ALL NEW 2019 RAM 1500 RIDE AND DRIVE
All New 2019 Ram 1500 Ride and Drive
Ram engineers know that you have to pretty much put a stick of dynamite under a guy to get him to switch truck brands —but that’s frowned upon, so they resorted to technology, engineering and style, aiming squarely at Ford and GM for the top spot in the half-ton market.
The big three are all very competitive when it comes to the numbers. Trim level to trim level, there is no clear winner when it comes to fuel economy, hp, torque, payload, or max towing - no one is 10% better, not even 5%. Exterior and interior aesthetics are for the most part personal choice. So where is the stick of dynamite? Ram offers a number of segment exclusive design features. If one feature is something you have to have, or a few of them stack up high enough, you get sufficient dynamite to make you switch brands.
Let’s start with air suspension. Aside from ride quality, it has a number of everyday advantages. The truck can be lowered so it is easy to load with passengers or gear in the bed, you can raise it for more ground clearance driving off-road or lower it for improved fuel economy, it has built-in load leveling capability, and in conjunction with backup cameras, you can drive the ball under the trailer hitch and then lift the truck so it connects.
You can debate the better ride of rear coil spring suspension versus the durability of rear leaf spring, but the bottom line is if you want it, this is the only place you’ll get a rear five-link coil spring suspension in a half-ton pick-up.
Steel bumpers. Sure they weigh a bit more and can rust, but if you would rather live with a dent than destroyed plastic, this is the way to go.
eTorque provides you with a mildhybrid system. I haven’t had a chance to drive this but I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you what I expect. Ford has turned to smaller displacement turbocharged engines to improve fuel economy and power/torque in the low rpm range, making traditional V8’s feel sluggish in comparison. eTorque does the same but lets you keep your V8, which is historically a more durable half-ton engine. I’ve seen lots of comments questioning the durability of the eTorque system. But it’s not new tech. It’s a 48-volt electric generator and battery, and a transmission designed to work with the torque boost at low rpms. It’s not ground breaking new technology, but it is a new application in a half-ton pick-up.
In the interior, one of my favourite design features is the massive 12” fully configurable touch screen. I didn’t think it could sway a buying decision until I drove it through the bowels of Phoenix. It was the first time I've wanted to give up the drivers seat and ride shotgun instead, (my driving partner suggested it wasn’t safe to drive and play with the screen at the same
time). When it comes to navigation, there is nothing like being able to glance down at this monster screen. Let’s face it; a little company called Apple has continually invested in bigger screens. Ram has definitely made the right move. You can use it as one large navigation screen and zoom in for greater detail, or split the screen into something like navigation on top and music controls on the bottom.
There are many more design features to improve the driving experience check out http://suncruisermedia.com/4WDrive/ trucks/closer-look-%E2%80%93-2019ram-1500/ or https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=YEl8M-JIb7s&t=30s for more details.
Let’s look at how the sum of the parts translates into real world driving.
Normally at these Ride and Drive events you don’t know your driving partner, so there is a bit of a “feeling out” process. The initial task at hand is to determine who gets to drive first. We sometimes use complex approaches such as rock, paper, scissors or calling shotgun. But in this case my partner was courteous and asked me if I wanted to take the lead. It was primarily Canadian journalists on this particular day, so I wasn't surprised that my partner was so polite. It was either that or he was up later than I was the night before.
For the first five or ten minutes of the drive with a new friend, you are concerned for their safety and well-being. At about the time those feelings start going away, you exit onto a freeway and get to stomp on the gas like it's a rental vehicle and you got free fuel.
Our test vehicle had the 5.7L V8 hemi without eTorque. It accelerates from 0-100 km/h in about 7 seconds, which is good but it doesn’t have the excitement of a 3.5L Ford EcoBoost at around six seconds. And maybe that’s not important to you as we are talking trucks, not drag cars. The hemi pulls consistently and the eight-speed transmission shifts up and down smoothly. The seats are very comfortable and the truck has a refined feel, one of the most car-like on-highway driving experiences I’ve enjoyed in a truck, which makes it a great daily driver.
The new Ram boasts that it is the segments most aerodynamic pickup with a .357 coefficient of drag. Exclusive features like the grill shutters, air dam and air suspension accomplish this. As we increased in speed the ride became gentler and quieter. Several times throughout the drive my partner asked if I knew what the speed limit was. It was easy to have the speedometer creep up on you with such a quiet ride. I expect that when we get our new Ram, the mud terrains we put on will make it slightly louder inside and help control our speed.
The tow portion of the drive was one of the best “back up to hook on” experiences I have had. With the 360-degree surround view video screen providing a bird’s eye perspective of the truck, I was able to back right to the hitch without my business partner screaming and waving his arms at me like I didn’t know what I was doing. It was always a good confidence builder hooking up the company boat the oldfashioned way.
Once hooked on to the trailer I headed back out to the open road. I set the sensors to include the overall length of the truck and trailer. The Blind Spot Monitoring will notify you not only when another vehicle is in the way of your Ram but the trailer as well.
The trailer was easy to tow and while I had the Sirius Satellite cranked with my country favourites, it was easy to forget that I was towing. That was until I had to turn around in a casino parking lot. Those bird’s eye view cameras sure come in handy.
Easily the best part of the day was taking the Rebel TRX to the off-road course. I asked where we could find the helmets, and at this point my driving partner opted out of coming with me. The course, which was a mix of hard pack, loose rock and deep sand. I geared to 4 Low, engaged the rear locker and departed.
The Rebel TRX comes with a 1” lifted suspension, electronic locking rear axle, tuned shocks and Hill-descent control. I received some unique instructions before heading out – 1. Watch out for cattle and 2. If you need to get out of the Ram for any reason, don’t pet the dogs because they
aren’t friendly - they are feral, aggressive animals. Also, they might not even be dogs, but Javelina’s, which are ‘peccaries’. Sort of a wild pig with canine teeth and tusks!
Fortunately, I never had to get out. The truck pulled through deep sand with ease and the handling was incredible. I took the opportunity to go through the course a second time in 4 High. Knowing the course, I was able to really push the truck to its limits, testing its ability to suck up bumps, and maintain control in higher speed corners on loose rock, sand and hard pack washboard. I tested the skidplate bottoming out on a steep descent. The skid plate did its job and so did my underwear. For a stock, half-ton pick-up, the performance was astounding.
Overall, I am convinced that if loyal drivers from other truck brands take the new Ram 1500 out for a test drive, they will have a hard time not taking one home, especially if given the opportunity to test the Rebel TRX off-highway.
I won’t be surprised to see Ram capture more of the market with this new truck.