We were poised to purchase a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel in anticipation of our May delivery in Tennessee-a beautiful vehicle. Our towing experience is limited and a number of family members and friends (all lifetime truck owners and outdoor enthusiasts) were adamant about the limitations of light duty trucks. After doing the payload math, inclusive of tongue weight and all of the items we intended to travel with, we were rapidly approaching the upper limits of the tow vehicle. The majority of our outings are in the western U.S. with some elevation challenges that impact horse power and torque. We opted for the bigger truck and are pleased that we did. Driving out loaded for the 2000+ miles from CA to TN our mpg was 20.5 . On our return trip, with our proud possession in tow, we made 15.5 mpg without incident and our Oliver was barely noticeable from behind the wheel.
BTW-John's numbers on Ram pricing were spot on in March when we purchased and may be better as the new models are released.