.5 I4 or 4.0 I6 design?

3.7 Duratec V6

In the Mustang this engine gets an impressive 31 mpg while cranking out 302 hp and 276 ft. lbs. of torque. Estimates are around 23 mpg when it becomes the new base engine for Ford's F-150. Indistinguishable on the exterior from the previous model year, the 2011 models have four new engines, all mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. My '05 4.7 PowerTech V8 puts out 235 hp and 295 ft. lbs. of torque (in 2007 they added two sparkplugs per cylinder to increase output to 302 hp and 329 ft. lbs. of torque). The EPA estimated mpg for 2005 was 14/21, but my experience has been more around 12/17, so an average of 15 mpg is probably more realistic. It will be interesting to see what the real world figure is for this V6 engine in a half-ton pickup.

'87 (I think) Mazda B2000

Can't remember the year for sure. Bought it used and the fuel gauge was already broke (it wouldn't start working until you were under 1/2 a tank). It had a 5-speed stick and we finally sold it when our son got too big to sit in the middle between me and my wife. Nobody makes a true mini-pickup like this for the American market anymore.

'81 Jeep Scrambler

My old Scrambler looked almost exactly like the one on the brochure. It had the 4-cylinder "Iron Duke" engine and a 5-speed stick. The hardtop and doors weren't watertight and the floors were prone to rusting out. Had to have a steel plate welded onto the passenger side. The cab was real cozy, but it didn't take long to heat-up and defrost in winter. It didn't have A/C, but you could always take the top and doors off (even fold the windshield down) in the summer. The only 4x4 I ever owned.

Ride along in the truck

It's a special treat for my dogs to get to ride along in my truck...

My new baby

My first pickup was a 1981 Jeep Scrambler, followed by an '87 Mazda B2000. For a long while I didn't have a truck, but I had access to my son's '91 Ford Ranger. When it finally bit the dust I knew we couldn't get along without another pickup (they're just too handy not to have around). After driving my wife nuts with my usual obsessive-compulsive behavior when I want something, we finally started shopping for a good, used truck. The first day we looked I found just what I was looking for. The salesman shot me a price that was actually lower than where I was going to start negotiating, so I actually ended up with a nicer, newer pickup than I thought we could afford. It's a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 ST regular cab with a long bed. Here's a few pictures of my new baby...