2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn: a Luxury Car with a Truck Bed

Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn may bring the Old West and rugged lifestyles to mind, but it’s a thoroughly modern and luxurious truck.

Years ago, there used to be a huge chasm between the comfort, refinement, luxury, and technology of dedicated luxury sedans and pickups. Cars such as the BMW 7 Series were spacious isolation chambers on wheels stuffed with fine materials, impressive creature comforts, and cool gizmos. By comparison, trucks were no-frills tools meant to get work done. As time has gone on, that divide has grown smaller and smaller thanks to trucks such as the 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn.

Yuri and Jakob of the popular YouTube channel, The Straight Pipes, recently got their hands on one equipped with an extensive list of standard and optional features.

Their 1500 Laramie Longhorn tester certainly looks like a high-end truck with its generous amount of chrome, 22-inch wheels, and power-deployable running boards.

But the Laramie Longhorn’s interior is its biggest standout feature. Yuri and Jakub marvel not only at its handsome leather seats, barn wood trim, and metallic accents, but how much attention Ram’s design team paid to all of the little details. The grab handles are wrapped in leather with contrast stitching. The metallic accents have a pattern on them that’s reminiscent of antique firearms. The front seatback flaps close with a faux belt buckle. Ram even went so far as to put a leather-like digital background on its infotainment screen.

The massive 12-inch display in the middle of the dashboard offers split-screen capability for showing two functions at once and the ability to rewind a song playing on SiriusXM.

Passengers in the roomy second row get pampered, too. Their seats are heated and cooled and can also recline. Everyone gets treated to the cabin’s quietness and the gentle ride quality from the four-corner air suspension. As Jakub puts it, “This thing just absorbs all the bumps. It feels so good.”

Despite its posh materials and thoughtful conveniences, the Yuri and Jakub’s test truck is still ready to work. It has the eTorque-assisted 5.7-liter Hemi V8 under the hood. Output is still 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, but the eTorque mild hybrid system can temporarily add up to 130 lb-ft, improve fuel economy, and give the 1500 a towing capacity of up to 12,750 pounds. Jakub gives it the edge over its rival from the Blue Oval. “I think it’s better than the EcoBoost from Ford.” Out back, a folding tonneau cover keeps cargo in the bed while a pair of RamBoxes provide additional storage options.

The only catch to a truck being so much like a luxury sedan is that it has a price to match. After all, Jakub does call the 1500 Laramie Longhorn “the Texas [Mercedes-Benz] S-Class.” The press truck Ram loaned to him and Yuri comes in at roughly $67,239 USD ($88,495 CAD). Given how many of these high-end haulers we’ve seen out on the roads, that seems to be a price a lot of people are gladly willing to pay.

Photos: Screenshots

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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