Ram RHO or GMC AT4x

[WesTen0207]

Little bit about my needs and uses for the truck.

• I am an outdoorsman and will be on various terrains in Texas from rocky to thick woods, clay and sand dealing with wash out. Only potential thing I’ll pull is a 4 wheeler or small side by side. I will likely put an outlander type camper shell with gear stowage draw system in the bed.
• Need the truck to be ready to go off the lot, don’t want to deal with aftermarket shinnanigans this time around.
• I keep my vehicles 8+ years, this truck will likely go to my son when he turns 16 so reliability and longevity is important to me. Obviously I’ll have repair costs but I’m referring to engine longevity.
• RHO has all the off road bells and whistles I want. However, the HO Hurricane has not been out long and unsure what the longevity might be on a high output twin turbo v6. Very efficient engine with great power and acceleration. 15-17mpg which is about the same if not slightly better that the 6.2L V8 in the GMC.
• Resale value since both trucks are obviously expensive. Historically the GMC has held its value well, but the Ram has caught up.
• I think I would prefer the 3.0 duramax diesel in the AT4x over the V8, but unsure about the reliability in the break in period with all the environmental additions to the new gen diesels. My family had quite a few heavy duty diesels and they’re having ECM issues, def issues, even transmission issues with under 50k miles.

So key points I’m looking for are engine reliability, maintaining value, quality control, and any insight I can get in the HO Hurricane and 3.0 duramax.

 

[TheDo114]

It seems like your planning for a constant load in the bed and that's where the soft racing suspension in the RHO might be a negative. I think the RHO would be more fun but for constant load in the bed I would go for a truck with a traditional suspension setup.

I don't think there's a clear winner for longevity or reliability since both are new engines. Drive both and see if you like one better than another.

 

[Fightnfire]

That's a tough one as I see these as two very different trucks. The GMC will retain more of the traditional truck capability while the RAM is more of a knock-off TRX desert runner. Maybe that's a bad take but that's how I think of it. Personally, I wouldn't buy a new first year powertrain and would wait until year 3 or so. That would make the RAM a non-choice for me. As for the GMC, the 6.2 is great but the 3.0 diesel would get a long hard look from me if I was purchasing again.

I'll repeat what I've said in here dozens of time but I don't really think you can go wrong with a truck from Ford, GM or RAM. You just have to find the one you like the most that chekcs the most boxes. As already stated I wouldn't buy a brand new drivetrain in any truck for the first few years. That's why I didn't get the 3.0 diesel from GM in 2021. That turned out to be an ok decision as they overhauled the GM 3.0 in 2022 to address some minor issues it was having. There are a couple of guys in here with them, hopefully they can chime in as I believe they've had pretty good luck with it.

As for fuel, my 6.2 gets 16-17 in city and 19-21 on hwy under 75. Over 75 that's going to drop to 18-19+. I'm leveled on 35" aggressive AT tires. (MT Baja Boss)

I don't know much about the RHO, I've been waiting for Tim to get his and break it down. I'm really curious to see what the actual payload and towing numbers are before I can offer much of an opinion on it. It does look like the MAX payload for the RHO is going to be around 1,500lbs so I would expect most of them on the road to be well under that.

 

[NMTRUCKER]

Little bit about my needs and uses for the truck.

• I am an outdoorsman and will be on various terrains in Texas from rocky to thick woods, clay and sand dealing with wash out. Only potential thing I’ll pull is a 4 wheeler or small side by side. I will likely put an outlander type camper shell with gear stowage draw system in the bed.
• Need the truck to be ready to go off the lot, don’t want to deal with aftermarket shinnanigans this time around.
• I keep my vehicles 8+ years, this truck will likely go to my son when he turns 16 so reliability and longevity is important to me. Obviously I’ll have repair costs but I’m referring to engine longevity.
• RHO has all the off road bells and whistles I want. However, the HO Hurricane has not been out long and unsure what the longevity might be on a high output twin turbo v6. Very efficient engine with great power and acceleration. 15-17mpg which is about the same if not slightly better that the 6.2L V8 in the GMC.
• Resale value since both trucks are obviously expensive. Historically the GMC has held its value well, but the Ram has caught up.
• I think I would prefer the 3.0 duramax diesel in the AT4x over the V8, but unsure about the reliability in the break in period with all the environmental additions to the new gen diesels. My family had quite a few heavy duty diesels and they’re having ECM issues, def issues, even transmission issues with under 50k miles.

So key points I’m looking for are engine reliability, maintaining value, quality control, and any insight I can get in the HO Hurricane and 3.0 duramax.

So I have a ‘23 GMC 1500 SIERRA SLT with the 3 liter Duramax with just over 16,000 miles. I put a 1 year review of this vehicle on the forum under the sub-forum category of GMC SIERRA if you’re interested. I intend to provide a 2-year review come December time frame. No mechanical or electrical issues so far just one dealer software update.
This is my first diesel and half-ton truck. My other 2 trucks were an ‘86 F250 (that I had for 23 years) and a 2003 Silverado 2500 HD that I still own. The GMC is comfortable, quiet, sips fuel, has good acceleration and passing ability. I don’t tow much but if I towed routinely I would opt for a 3/4 ton.
I do my own maintenance so I don’t consider the diesel much more maintenance intensive as apparently a lot of others do. The only real extra “maintenance” is adding diesel exhaust fluid. My average DEF useage is like a gallon every 1,000 miles. Oil capacity is 7 quarts (0W-20) Dexos D which you can get a 5 quart jug at AutoZone for $37. The PF66 oil filter is like $6.
There is a YOUTUBE channel by the name of DEMONWORKS. This guy has owned both generations of the 3 liter diesel (LM2 and LZ0) and is a GM mechanic. I think his current truck is an AT4.
Time will tell with the new Hurricane engine but it might be a winner. Good luck with your decision. Keep us posted.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Both are good trucks and I haven't heard any bad news about the Hurricane in it's first year in the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. WHat I suggest is see what the payload rating is when optioned up the way you want. Then go with the one that carries the load on the trails you like best. Which gives you the best ride while carrying the load.

 

[testerdahl]

Little bit about my needs and uses for the truck.

• I am an outdoorsman and will be on various terrains in Texas from rocky to thick woods, clay and sand dealing with wash out. Only potential thing I’ll pull is a 4 wheeler or small side by side. I will likely put an outlander type camper shell with gear stowage draw system in the bed.
• Need the truck to be ready to go off the lot, don’t want to deal with aftermarket shinnanigans this time around.
• I keep my vehicles 8+ years, this truck will likely go to my son when he turns 16 so reliability and longevity is important to me. Obviously I’ll have repair costs but I’m referring to engine longevity.
• RHO has all the off road bells and whistles I want. However, the HO Hurricane has not been out long and unsure what the longevity might be on a high output twin turbo v6. Very efficient engine with great power and acceleration. 15-17mpg which is about the same if not slightly better that the 6.2L V8 in the GMC.
• Resale value since both trucks are obviously expensive. Historically the GMC has held its value well, but the Ram has caught up.
• I think I would prefer the 3.0 duramax diesel in the AT4x over the V8, but unsure about the reliability in the break in period with all the environmental additions to the new gen diesels. My family had quite a few heavy duty diesels and they’re having ECM issues, def issues, even transmission issues with under 50k miles.

So key points I’m looking for are engine reliability, maintaining value, quality control, and any insight I can get in the HO Hurricane and 3.0 duramax.

First, I love this forum since by the time I saw this, there were tons of great responses. Second, it is an inline 6 not a V. I don't understand why it is a sticking point for me, but dammit, it is an inline engine! LOL.

I'd go diesel over the V8 since I had a damn love affair with it.

Toss up on reliability at this point IMO. The GM engine has really been out since 2020 with the LZO being new for 2023. The H/O Hurricane has been out in the Wagoneer since last year. Just tough to say.

 

[Honcho]

Would you trust buying a big investment, from a long standing North American company . Or a European newcomer ,who might only have profit, as a motivator ?

 

[chaseydog]

24 AT4 3.0L with just over 10,000 miles which I purchased 9 months ago. I do my own service work, oil every 5000 miles, as as NMTrucker said, the cost of servicing the Duramax is comparable to a gasser.

The only issue that I've encountered was a emissions related CEL (P2297) at around 3000 miles. The CEL cleared itself later that day. There was no performance loss or decrease in milage with the CEL. The CEL popped back up at 8000 miles, again no loss in performance or milage. The dealer performed an update to the ECM and I haven't had any more CEL's simce that was done.

I've been very impressed with the LZO's milage, performance and reliability. I should also mention that that this is my first diesel, the majority of my drives are under 10 miles, and I'm not currently doing any towing.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Little bit about my needs and uses for the truck.

• I am an outdoorsman and will be on various terrains in Texas from rocky to thick woods, clay and sand dealing with wash out. Only potential thing I’ll pull is a 4 wheeler or small side by side. I will likely put an outlander type camper shell with gear stowage draw system in the bed.
• Need the truck to be ready to go off the lot, don’t want to deal with aftermarket shinnanigans this time around.
• I keep my vehicles 8+ years, this truck will likely go to my son when he turns 16 so reliability and longevity is important to me. Obviously I’ll have repair costs but I’m referring to engine longevity.
• RHO has all the off road bells and whistles I want. However, the HO Hurricane has not been out long and unsure what the longevity might be on a high output twin turbo v6. Very efficient engine with great power and acceleration. 15-17mpg which is about the same if not slightly better that the 6.2L V8 in the GMC.
• Resale value since both trucks are obviously expensive. Historically the GMC has held its value well, but the Ram has caught up.
• I think I would prefer the 3.0 duramax diesel in the AT4x over the V8, but unsure about the reliability in the break in period with all the environmental additions to the new gen diesels. My family had quite a few heavy duty diesels and they’re having ECM issues, def issues, even transmission issues with under 50k miles.

So key points I’m looking for are engine reliability, maintaining value, quality control, and any insight I can get in the HO Hurricane and 3.0 Duramax.

I think a well-equipped Rebel may be better suited to your needs than the RHO.

The SO in the Rebel is a little easier on the wallet than the RHO. After that, for me, it would have to be a thorough comparison to the features and test drives of both. I personally wouldn't bother with diesel as it is so much more expensive than gas around me so it would actually cost me more annually than the SO. It could be quite different for you though and that diesel motor is well regarded.