My family and I have largely been a Chrysler folks since the mid-'80s. However, I don't think my next vehicle will have a Pentastar on the grille.

 My dad bought an '84 Dodge D250 conversion van back in the summer of '83 and we put 250,000 miles touring that thing all over the country. My mom bought a brand-new '89 Dodge Daytona. It was a good little car 'till my brother put it through a telephone pole...12 feet off the ground. I had an '85 Ramcharger I put over 250,000 hard-won miles on. I bought my wife a brand-new '04 Dodge Durango that we still own. And most-recently I bought myself a new '07.5 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4.

However, I've been somewhat disappointed with the mileage, reliability, and quality of my Ram 2500. I've been thinking of selling it and using my wife's Durango to tow my boat and Jeeps with 'till I can lay my hands on another five-seat pickup. Then we'll replace her Durango since it's getting a bit long in the tooth. Maybe a four-door JK for her once the Pentastar engines hit the lots.

As for my pickup, I think I may be crazy, but I really like what I've been hearing and reading about Ford's new twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6. I think the 365hp, 420lb-ft V-6 will tow my 5,200lb boat or (combined) 6,500lb Jeep/trailer combo nicely. The direct-injection appeals to me, as do the variable-geometry turbos, which both let the torque come in way down low in the curve and hang around 'till the upper end. And the claims of 22mpg can't be beat either. As is, I'm paying more-per-gallon in diesel that gets sucked down around town to the tune of 12-13mpg. My Cummins doesn't get efficient 'till I'm driving unloaded on the freeway - which isn't that much anymore. I think the little V-6 EcoBoost would be a much more economical alternative for me without giving up much, if any towing performance for the loads I'm usually pulling.

I think I'll hit Ford up for a press-fleet loaner rig to see how I like it. Or, at the very least, head over to my Ford dealer once the EcoBoost F-150s hit the lot.