2019 RAM 1500: Works Like a Truck, Feels Like a Luxury Sedan
All-new 2019 Ram 1500 has a stunning cabin, Hemi power, and is a remarkably quiet ride.
The all-new 2019 Ram 1500 made its grand debut earlier this year at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, marking just the fourth new design of the half-ton truck since the 1970s. Last week, FCA flew me to Arizona to test the next generation Ram 1500 and I left impressed, to say the least. This new truck might have a controversial look in the community due to the removal of the crosshair grille design, but in every other way, this is unquestionably the best Ram 1500 ever.
Driving the 2019 Ram 1500
The all-new Ram 1500 will eventually be available with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with the eTorque mild hybrid systems. But at the media first-drive event in Arizona, we were all driving traditional Hemi-powered pickups. The trim levels varied from the entry-level Tradesman to the premium Longhorn, but all of the trucks were four-wheel drive models with the non-hybrid Hemi and the 8-speed automatic transmission.
My day driving the 2019 Ram 1500 began in a Big Horn model with the 8.4-inch non-navigation UConnect system, a fixed suspension system, and the Sport Appearance package. This meant cloth bucket seats, but the cabin was still plenty comfortable for the first few hours of our time with the new truck.
The 2019 Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter Hemi offers the same power as the current models, but the new truck is lighter, leading to a slightly quicker-feeling truck. Whether you are putting the hammer down from a stop, or quickly accelerating from a roll when merging into fast-moving highway traffic, this new Ram gets up to speed in a hurry. But as current Ram owners will tell you, that is nothing new. In all honesty, the new Hemi-powered 1500 feels exactly how I expected it to, and that is a good thing.
As half-ton trucks go, the 2019 Ram 1500 is quick and fast, but that isn’t the big story here. What surprised me, and a few other journalists at the event the most, was how quiet this new truck is in pretty much every driving situation.
A Whisper-Quiet Cabin
Our drive in the 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn began in the Arizona desert, but we quickly made our way to the local highway. Around town, we noticed how quiet the truck was, keeping pretty much all wind noise and road surface sounds out of the cab at speeds below 50 miles per hour.
Once we got out onto the highway and vehicle speeds pushed up past 65, the roughest bumps on the road created a little noise in the cabin, but having tested many new vehicles, I can safely say that the cabin of the 2019 Ram 1500 is one of the quietest even at highway speeds. In fact, at one point, I made a call using the integrated hands-free phone system, and the person on the other end couldn’t tell that I was in a moving vehicle motoring down a dusty back road in the American southwest.
Aside from the harshest bumps, the only sounds that you really get in the cabin of the 2019 Ram 1500 with the windows up is the Hemi engine and the throaty exhaust system, but you only hear the V8 working when you are pushing the engine hard. Around town, the engine is quiet enough that your neighbors aren’t likely to complain about early-morning starts.
Part of those mild road manners come from the 2019 Ram’s fixed suspension system. The new truck comes with an optional air suspension system similar to the one offered on the current models, but my first 2019 test truck had the standard fixed suspension. That setup is designed to offer the best blend of comfort and capabilities, and it really makes for a smooth, quiet truck that still provides the stiffness that most half-ton truck buyers expect.
Off-Roading in the Rebel
After spending the morning driving around Arizona in the 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn, we arrived at the off-road portion of the event. As you would expect in that part of the country, the off-road area was comprised mostly of deep sand with the occasional uphill climb. There was no mud to sling or no rocks to crawl over, but the loose footing proved to create a challenging task for the new off-road-ready Ram 1500 Rebel.
To tackle this part of the drive, we set the adjustable air suspension to the highest (Off-Road 2) setting and locked the transfer case into 4-Low. The Ram team also lowered the air pressure in all four tires for better grip in the sand.
Not surprisingly, the 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel made short work of this off-road area. While some vehicles would have struggled to dig through the miles of deep, loose sand, the Rebel just powered right through it all. Thanks to the lifted ride height of the Off-Road 2 suspension setting, we had plenty of clearance for the deepest ditches while also having more than enough approach angle to handle the one steep uphill climb.
Also, the off-road-ready Ram cornered well in some of the tighter portions of the course, allowing us to ease the big truck through the trees and cacti of rural Arizona.
Pulling a Trailer
The next portion of our first-drive event for the 2019 Ram 1500 was a trailer-towing test with our choice of a boat or a horse trailer. I conduct my own testing with every new truck and SUV using a 5,500-pound horse trailer, so I jumped at the chance to pull a 4,600-pound trailer with the Ram. When properly equipped, this new half-ton truck will tow more than 12,000 pounds, but a trailer weighing 4,500 to 5,500 pounds is a very average load for most truck owners so it applies to many more people than just horse owners.
Before getting into the actual act of towing, we experienced one of the interesting ways that the Ram 1500 makes pulling a trailer easier. When combining the back-up camera system with the adjustable air suspension system, connecting to the trailer is beautifully simple. You just set the truck’s suspension to the loading level and begin backing up to the trailer. Using the back-up camera, you can guide the ball under the hitch and once there, a push of the suspension height button will lift the ball up into the hitch. Once the suspension has essentially lifted the trailer onto the ball, you just need to get out to fasten the hitch down to the ball, connect the emergency chains and raise the trailer jack the rest of the way up.
Once the trailer was all hooked up, we hit the road with the 4,600-pound horse trailer. After making two quick turns, the Ram’s Blind Spot Detection System had measured the trailer and begun monitoring the areas next to the trailer, making lane changes safer while cruising around the area.
Most importantly, the Hemi-powered Ram 1500 pulled the horse trailer without breaking a sweat. Acceleration from a stop was smooth and effortless, and that was also true when building speed on the highway. Granted, this trailer is less than half of the truck’s full capacity, but it pulled this average-size trailer like a champ. Along those same lines, the new half-ton Ram handled tight quarters and sweeping highway turns confidently with the added weight of the trailer out back. Also, with the electric brake gain turned all of the way down, the massive front brakes of the 2019 Ram got the truck down to a stop from highway speeds in a hurry, so if you have a trailer of this size without good brakes–the new Ram has you covered.
The Premium Interior Amenities
The end of my day of testing with the 2019 Ram 1500 took place in a loaded Longhorn model that had all of the premium amenities. This includes the new 12-inch infotainment screen, the 19-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, the massive panoramic sunroof and premium leather front and rear seats.
Aside from the fact that the leather looks and feels a little nicer than cloth, the biggest advantage of the Longhorn leather seats over our Big Horn is the addition of in-seat ventilation. It was around 90-degrees when we were testing the new truck, so the chilled seats were a welcome feature after a long day in the dry Arizona desert. For friends seated in the back seat, the longer cabin with reclining rear seats proved to be a popular changing, as the 2019 Ram 1500 offers the most comfortable rear-seating area in the segment.
As the sun went down and temperatures dropped with it, the windows went down and the huge sunroof was opened, allowing those of us in the front to enjoy the clear 70-degree Arizona night while rear-riders got to enjoy a view of the stars.
Of course, the most significant feature of the Ram interior is the segment-exclusive 12-inch infotainment screen. This system is literally the same size as two of the current 8.4-inch screens with one stacked on top of the other, and it is every bit as impressive as you might expect. As the owner of a Hellcat Challenger with the 8.4-inch UConnect screen, I am a fan of the function of the system, but the Ram’s 12-inch display makes it that much easier to use.
The 12-inch screen allows you to view your navigation screen or sound system screen in full size, but the best part of the 2019 Ram 1500 infotainment package is that you can view two screens at once. This means that when I was driving to meet friends in Scottsdale for dinner, I had the navigation screen open, but while I was creeping through traffic, I was enjoying the 19-speaker premium sound system. In my Challenger, I would have to flip back and forth from navigation to the media screen, but with the new Ram 1500, I was able to view navigation and media info at the same time. The system looks impressive, but it makes the already easy-to-use UConnect system even more user-friendly when it puts two menus-worth of information on the same massive screen.
Finally, as factory sound systems go, the Ram’s 19-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system is incredible, providing stunning sound quality even at very high volume levels. Whether you are listening to classic rock or hip hop, this system provides a listening experience that is unrivaled in the truck world.
The bottom line here is that the 2019 Ram 1500 is better in every way. Whether you pull a trailer for work every day or you just spend your driving time conquering the concrete jungle, this truck offers performance and comfort that will comfortably go head-to-head with the very best from Ford, Chevy or GMC–and it will win.
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