Heavy-duty vehicles are specialised autos. Every a part of them, from the body to the engine to the axles, is optimized for grueling work towing enormous hundreds.But that does not imply house owners are utilizing them for hauling on a regular basis. At some level, these vehicles must go to the financial institution or the grocery retailer. With that in thoughts, I spent per week with the dual-rear-wheel Ram 3500 on a latest journey to Colorado to see how a truck like this handles each day driving responsibility. This is what almost 22 toes of truck appears to be like like.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
Big truck, huge energyThere is a Ram Heavy Duty truck to suit virtually any want. The 2500 and 3500 fashions can be found in six completely different trims. The truck will be outfitted in single, Crew Cab or superspacious Mega Cab configurations, with a 6-foot, 4-inch field, or an 8-foot field. Heck, you possibly can even purchase a Ram HD Chassis Cab, permitting you to suit an aftermarket mattress.
The base engine for each the Ram 2500 and 3500 is a 6.4-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automated transmission, placing out 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque. Buyers can step as much as the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engine, which produces 410 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque.
My truck, nevertheless, has El Burrito Grande of engines: the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel, however with 400 horsepower and — no joke — 1,000 pound-feet of torque. This engine is mated to a six-speed automated transmission, and might solely be had within the Ram 3500. Earlier this 12 months, I used to be capable of put the Ram 3500 by means of its paces, towing a 35,100-pound trailer by means of the rain and snow. If most trailering is your foremost requirement for a HD truck, that is the one to get.
This time round, nevertheless, I am utilizing the 3500’s energy to rapidly speed up onto the freeway and cruise round city. The Ram 3500 is a giant beast, however it will get up to the mark comparatively rapidly, the Aisin-sourced transmission working easily within the background.With its enormous rear axle and dual-rear-wheel setup, pavement imperfections are translated to the cabin tout suite. The 3500 is very bouncy over freeway growth joints, however that is par for the course with these huge haulers, particularly when pushed with out the additional weight of payload or a trailer. A 75-mile-per-hour velocity restrict feels egregiously quick in a car this measurement, particularly after I interact the adaptive cruise management. However, the brakes are agency and straightforward to modulate, and the out there ahead collision warning and emergency braking programs are good to have, even for those who by no means use them. Blind-spot monitoring is commonplace on my top-trim 3500 Limited, however elective in every single place else. This is a must have little bit of tech in a car this measurement.
Parking a truck this huge is a little bit of a chore, however made simpler due to the out there 360-degree digicam with a chook’s-eye view. The dual-rear-wheel setup provides over a foot of width to the already huge Ram, and do not forget, this factor is sort of 22 toes lengthy. Pulling right into a perpendicular spot takes some recalibration of your regular driving habits, however total, the Ram 3500 is sort of simple to maneuver — assuming you could have loads of room. Lots of luxurious The neatest thing about daily-driving a 3500 is that it is as snug and tech-filled as another new Ram pickup. My Limited tester has commonplace heated and cooled entrance seats, and heated rear seats. Supple leather-based chairs provide equal quantities of help and luxury, and as you possibly can think about in a truck this huge, there’s a ton of room contained in the cabin. Plenty of leather-based and plenty of storage are highlights within the Limited’s inside.
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The 3500’s inside largely carries over from the fullsize Ram 1500 truck, and to my eyes, it is the perfect HD truck inside you may get at present. Overall match and end are wonderful, and wind and street noise are stored at bay. The consideration to element inside is stellar.There are a lot of intelligent storage options contained in the 3500, as effectively. The heart console is reconfigurable, and there are deep door pockets. There’s even a little bit facet pocket within the footwell space, good for work papers or clipboards. The rear cabin options underseat storage areas, as effectively. Excellent tech A tiny, 5-inch touchscreen is commonplace on decrease trims, however patrons can go for a 8.4-inch show working Ram’s wonderful Uconnect infotainment system. There’s additionally La Enchilada Gorda: the 12-inch, vertically oriented display screen, as seen within the Ram 1500, which is commonplace on the highest Laramie Longhorn and Limited trims and elective on the non-Longhorn Laramie. The jumbo-size display screen within the Ram makes navigation simple to learn. Plus it appears to be like hella cool.
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I like the 12-inch display screen. Uconnect is severely simple to make use of, and on the bigger show, I’ve big icons and clear, crisp graphics. The giant display screen actual property means I can run two purposes without delay — for instance, navigation on one half, and audio controls on the opposite.Of course, I also can bypass the infotainment system if I need and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, since each come commonplace. A Wi-Fi hotspot can also be commonplace on my Limited tester, as is wi-fi smartphone charging. Speaking of charging, the 3500 Limited comes with 4 USB Type-A and two USB Type-C ports — two in entrance, two out again. You additionally get a 115-volt, three-prong outlet for every row of seats, and a 12-volt outlet on high of the sprint. King of the crop 2019 Ram Heavy Duty pricing begins at $33,395, however in its top-spec 3500 Limited guise with four-wheel drive, you are a minimum of $65,250. With the higher-output diesel engine and a bunch of different fancy choices, my tester tops out at $87,810. Again, there is a Heavy Duty Ram for all sorts of patrons. Work-spec 2500s begin within the mid-$30,000 vary, and the off-road-ready Power Wagon is available in at $53,100. If we’re speaking 3500s, I might go along with a Laramie and follow the bottom, gasoline V8. From there I might add the $1,195 Safety Group to get blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise management and ahead collision warning. I might additionally add the $995 Ram cargo containers, as a result of it is nice to have lockable storage within the mattress of a truck. Finally, as a lot as I like that 12-inch display screen, I will follow the 8.4-inch show that comes with this trim. All in, a properly outfitted Ram 3500 Laramie just like the one I’ve described prices $57,480, together with $1,695 for vacation spot. Wide load, child. The twin rear wheels add over a foot of width in contrast with the single-wheel setup.The competitors within the heavy-duty truck class is fierce. The Ford F-350 Super Duty can tow 35,000 kilos and affords 935 pound-feet of torque from its Power Stroke V8 diesel. The 2020 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra HD pickups might be available on the market quickly, the latter of which is able to supposedly provide a “transparent” trailer show, together with another new tech options.For now, nevertheless, the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty is the king of the big-truck crop. And even for those who by no means use its capabilities, there’s nonetheless a lot to love.