How hard are you driving it?

That sounds correct. Hemi is a gas guzzling performance engine,

I knew a guy that bouhght one then a few days later took it back in exhange
for a diesel

11.8 mpg on a 3/4 ton....sounds about right to me but then again i may just
be used to feeding that v10 and my heavy foot!

Here is a repeat of my post on this subject a while ago.

I have a 2004 2500 4x4 reg cab hemi with 5sp standard. In 15K miles
the best ever tank was 14.5 mpg highway with no trailer or load.

Overall average is about 13.5. Towing a 6000 lb trailer I get about 10
mpg and our friends with a Cummins diesel and a heavier trailer leave
us in the dust going up hill while using less fuel.

Woody; 95FXDS

I have never talked to anyone with a Hemi in a big truck that did not
get poor MPG and there is a couple of reasons for that. One is the
engines power band, its rating looks impressive on paper and in ads
but a engine that peaks it torque at over 4000 RPM and HP above 5000
RPM is not going to play well in a heavy RV because relative to its
implied HP rating, the avalible torque at lower RPMs and engine
efficency is not great.  (A GM 6.0 for example while having a lower HP
rating has a lower RPM HP and torque peak with better low RPM
efficency and does a lot better in a heavy RV)   The second problem is
that Dodge in their infinate wisdom left out the ability and
possibility of have a front axle disconnect or lockout hubs to cut
front axle power loss when it 2WD. The front axle and diff is always
turning and that will cost you at least 1 MPG or so on the average and
a bit more when it is colder or speeds are very high. I am sorry to
say there is not magic fix here. I will never understand why Chrysler
did not spend another 100 bucks on 35K truck to enable and include the
installation of lockout hubs to disengage axle in 2wd. It can only be
for saving money and simpling 4wd operation but it is not MPG freindly
on highway. Back 30 years ago when I first started driving 4x4’s you
could tell when the hubs were not disengaged in general performace at
speed and MPG too. If you plan to travel a lot, the Dodge 4x4 is not a
good choice MPG wise with  hemi and you would do better with a Ford or
Chevy. Even the old V10 would do about the same MPG wise as the new
Hemi but it would tow like crazy too and badly embrass the higher
rated Hemi in towing performance. It is sad that you have two choices
in your truck, a 5.7 or a Cummins and nothing in the middle.

you're getting 'average'  expect much less pulling.

You bought a BIG TRUCK with a advertised hi-performance engine. What the
heck did you expect??? You might pick up a couple mpg when it loosens up a
bit and when you start to drive like you have a egg under the gas pedal.
What you have is pretty much what you are going to get.

I still don't understand why people buy something as large as a full size
truck and with such horrible aerodynamics, a big engine, 3:55 or 4:10's and
then bitch about horrible mileage.

Roy