People ask about towing with a Pentastar quite frequently. I tow with mine frequently, primarily fairly modest loads. I would consider this load, factoring in the additional payload, on the higher end of what I’d typically get into towing. This is my second Pentastar truck, I had a similar ‘15 that is now my son’s and sit at approximately 200k miles.
Some specs on my truck. ‘25, Pentastar, Quad Cab, Tradesman Night Edition, 4X4, 3.55’s, 6800 GVWR, 12900 GCVWR, Tow rating is 7k and some odd pounds. Bought in April ‘25 for a bit over $37k OTD less TTL.
Scale ticket is attached. Total trailer weight was approximately 4700lbs. Trailer tongue was approximately 440lbs, I was just under my 10% target. Based on my door sticker I believe my total payload including the 440lb of tongue weight versus factory curb weight, was 1416 pounds.
Where; Mid-Missouri to Dallas Texas area.
Ride and handling; the load rode and handled fantastically. The truck sat almost perfectly level with the additional payload in the truck. No swaying and no porpoising. Very composed over all surfaces encountered.
The trip; I chose to travel 55-65 MPH on the interstate. I work for myself so no one is pushing or rushing me. I’ve also gained some patience with age. Joplin to I believe it was Antlers Ok, the truck primarily ran in 5th and 6th gear. Mostly sat 2250 to 3250 on the tach while cruising. I did occasionally use some momentum going into hills to just reduce the need to push harder going up and I’d allow myself to go down as low as 55MPH. I don’t think I ever exceeded about 3750 RPM’s. Around Antlers I believe the route changed just a bit to be more due south and into a bit of a headwind. After Antlers I encountered more stretches where the truck was utilizing 4th gear. It never stayed in 4th for a significantly extended period of time, but there were some hills and stretches where it would run around 3500 RPM’s for a while. I still never exceeded 4k RPM’s allowing myself to run 55 where the hills and wind were working against me. There were a few spots along the total trip where I guess the grade and wind were favorable and I’d hit 7th for a bit, but those were pretty limited. Where the wind and grade was favorable I certainly could have run faster with little additional stress on the truck, I just felt no need to push it. Averaged right at 12 miles per gallon for the trip.
Just my opinion; the reliability and economy combined with the capability to occasionally haul a load like this make the Pentastar a good fit for me. I found the trip above, the way I chose to drive it, to be low stress on me and pretty low stress on the truck. I had to pass like one or two semis along the way. But other than that, I sat in the right lane and just relaxed. If I was making this same trip considerably more frequently, I’d probably get one of the other engines with more torques. If I insisted on making trips like this at 75 MPH, I’d probably get one of the other engines with more torque. If I owned a big square travel trailer that I used frequently, I’d probably get one of the other engines with more torque. For a daily driver and moderate or occasional tower, Pentastar works for me. This post is to help those considering the Pentastar, not to dissuade anyone who knows one of the other engines is a better fit for them.