As the OP, I didn't expect this thread to morph into diesel vs. gas! But given that it has, here is my two cents as a recent diesel owner (bought my first diesel pickup this past August, and a half dozen or so gassers previous to that).
First off, I am not a mechanic, nor certainly not a mechanical engineer. My brief practical experience with a diesel has demonstrated to me significantly increased torque, even with the towing package in my previous gasser. Specifically given my experience when going up just a moderate grade in my gasser, I would have to "put my foot considerably more into the pedal" than with the diesel. When I would shift to Drive in a gasser and not touch the gas pedal, my TV/TT rig would just sit there and not move on a level surface. With a diesel, the rig would start moving without touching the acceleration pedal.
I can only speculate that the increased RPMs during acceleration and drive train load required uphill with a gasser, likely decreases life expectancy on both gas engine and transmission. Life expectancy of a diesel regularly goes into several hundred thousand miles.
Previous post summed up very good the economics of diesel vs. gas. I will add two more points.
- Yes, diesel has a higher up front "buy" cost, but that is recouped on the "sell" end as trade/resale values on diesels are considerably higher than gassers.
- Regarding mileage when towing, I am experiencing roughly 13-14 MPG with diesel, versus 8-9 MPG with previous gasser. But even with the increased cost per gallon of diesel, the fuel gauge tips in favor of diesel.
If I didn't have a towing requirements, I personally would still have a gasserl. But with a towing requirement, my pick is a diesel. To each their own.
Regards,
Mike