[valiant67]

They had a smaller V8; the 4.7L. I have that in my 2009 Ram and it has been a great engine over 144,000 miles now. I've used that to tow my camper all over the country for the last 11 years. While I don't regret the 4.7, it is lacking a bit when at high altitudes and steep grades like Colorado and Montana, which I drove this year. That said, I've had no "hemi envy" because I was satisfied with the 4.7L and felt that was actually a more modern design. My plan is to wait another year or so and then I will be getting a new Ram with the standard output hurricane. After watching so many of the hands on reviews and tests on You Tube, I can see that pretty much everybody is shocked at these engines. The benefit for towing, especially at high attitude is huge. Properly designed, these engines should be extremely reliable. I've been searching for issues among the Wagoneer owners, and the only thing I've found is an issue with the thermostats.

Your Hemi envy would be greater if you had a pre-2008 4.7. I had a 2006 Durango 4.7 and a 2008 Dakota 4.7. The 2008 with the power bump is incredibly better than the earlier version.

 

[valiant67]

I've never been in the 4.7 after 08. My 07
4.7 isn't what one would call a powerhouse.

Imagine it with 60 more horsepower. That’s a 2008+ 4.7.

 

[valiant67]

It works fine... he knew what he was doing and took his time. That's how a 318 became a 340, no?

Putting 340 or 360 heads on a 318 lowers the compression ratio. The 340 (and some early 360) heads have larger valves, but all 340/360 heads have larger ports and larger compression chambers (that’s what lowers the compression).
So if someone bumps up the compression on a 318, those heads can work. But with that expense it’s cheaper to start with a 360.

 

[valiant67]

360s respond very well to mild upgrades, and even today are pretty reasonable price wise to build. Not SB Chevy cheap, but reasonable.

And if you start with a Magnum 360, even better

 

[valiant67]

Had an 08 4.7 in a 1500 quad cab and a 3.6 in a 2017 1500 crew cab and the 3.6 not only had more power and 6 mpg better in daily driving but 5 mpg better towing with less slowing on steep hills. Also, the 2017 was vastly superior in riding comfort. Getting 23 mpg on the road was easy and with a 25 gallon tank, I only filled up in the morning with 500+ miles a day travel.

I believe that. Our 3.6 WL runs circles around our 4.7 Commander plus getting 50 percent better gas mileage on a trip. And overall average mileage is 6mpg better, plus it's a much larger vehicle.

The 4.7 never got a “good” automatic transmission. Even the NAG1 was better.
I know how much the 3.6 performance and economy jumped when it hit the 8speed.

 

[valiant67]

Transmission alone does not account for the 1.1 liter displacement decrease. Engines have taken a huge step forward in efficiency.

Yes, but the swap from 5 speed to 8 speed transmission along accounts for about 2 mpg increase behind the 3.6 in the cars (can't do the same comparison in the truck),
And that 5 speed was the NAG1, far better than the transmission behind the 4.7.
I'm fan of the 3.6, but the reality is the 4.7 was hampered by a lame transmission.