DRIVER’S JOURNAL
Day 1: The 2019 Ram Limited model is a beautiful update to the previous body style, with new visual cues and a noticeably larger cab. The Uconnect system is excellent, but a bit overwhelming to try to sort the split screens and what’s displayed on the top or bottom half of the massive 12-inch screen. The Harman Kardon system was excellent — crisp and with an appropriate amount of bass. Stopped for dinner and tried the perpendicular park feature. My wife looked aghast as I had both hands in the air as the system perfectly backed the truck into its stall. I mean perfectly: it was right in the middle of the stall.
Day 2: Spent 45 minutes driving to work, admiring the finish of the interior. Plenty of wood and soft leather. Love the stitching. The aluminum touches on the centre stack and speakers work very well. Lowering the air suspension to the entry/exit height allowed me to comfortably get the truck in the underground parking under the maximum 6-foot-2 height restriction. Drove to Banff in the evening for a meeting. Beautiful highway cruiser with plenty of power. The adaptive cruise control worked well.
Day 3: I am getting more familiar with the workings of the Uconnect system. You can split the screen into two conventional screens and can pick what you want displayed on the top and bottom halves of the screen. Gas mileage seems impressive for a vehicle this size. Driving back and forth to work and then to Banff and back averaged 12.4 L per 100 km. Discovered that the headlights swivel and turn with the direction of the wheels (at slower speeds), a very cool feature I was not expecting to find in a truck.
Day 4: Back to the usual grind of back and forth to the office. The truck continues to perform admirably. Great in traffic, even for its size. Not only are the rear seats heated — no surprise in this segment — but they are cooled as well. Wow, I noticed not one, but two 110-volt plugs.
Day 5: Worked from home today but took the truck out for some errands. The weather was cold, and the rain was thick, hampering visibility. It was great riding high above the rest of the slow traffic. The huge centre-stack screen was starting to grow on me. The functions and the location and placement of cards was becoming easier and easier to use. I compared the resolution to my 2016 Jeep SRT (8.4-inch Uconnect); the Ram screen was so much crisper and easier to read.
Day 6: Our dinner guests were amazed by the quality and equipment on this truck. They were blown away by all the options and quality of fit and finish. It was noted that the heated and cooled front seats had three levels of adjustment, not just on and off. The power steps were appreciated more than the tubular bars of the past.
Day 7: Trip to Canmore. My passenger noted the dual glove boxes; after all, you can never have too much storage for your gloves! The soft-drop tailgate and the LED lighting in the bed of the truck worked well. I am now very comfortable with the Uconnect system. It works very well once you figure out the logic.