TRAVIS LANGNESS: We've got three different pickup trucks
to compare today.
And they're all very unique, except for the fact
that they're all Ram 1500s.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
With that point aside, it's interesting to think
that Ram offers as much as eight different trim levels
before you even go to the dealership
to start adding options or picking what color you want
yours in.
And there are very different versions
for very different buyers.
So we've brought together these three unique versions
of the Ram 1500 to see which one might be best for you.
What do we have?
Well, first up is a versatile do it all work truck with a V8.
Sounds good, right?
The second truck is essentially a widebody FU off-road racer
with a Hellcat engine.
And the third pickup is ultra luxury with a torquey turbo
diesel, for people that love smooth towing experiences.
Going back even beyond its latest 2019 redesign,
the Ram 1500 has lived right at the top of Edmunds
top-rated truck list.
And the only way it was recently edged out
was with the complete redesign of one of its biggest
competitors, the Ford F-150.
But the margin between them is really slim.
It's like a 10th of a point in our rating system.
But the Ram is still one of our favorite vehicles
to live with on a daily basis, truck or not.
And if you want more information on the Ram, all
of its competitors, be sure to click
the link in the description below plus press like
and subscribe if you want more videos like this.
And if you want a cash offer on your car today,
go to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
Cash offers?
Cash is king.
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First up is the Big Horn.
While it's not the base version of the Ram,
it is one that is a jack of all trades,
and it'll help you watch your wallet in the process.
So what do you get with the Big Horn?
Well, you get all the base-level equipment,
plus you get stuff like a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
You get upgraded to cloth seats instead of vinyl.
You get carpet on the floors instead of rubber,
which is a nice upgrade.
And you get stuff like painted door
handles instead of just black plastic wood, which
is kind of cheap looking on the outside.
Now this one has a set of particular options that
make it even nicer, stuff like the 12-inch Uconnect screen
that Ram offers as well as optional air suspension.
But if you don't need that stuff,
you can leave it off the options sheet
and really save your wallet quite a bit.
So this particular truck also has the option of the 5.7-liter
V8, or as Ram calls it, the Hemi.
It's an excellent motor, really smooth power delivery,
especially with the eight-speed automatic transmission.
It doesn't hunt for gears on grades.
And in this trim, kind of the way this one is equipped,
it's got a couple of extra options packages.
It feels like a robust truck.
It doesn't feel fancy.
Yes, the screen is really nice, but again that's an option.
It feels like a work tool, perhaps a high-end work tool,
but it's something that could get the job done.
I like the way this feels on the road.
It's maneuverable enough in tight spaces
that it doesn't feel oversized.
But it also looks kind of cool sitting at a stoplight.
And it's also kind of like a Swiss army
knife for a truck buyer.
You can equip it or use its tools
in any way you want because it's got access
to so many available options.
Sure, it starts at under $50k, which might sound like a lot,
but it comes with a lot.
And that's kind of middle of the range for full-size pickup
truck buyers.
The Big Horn will check most of the boxes for the average truck
buyer.
But if you're interested in something more extreme,
Ram's got you covered.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[ENGINE REVVING]
And this is the TRX, or as it is affectionately known,
the T-rex, and it's as extreme as it sounds, especially
when you bury your foot in the throttle.
[ENGINE REVS AND WHINES]
And get some supercharger whine, god, I
love the way this thing sounds.
Woo!
As intoxicating as the supercharger whine is,
the exhaust sound's just as good.
[ENGINE ROARS]
I mean, dual-exhaust from a supercharged V8
sounds pretty awesome, and it sounds much better
than the twin-turbo V6 that you get currently
in the Ford Raptor.
Sure, the Raptor recently got an update to its exhaust,
and it sounds a little bit better
than the previous model year.
But it can't beat the T-rex in terms of sound.
[ENGINE ROARS]
The engine that's making all that glorious noise
is the Hellcat V8, named for the hellcat charger in Challenger
that it was in first, before Dodge and Ram started putting
it in things like the Durango and the Jeep Grand Cherokee,
which I am all for, Hellcat, all the things, great engine.
But the TRX also comes with performance upgrades,
like the adaptive dampers with the suspension
lift, the all-terrain tires, the widened
fenders with more clearance.
I mean, this thing is a very different-looking truck
on the road from your standard everyday Ram 1500.
Now the TRX ain't going to be cheap.
It starts at nearly $78,000, before you add any options.
And sure, you get all that performance equipment
we talked about.
But this particular one, with just a few options on it,
is $92,000 or nearabouts there.
And, ich, that's a lot of money for a pickup
truck, especially one that gets such poor fuel economy.
Thankfully, you can knock stuff off.
Like, for example, this one's got the Level 2 TRX equipment
group.
I wouldn't opt for that.
It's $8,000.
It will save you a lot up front if you
decide to go without some of the nice interior panels.
That price aside, though, if you decide you want something
to get into the outer reaches of the wilderness,
the TRX will definitely fit the bill.
[ENGINE ROARS]
As fun and as capable as the TRX is, especially
when the going gets rough, I do have a specific gripe with it
in terms of its truck capabilities.
The payload and the towing are compromised
because of a number of things, the added
weight of the supercharged V8 up front,
the suspension dampers that are meant for off-road scenarios,
the all-terrain tires.
All of those things essentially drop down the maximum available
towing you can get in a TRX, and it's
several thousand pounds less than you
can tow with something like the diesel or the standard V8.
Quick scenario, last year, I was testing a TRX.
A buddy and I both had a motorcycle each
that we wanted to put in the back,
and then we both wanted to go on a little adventure.
But we couldn't do it.
Without adding any gear or stuff to the backseat overdid
the TRX's payload.
So I was going to have to leave my buddy at home
and take his motorcycle with me?
Or it just didn't work out.
The math doesn't add up.
I love the TRX.
On our first drive of it, I was totally impressed with it,
and I still am.
It holds up, but in daily driving, it's awful.
The fuel economy is garbage.
Being on the highway, you feel like you're constantly
going to hit people.
You can't park it anywhere.
But it's so much fun off-road.
Like, the sound of the supercharger, come on!
I'm so conflicted.
[ENGINE ROARS]
So let's say you've spent all day in the desert riding around
in your side by side or popping over whoops,
doing wheelies on your dirt bikes, whatever it is you like
to do for fun on the weekends.
And then you want to ride home and comfort and style.
Well, this is going to be the one for that task.
This is the Limited.
It's essentially the Rolls Royce or Bentley of the trim levels
when it comes to the Ram, and it's
got all the bells and whistles.
I mean, the interior is full of really nice materials.
And if you want to feel like you're in the lap of luxury,
it doesn't hurt that this one is rocking the EcoDiesel engine.
It's a 3-liter V6 turbodiesel, and I
have used a Ram with this same engine
to tow a car trailer 5,000 miles.
It's a really easy task, surprisingly so.
When I towed, I didn't feel like there was much behind it.
And sure, it doesn't necessarily make sense
that you're going to tow your Ram 1500 with your Ram 1500,
but we've hooked one up to the back just
to show you how much this truck can pull.
It's got some of the best-in-class tow ratings
up against vehicles like the Silverado and the F-150.
It's also got a ton of torque with the EcoDiesel, 480
pound-feet, which means that towing feels relatively
effortless, even if you're near the limits of the towing
experience.
Then there's the fact that this one's got stuff
like air suspension, the big 12-inch screen like
you get upgraded in the other versions,
and all the bells and whistles, like a 360-degree camera,
and the deployable outboard sidesteps.
It's super nice.
Look, I get it if you don't want a nice truck,
if you just want something-- it's a work truck.
It's functional, as opposed to form over function.
But, man, if you like to ride in style,
this one will get you there.
Then there's the issue of fuel economy.
The TRX is rocking a rating from the EPA of 12
MPG combined, 1-2, 12.
It's like a fuel economy rating from a muscle car in the 1970s.
It's ridiculous.
And most of the time when I've driven a Ram TRX--
and I've driven one thousands of miles, different ones even--
they're in the single digits, closer to eight or nine
when you've got your foot anywhere near the gas pedal.
The V8 version of the Ram we have here,
with the way it's configured, four-wheel drive and all,
is at 19 MPG combined, much more respectable.
But still it'll be a hit to your wallet.
Well, this one with the diesel is
rated at 24 MPG combined with four-wheel drive.
That's really impressive.
And, sure, diesel is a little bit more expensive,
and you have to add diesel exhaust fluid.
So the math isn't exactly 2 to 1,
so this will be much less expensive to fill up over time
than something like the TRX.
You'll notice that difference right away,
and it might be enough to buy more toys for the desert.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
So what have we learned?
Well, it's not as easy to pick a truck as just picking a truck.
But personally I think there's one that could
fit your needs in this group.
With the Big Horn, you get a Swiss army knife,
a truck that's capable of completing
almost all the important tasks that you'd want out of a truck.
The TRX is a brutish weekend warrior
that could care less about practicality.
But it's loaded up on attitude and fun.
The Limited gives you a plush, luxurious, upscale experience,
while still offering some serious pickup
truck versatility.
Which one would I get?
Well, I'd probably go with the Big Horn trim level
because I don't need all the luxury
stuff that the Limited offers, and I definitely
don't need all the off-road equipment and the 12 MPG that
comes along with the TRX.
So Big Horn's a good middle ground,
and I'd probably go with the diesel
since I like towing stuff, and gas prices aren't
getting any cheaper these days.
Would you pick any one of these trims?
Is there another one in the line-up you'd like to go with?
Or would you rather pick a Chevy, a Ford, a Toyota,
or something else entirely?
Let us know in the Comments below
and let us know if there's any other vehicles you
want us to break down the trim levels of.
We're happy to do it.
For a cash offer on your car today,
go to edmunds.com/sellmycar, and don't forget to click Like
and Subscribe.
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