Big and powerful are two words that succinctly summarize the 2019 Ram 3500 Limited. Especially when the truck in question is the Mega Cab model, equipped with the optional 6.7-litre Cummins inline six-cylinder high output turbocharged diesel engine. This powerplant churns out 1,000 lbs.-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm.
The Limited trim is the top of the line for the Ram 3500 series of trucks, and is available in a number of cab and driveline configurations, from the base Tradesman to Big Horn to the Laramie Longhorn. The Big Horn Ram 3500 can be had in Regular, Crew or Mega Cab variants, while models such as the Limited are available only in Crew or Mega Cab. Across the range, a 6.4L Hemi V8 engine is the standard mill. Two 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines are optional, including the high-output unit coupled with a six-speed AISIN heavy-duty transmission.
Calgarian Peter Wettlaufer is a truck user. He spent a week behind the wheel of the four-wheel drive Ram 3500 Limited equipped with the high-output 6.7L Cummins diesel and heavy-duty six speed AISIN gearbox. As driven, the Ram 3500 cost a total of $101,545.
Wettlaufer regularly tows on average 2,500 to 3,500 kilometres per season, taking the family 26-foot holiday trailer on camping adventures around Alberta and into B.C. His trailer weighs approximately 6,100 lbs. dry and his tow vehicle is currently a 2014 GMC half ton.
Admittedly, the Ram 3500 Limited was more truck than he’d ever need, but that didn’t prevent him from testing the model.
“In its jet-black finish with chrome accents, it was a very sharp looking truck,” Wettlaufer says of his first impression, adding, “My wife said it looked ‘sparkly.’
“I like the new Ram grille, it’s very striking, and with the Mega Cab on this truck it just seemed like a massive-looking vehicle.”
He thought the power-deployable running boards were a nice touch, but he was skeptical about how well they’d work in the slush and ice of a prairie winter.
“I’m 6-foot 3, and if those boards didn’t deploy, I think it would be a stretch for me to climb into the cab,” he explains.
Inside, Wettlaufer says the Mega Cab was indeed mega, and he appreciated the leather upholstery and refined trim. Front and centre was the 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, and he says this was an impressive display, but it took him some time to learn the intricacies of the system.
Getting comfortable in the eight-way power adjustable heated and cooled driver’s seat didn’t take long for Wettlaufer as the controls were easily identifiable and accessible. The large side mirrors, designed with towing in mind, were also simple to adjust.
“There was a digital screen between the two analogue dials in the dash,” he says. “Those dials were finished in shades of grey and silver, and they were sometimes difficult to see in certain light.”
One of Wettlaufer’s pet peeves about the Limited was the leather wrapped steering wheel. The hide only covered a portion of the wheel, while the top bit was plastic.
“For someone who drives with hands at the 10 and 2 positions, half the hand was on plastic,” he says. “This was a strange sensation and detracted from the luxurious feel of the remainder of the cabin appointments.”
Wettlaufer would have liked to tow his trailer with the Ram, but the hitch ball height was almost 5-inches higher than that on his Sierra and he didn’t have a drop mount. It would have required a bit of time to get himself organized, and he says his wife eventually talked him out of the project.
Instead, they packed up a picnic lunch and toured west of Calgary on Highway 68 to Sibbald Viewpoint along Sibbald Creek Trail. On this journey, Wettlaufer found the power was more than adequate and says that with the 1,000 lbs.-ft of torque produced by the Cummins powerplant the truck fairly loafed up hills.
“You could tell the truck used the torque to climb the hills rather than raw rpm,” he explains. “The six-speed heavy-duty transmission always shifted smoothly, and it had a column-mount shifter. It had the capability of limiting top gear, too, and I could see where that might be useful under certain conditions.”
Brakes were rated as very smooth and didn’t require a lot of pressure to get a vehicle of this size to stop. While recognizing the Ram wasn’t going to handle like a sports car, Wettlaufer says he always felt well-connected and the truck held the road with aplomb. He adds that the ride was very comfortable. Given the truck’s 6,348 mm overall length, Wettlaufer says it wasn’t difficult to park in supermarket lots – it just took some planning.
“I also made use of the rearview camera,” he says. “It was quite beneficial, and it had great resolution, even in adverse lighting conditions.”
Another peeve Wettlaufer had was how difficult it was to access the cargo box. He found it problematic without some sort of step assist device.
That aside, he concludes, “I think this truck would really suit someone doing a lot of touring and towing with a fifth-wheel trailer. It’s very capable, and very comfortable.”
DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day One: Picked up truck and returned home. Easy enough to drive, this is the largest vehicle I have driven in some time. Sight lines are good, no noticeable blind spots. Rain sensing windshield wipers were a nice touch. Afternoon drive with wife to Elbow Valley along Hwy. 22 and 66. Used the cruise control for the majority of the trip. Hill climbs were not noticeable, as engine did not rev up past 1,500 rpm to maintain speed. Hill descents were controlled and smooth, with speed not exceeding 5 km over the set speed. At this point I did not try the adaptive cruise control. During this trip, my wife was checking out the large 12-inch LCD control panel. Was easy enough to figure out, but it would not be easy for the driver to adjust climate without looking at the screen, thus being distracted. We later found some temperature controls for the driver are also push buttons on each side of the display. We both found the adjustable seats to be comfortable. Road and engine noise in the cabin was below what I expected for a vehicle of this type.
Day Two: Running around close to home doing errands. This is a large vehicle, so picked parking spaces away from the crowd that were either drive-through or back in. The side view mirrors were configured to tip down in reverse, and I didn’t find these as useful, especially when trying to back up an incline on my driveway and eventually disabled that feature.
Day Three: My wife and I made a road trip with the neighbours to the Chuckwagon Café in Turner Valley. The ladies sat in the rear seats, while he rode shot gun. He was playing with the controls on the 12-inch display and trying various options. To this point I had not spent much time learning the various displays. In the climate setting he discovered the vented and cooled seats — this was a nice feature that added additional comfort. Meanwhile the ladies commented how comfortable and roomy the back seats were. This truck was equipped with Ram’s Mega Cab, which allowed a decent recline. The rear seat is a 60/40 split. The large side was very difficult to recline and required extra force as compared to the 40 per cent side. My wife also liked the fact that there were heated seats. She finds the leather upholstery cold first thing in the morning.
Day Four: Trip to the airport to pick up my daughter, son-in-law and their two teenagers returning from vacation. My son-in-law commented that the rear seat was like first class, with the amount of space, recline and leg room. Second outing was to my mother in-law’s for dinner. Navigating the narrow construction zone on Crowchild Trail at the Bow River was challenging, but the convex side mirrors made lane checking easy.
Day Six: My wife and I took a leisurely drive to Sibbald Viewpoint along Sibbald Creek Trail. Again, the highway driving was effortless. Before setting out, I filled the fuel tank. It was indicating 240 km remaining, and I did not want to take a chance. At this point, the vehicle was showing a fuel consumption of 12.4 litres /100 km, which I assume was for the entire 1,900 km on the odometer. Based on my driving and the amount required to fill the tank, I got 14.85 L/100 km for the 535 km I had driven to this point.
Day Seven: Refueled and cleaned the vehicle before returning it. Drove a different route under heavier traffic conditions to the drop-off location.
