2021 RAM 2500 Baby Cummins VS Hemi || Comparing Acceleration and MPG! Is The Cummins Worth it??? 

I went with a 2020 2500 6.4 Hemi with the 3.73. I pull around 9,000lb Freedom Express. Plenty of power and then some. Seems like you never need more than half pedal getting on the freeway while towing . Amazing truck and very happy with my choice.

I really like how you don’t bash anything and always give the positives with either option without destroying any of the negatives great vids and I will keep watching

I’ve said it before, there’s something for everyone in the truck world. These two engines will cover 90 percent of anyone’s needs. For the other 10 percent get the Daddy Cummins 💪

I like the vids you do, JB. Good stuff, thank you. 👍

Great video JB. Love that Cummins diesel sound brother. Thanks for sharing and the review.

I drove about 180 miles today in Nevada in a 2020 Ram 2500 Laramie 4x4 Cummins. It got about 19mpg at 80 mph and empty. With 110 temperatures outside and the truck was only shut down for a few minutes and longer than normal idle time. It’s great to drive, the zero to sixty time is 8 seconds, that’s not a sports car time, but it close. The truck is very quiet thanks to noise canceling. When I tow my fifth wheel trailer, the mileage drops to 10-12 at 70mph. It would go up 2 or 3 miles to the gallon if I dropped to 65mph. 😁every time I drive it.

Drove them both yesterday. Spent hours comparing them at the dealer. Ended up buying the 6.4 hemi. I very rarely tow so gas won for me. It sounds SO good too.

Getting my 2500 tomorrow Diesel 2022. Great video to compare thank you. 👊🏼

JB, another great video for us Truck junkies. I'll never run down the Cummins engine as I had one for 21 years. As you know I too went with the 6.4L. I have noticed that I see many 6.4 badges than I ever seen the 5.7 or 5.9 in a 3/4 ton Ram truck, that tells a lot. The 6.4 is enough power for most to stay with a gas, the 5.7 was not as sales will show.

Hi JB, Thank GOD we don't have those temperatures here! GREAT comparison between the two engines for combined city/highway driving! Agree diesel has better fuel economy, also better for heavier trailers if you do a lot of towing. You mentioned driving over hills. That's the situation here. 6.4 Hemi with 4.10 PEFFECT for me minium towing with utility trailer.

I have a 21’ 2500 6.4 Laramie with 4.10 gear and it’s definitely a pig when it comes to fuel mileage but it’s got better payload then the Cummins standard and what really sold me is it now has the ZF 8spd which I love in my 4th gen 1500,my normal MPG’s without load is about 15mpg on the highway and about 12-13mpg around town

Hey thanks for the comparison. My 2012 ram 3500 with the HO Cummings gets 15 mpg in the mountains and 21-22 mpg on the interstate with stock emissions, not deleted.

Is that 8 speed a ZF transmission? I loved the zf8 in my 2014 Tradesman 1500 with a5.7 Hemi. Smoothest shifting and always found the right gear. They use variations of that transmission world wide from Mercedes box trucks to flagship BMW's and the current automatic equipped Mopar muscle cars. Always thought a regular cab short bed 1500 with a Hemi would make a nice sleeper platform. My Tradesman with 20 inch wheels rode and cornered like a champ. Easily 22 mpg running between Central Texas and Southern CA and back. Better if I kept it to the speed limit, Lol! Thanks JB. Spending a lazy Saturday morning binge watching your videos!

This is exactly the debate I have with myself. Gas vs diesel. I dont drive enough to justify a diesel. But am looking to upgrade to either 2500 or 3500 from my 1500. And get a trailer. The truck is my daily driver. Although I want a diesel and love the sound...I feel like I'm probably going gas.

Have a 05 2500 with the 5.9 turbo diesel. With 180k miles all original stock. @ 75 mph 2100 rpm getting 22 mpg. Been very happy with it

Great review

I have a 2020 RAM 3500 SRW HO Cummins/Aisin. I got the MPG from new that JB posted here. However, around 10-12k my MPG went up about 10%. THEN... I added a Banks Power Pedal Monster and went up another 20%. I currently get around 21-22 MPG and have gotten 23 in rolling hills over a 3.5 run on back roads averaging 60-65 MPH hitting a few small towns which means added acceleration time to get back to speed. I LOVE my RAM and I LOVE my Cummins. I'm waiting to add the Banks Power Derringer do out in 2022. BTW...I set my PM for Track Level 9. You won't believe the performance curve. Cheers RAMMERS

Bought a 2022 Hemi 2500 to haul a Lance camper. Payload is 3400 and actually the mileage is better than my Tundra at around 16 mpg average. Hauling the 3000 lb camper it's around 13 mpg. Really happy with this Tradesman. Enhanced the suspension with Timbrens and had to modify the seat a little bit for my bad back.

Fuel mileage doesn’t change after deleting the Cummins it just makes it as reliable as the hemi. Emissions will be the death of diesel that’s another reason I think people are switching to hemis atleast in my area every one I know who have switched are pleased I currently run a 14 deleted Cummins I’ve always had a diesel but my next will be gas jut to avoid all the down time of being in the shop I work out of my truck and can’t afford for it to be down before I deleted it it was always in the shop so I’m goin to run this one till the wheels fall off and switch great video

Great video

JB, love your videos, excellent information. I'm currently considering the 2500 and a Keystone Cougar. Currently I drive a 2015 Tundra 5.7L Crewmax. I love my truck and its resale value is really high right now and I'm considering upgrading to a 2500 HEMI. Just wondering have you ever done any reviews on your keystone cougar?

I own a ram 2500 6.4 hemi. Now for towing, you can't beat a diesel, the torque difference is tremendous. However you can't use fuel mileage as a benefit for the diesel. I used your numbers, and calculated cost for 1000 miles. For gas I used 3.15 which is what I paid yesterday when I filled up. Diesel price at same station 3.50 per gallon. The cost difference for 1000 miles is 2 dollars. Take maintenance costs, and initial cost for a diesel. The cost benefits the gas truck. All that being said, if your towing anything reasonably heavy the diesel is the way to go. Otherwise the cost winner is the gas engine. You notice I said towing, because if your hauling stuff, the payload capacity of the gas engine is the winner.

Question about the Ram bumper. Is the black plastic version super cheap and the kind that will fade to ugly grey in a couple years? It seems, of all the videos I can find, that it's a higher quality material than just plastic.

Another great comparison. I think you need to drive a smaller car or SUV if you think the newer Ram 2500 with Hemi is “loud” lol…I agree the diesel is quieter (cruising speed), but these are both exceptionally quiet trucks. Also, just to point out my gas mileage observations so far with my 21 Ram 6.4 with 3.73…my best 200km highway only (near perfect conditions) is 12.3 l/100km (I think about 19mpg), but in town driving (small town, lots of stop/go, 40km limits) I’m seeing around 18.5 l/100kms (12.7 mpg). I’ll have to watch again on the highway, but I’m fairly sure the rpms are sitting below 2000 at 65-70mph in 7th or 8th gear.

Awesome review bruh

Did you say if you’re towing 50-60,000 miles or 15-16,000 miles a year…regarding the Cummins?

Guys need to pull 14.000 points fifth wheel which one will work better ? Appreciate help

What would be really nice is if you could do the same mileage comparison while towing. I get a tad over 11 mph with my Cummins while towing a little under 10 k lbs. Note that I lock out 6th gear and run between 1900 to 2000 rpm in 5th gear down the highway. It would be nice to know what mph the Hemi gets while towing a comparible load.

One thing about the diesel also. When you go to sell or trade in. Pretty big difference in value. So you can essentially get some back. Most people trade or sell well before its lifespan.

I have over 100k miles deleted and then some on my '14 6.7. Whatever mpg gains you get from doing so quickly disappears once your right foot realizes your new found power gains.

The only reason to get a diesel is if you plan to sell it as it holds its value better. But other than that the 6.4 hemi all day! The price savings upfront and the savings on maintenance it would take over 200k miles to break even with the diesel and thats if anything doesnt happen to it.

The payload rating on the diesel is why, if you're going to be towing heavy with that engine AND have a decent number of options on the truck, just get the 1-ton SRW. How useful is a top-GVRW 3/4-ton if you have no hope of touching the tow capacity because your payload isn't high enough? It will also save the hassle of always trying to be certain you're only putting 10% trailer weight on your hitch.

I went from a 2019 Ram 2500 6.4 ZF to a 2021 3500 6.7 S.O. and I'm totally not impressed. But I doubled down on my stupid choices by buying the 2021 Laramie and at the very same time I put $1000 down on and ordered a 2022 Limited Longhorn 6.7 S.O. My 6.4 got 7mpg pulling my 14k fifth wheel, for almost 10 grand I got the 6.7 S.O. that gets 8.4 mpg and honestly doesn't have much more power. The HP and revs of the 6.4L Hemi do a fine job pulling. If I could go back, I would order my Limited Longhorn in a 6.4 that drives unloaded much more responsive, sporty and fun and yet still has all of the ass I need for pulling 18K trailers and below. Oh... and at similar fuel cost and at a $9k savings.

15 mpg on the Hemi? I wish. My 2021 gasser, when at 1500 miles on it, averaged 11.2 at that mileage. I’m now up to 2600 miles, and up to 12.6 mpg. So it does get better. And that is with a light foot and in flat Florida. You touched on one very important differentiator: cargo capacity. The diesel I believe was around 1700. My Hemi is 2745 #’s. We use ours to tow a travel trailer. Figuring 12% tongue weight, If you pull a 10K# trailer you’ll have about 1200#’s of tongue weight, leaving you 500#’s for passengers and cargo. For that application a diesel is walking the edge. Would sure be nice to have the engine braking though!

I drive a 2011 ram 1500 5.7 with a 3.92 rear end, rear wheel drive which has been a great truck since new.. I’m looking to buy either 2500 or 3500 and I keep jumping back-and-forth between a hemi and the diesel. $10,000 will buy you a lot of gas plus the bigger pay load. I pull a keystone 273BHS that I live in.

A notable difference I frequently hear for the gas vs diesel choice is depreciation. Flip side may be discounting at sale. If you can make a good buy on a Cummins, probably resale will be far better for diesel than gas truck.

JB your in Maryland? Nice

Real life I had Power Wagon 6.4 2016 maybe 10 miles to a gallon and now Cummins HO 6.7 21 model by far more powerful and 20 miles to a gallon and how long do you want to do a burn out ? I got 1075 pounds of torque. it is slower 0-60 than the Hemi you have the turbo lag but be aware when it hits it hits hard so baby the throttle on wet and icy pavement. I have had the truck for 2 years and still trying to get used to the pedal feel. It sucks the government only lets it go 100 mph

The hemi is plenty for most people, and it’s a huge discount on the price of an already expensive truck. I do think it would be cool if the offered a bigger longer stroke version of the 6.4 “maybe a 7.0+” however if I ever decide to go back to diesel I’ve decided I’m deleting it. The emotions stuff is a massive headache long term no matter which brand you pick. Not to mention the huge power and fuel economy Gaines you get when you delete a modern diesel. And it will last forever!

So the hemi is better for everyday driving and not much towing/carrying heavy loads

I can’t wait to get a Diesel Ram.

I want a 2500 with the diesel BAD! Problem is I keep my trucks for a long time (still rocking a 2016 1500 hemi and will for another 3-5 years) and the new diesels (all brands) are notorious for eating and killing emissions equipment. Most folks I know and have talked to have said their Ram/Fors/Chevy had emissions issues between 50-115k miles to the tune of $10-20k+. Thats a big issue since Im a firefighter and my wifes a teacher and the fact that we will be paying off a 50-60k truck. The hemi aint perfect but its a solid truck and what Ill have to stick with for towing the camper and hauling stuff. Again I want a diesel BAD and I was even optioning out 1500 ecos and 2500 cummins but between the inevitable emissions issues plus the costs of fuel, DEF, maintenance and repairs pushed me away for good. Dont get me wrong Im all for cleaner engines, but not at the cost of longevity and adding a ton of waste. Oh and Im from Maryland too! Great videos btw!

Does the gas motor have the annoying cylinder cut off at highway speeds, Thank you.

What type of gas does the 6.4 take? Regular or premium?

JB I'm in PA n can't find a hemi mega cab in the limited trim anywhere. Do you know of a dealership down there that has this package. Essentially looking for your 2500

In Europe love hemi engine best in put lpg installation

How is the body holding on these ram trucks? I'm about to get either a gmc 2500gas or ram 2500 gas. All my ram buddies tell me the issues they have with the ram windows, door , trim starting to fail after 5 years or so...

2mpg ain’t good enough for me to justify the extra $9-10k purchasing the Cummins unfortunately. It would take me 10 years to match the cost of a hemi. In 10 years I’ll be able to afford a bunch of Cummins, hemi’s, and cyber trucks so I guess it won’t matter then lol.

6.4 8spd 4.10s (factory) for the win!

One correction: it doesn't take diesel longer to burn. It's that diesel fuel produces more energy per gallon than gasoline ⛽ does. As a result, it takes less of it to move a given vehicle for a given distance than if that same vehicle were using a gas engine.

If I’m not mistaken I checked my 2020 ram 3500 I have the aisin transmission and the Aisin transmission is only available with the High output Cummins correct?

JB, that dealership shows no love to the Hemi trucks. Everyone you’ve shown has been a base tradesmen, don’t they bring in Laramie , limited Hemi’s? Limited/ Laramie Hemi trucks have a whole other road presence then those base models.

Diesel? Is that the green gas?

The flaw of the Hemi is the MDS system. People who idle the engine a lot, have lubrication issues. The Cummins is a beast!!!!!!! The VGT engine braking is second to none! If Ram would put the 4BT in Place of the 6BT. Have 3.73 gears, with the 4.10 optional. If the engine puts out 250hp and 500lb/ft torque. The drivability and fuel economy would be great. The ZF-8speed transmission would make it even better. And the 370# weight savings would make the 2500 more useful. And the 4BT is a useful work engine. And will outlast the Hemi and any Ford or Chevy engine.

Nice video. I think it all comes down to price. The empty acceleration was so close the only way to tell the difference would be to line them up. For a Ram though I’d still only go diesel.

What do you mean by "delete this truck"?

I get 11mpg all around average on my 2021 ram 2500 6.4. It's terrible!! I even try drive slow and coast alot. Sometimes city I get 10.5 🤦‍♂️. What the heck

I went gas. The accountant in me could not justify the 2-3 mpg’s difference at a cost of ~$10k more. I’ll never go thru that much fuel to pay it off. Let alone the higher cost of fuel, amortization and maintenance. I tow a 7500# and have no issues, plenty of power up and down the hills & mtns of the Pacific NW. Most of my mileage is towing with this truck. No doubt about it the diesel has more tq and better mileage. If I were putting on high miles up and down the frwy all day long or had a real heavy fiver it may make sense. We use to tow heavy tt in the past with gas engines with half the power as today’s. If you want one and can afford it, buy it; but if your trying to cost justify it for the “average” driver, I don’t see it.

15.8 with the Hemi is good! love my 6.4 but she drinks the gas!

Spinning aint winning, Sound like JB been on the drag strip in his glory days. LOL

Diesel burns more efficiently and it is also more energy dense than gas

I just wish they (RAM) could develop a RAM truck with the factory height of a 2500, payload and torque of the 3500 and garage park-ability of the 1500.

Gen 1 2500 Dodge Ram Cummins, Gen 4 Dodge 1500 Hemi. And now ? Gen 5 Ram Cummins ...... there is no comparison between them. The 2500 Cummins is a truck. It has no competition.

Why baby Cummins

My argument is that, if you have enough money to buy a brand new gas truck…you can afford a diesel that is a year or two old. It’s a better truck imo. So what if you don’t max out the capacities every time you sit behind the wheel? It will last way longer and resale is always better. Don’t waste your time with a gas truck if you are even considering towing anything over a few thousand pounds often. Speaking from experience.

Flooring a new truck🤢

J

1700lb payload is pathetic for an HD diesel!

This video looks s for the yuppies

Deleting the truck will make zero difference on MPG’s !!