As far as eTorque goes, we can see from the towing chart that the highest tow rating goes to the NON eTorque Hemi. So the eTorque actually REDUCES towing capacity. I believe eTorque is designed to improve MPG and will contribute little to towing and acceleration performance. It only provides additional torque at engine speeds below 2000rpm; possibly below 1500rpm depending on which Ram engineer you listen to.
With the eTorque Hemi being rated lower in towing than the NON eTorque version I can only assume that it doesn’t even provide enough performance improvement to overcome the 80lb weight of the system. It definitely reduces payload according to the chart.
That's incorrect. The highest-rated towing configuration (by far) for a 2019 Ram 1500 is the eTorque-equipped Quad Cab 4x2 with a 3.92, which is rated at 12,750 lb. That's 1,060 lb
more than the non-eTorque variant.
You're right about payload, though. The weight of the eTorque system has to be subtracted from payload...that's basic math.
And your point is valid for most of the configurations. There's nothing obvious (to me) in the SAE tests to explain why eTorque would
slightly reduce max trailer weight ratings by ~100 lb, more or less, in many cases. I'm sure we'll learn more down the road.
In every respect—i.e. the lack of badging on the vehicle regarding eTorque; the quiet launch of the system following the auto show circuit; the complete lack of media attention, etc.—it feels like Ram is being ultra-conservative while feeling this out.