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Drove a 2020 tonight for an hour or so...

iamtheav8r

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My local dealer gave me a 2020 Laramie Longhorn for an hour+ tonight. I only put 30 miles or so on it, but here's my impressions if anyone cares.

Interior is louder than my Honda or the F150 platinums I've driven. Sound meter (non-calibrated microphone) shows 62-64 db in the Ford and Honda and was 65-69 in the Ram (same roads, same speeds, etc) I could hear the wind noise (open door) so many complain about (passenger rear door noise), but believe I can correct that based on what others here have done. It was a little better with the sun shade closed, but not much.

Seats are comfortable and have great adjustability. The driver's left seat base bolster was bothering me a bit, but likely due to it being stiff (not broken in) Seat heaters, steering wheel heater, climate control all seemed to work very well.

Access into the truck front and rear seating is awesome. Best in class for sure.

Visibility is good, but not great. Head rests get in the way (front and rear seat) when looking over your shoulder. Rears can be folded down.

Sunroof and shade are great. Roof tilted is noisier than the ford or honda. I didn't try it opened.

HK stereo isn't nearly what I had expected. Sound quality (Sirius and USB source of lossless media) was meh....I adjusted the EQ etc and it just never was great. Honda is better...Ford is about the same.

Plenty of power (5.7 E-Torque), but not "wow" power. It's a truck...not a race car. Averaged about 18 on my short drive which included hills, city streets, neighborhoods and highway at 65 MPH.

Transmission shifts well. This truck only had 11 miles on it so I'd guess the TCU hasn't had enough time to learn and smooth out the shifts. Some downshifts at slow speeds were abrupt, but it never felt lazy accelerating from slow speeds.

The truck bumped forwards several times when sitting at a light (engine off due to stop) when I lifted my foot off the brake pedal...not all the way off...just enough to let the truck roll a bit. The engine started and the truck jumped forward a bit. Surprised me. Not dangerous, but unexpected.

Headlights are great! Better than Ford or Honda.

The myriad of controls and adjustment on the 12.4 Uconnect are staggering. I found it easy to navigate and found what I was looking for without much trouble.

Wireless phone charger wouldn't charge consistently with my Note 10+ and Samsung rugged case. I removed the case and it worked fine.

Took 4 tries to pair my phone to the truck. My phone didn't see the uconnect the first 3 holding it over the console. I held it near the charger on the 4th try and it worked.

Suspension was plush and silent. I did hear a rattle from the passenger rear a couple times on stutter bumps. Sounded like it was coming from outside the cabin.

Overall a pretty nice truck. Best interior, not the best in other ways, but what is?
 

Deezl

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I have the HK. Blows the Ford B&O away, IMHO. I don't have the "open door" wind noise. And, yes, ANY sunroof will make noise when tilted. I think mine is still a damn quiet truck, and BY FAR the most luxurious and best looking. Opinions are just that... Opinions. Get what'cha like. You'll think you're is the best, for you, and I'll continue to think I bought the very best for my dollar. The one think I will address are the inordinate amount of rattles in the interior. I'll Chase them down, one by one.
20a60c1a4d8ded63e169f34fba595cdc.jpg


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HeliPilot

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Non-Etorque here. Mine has never surged, nor has it ever had a harsh downshift. My tranny has been/continues to be really smooth. My HK is the best sounding factory system I've ever had in a truck (Never had the Alpine system...my brother loves his). Heads and shoulders better than any systems that were in any of my previous Ford's. Maybe surround sound was not enabled in the one you drove. Your assessment of Great in some areas, not in others as compared to various brands is spot on. For me, there was enough in the good category to give the new Ram a shot, and as I told you before, mine has been a real pleasure to drive for the past 20K miles. Good luck in your shopping!!
 

HeliPilot

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I have the HK. Blows the Ford B&O away, IMHO. I don't have the "open door" wind noise. And, yes, ANY sunroof will make noise when tilted. I think mine is still a damn quiet truck, and BY FAR the most luxurious and best looking. Opinions are just that... Opinions. Get what'cha like. You'll think you're is the best, for you, and I'll continue to think I bought the very best for my dollar. The one think I will address are the inordinate amount of rattles in the interior. I'll Chase them down, one by one.
20a60c1a4d8ded63e169f34fba595cdc.jpg


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I chased down my rattles the first week I bought it. It has been rattle free for a year now. And maybe because I'm always listening to the HK, I've never noticed any crazy road noise. I've always thought my truck is Super quiet.
 

Talisman

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I test drove 2 limiteds this past weekend and thought it was the quietest ride I’ve ever been in. One had a sunroof and one didn’t. I was personally thinking I wouldn’t like the oversized sunroof due to wind noise, but it was great and now I actually want it.

I was a little underwhelmed by the power (both had etorque). I feel like this truck deserves a 6.2L. I can’t imagine that with the addition of etorque and cylinder deactivation that the 6.2 would use much more fuel than a 5.7 engine.

Apart from power and a little more suspension sway than I expected, I absolutely loved the truck. I’m trying to make a purchase before the end of the year.
 

Deezl

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I test drove 2 limiteds this past weekend and thought it was the quietest ride I’ve ever been in. One had a sunroof and one didn’t. I was personally thinking I wouldn’t like the oversized sunroof due to wind noise, but it was great and now I actually want it.

I was a little underwhelmed by the power (both had etorque). I feel like this truck deserves a 6.2L. I can’t imagine that with the addition of etorque and cylinder deactivation that the 6.2 would use much more fuel than a 5.7 engine.

Apart from power and a little more suspension sway than I expected, I absolutely loved the truck. I’m trying to make a purchase before the end of the year.
Get one before the end of the month. Employee Pricing PLUS Incentives on a 2019 is unheard of, and the 2019's are flying off of the lot!

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iamtheav8r

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Non-Etorque here. Mine has never surged, nor has it ever had a harsh downshift. My tranny has been/continues to be really smooth. My HK is the best sounding factory system I've ever had in a truck (Never had the Alpine system...my brother loves his). Heads and shoulders better than any systems that were in any of my previous Ford's. Maybe surround sound was not enabled in the one you drove. Your assessment of Great in some areas, not in others as compared to various brands is spot on. For me, there was enough in the good category to give the new Ram a shot, and as I told you before, mine has been a real pleasure to drive for the past 20K miles. Good luck in your shopping!!
Turning surround on actually makes it sound worse to my ears. As you increase volume, the system sounded overdriven...like the amp(s) were pushed beyond their range. I've always had B&O systems at home (I have a set of Beolab 18s in my garage) so I'm pretty picky when it comes to audio. Most people probably won't care.

Thanks for the reply.
 

iamtheav8r

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I have the HK. Blows the Ford B&O away, IMHO. I don't have the "open door" wind noise. And, yes, ANY sunroof will make noise when tilted. I think mine is still a damn quiet truck, and BY FAR the most luxurious and best looking.

I agree on the best looking and best interior.

I used empirical data from the same sound meters to come to my conclusion on interior noise levels. It is what it is. Very quiet, to be sure, but not as quiet as others. My Honda uses an "acoustic" windshield which has a special layer of material sandwiched between the glass to reduce sound. Ford uses this in *all* of their windows now (higher trim levels) which makes their cab the quietest available. Ram has made a very good truck. With a few tweaks, it would be fantastic and crush the competition.
 

iamtheav8r

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Get one before the end of the month. Employee Pricing PLUS Incentives on a 2019 is unheard of, and the 2019's are flying off of the lot!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
I wouldn't buy a 2019 this late in the year. If they don't extend the employee discounts on 11/26 I'll shelf the idea and wait to see what Ford does with the 2021 which is supposed to be an all new, mid-year introduction. Ram knows this and is trying to grab as much market share as they can before that happens. Ford is supposed to be reducing the price, adding a 15" display and addressing the interior competition the Ram has introduced. Could be a winner. Dunno.
 

Klute

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It's what I'm driving now. If it isn't applicable to you, sorry.
That's fine but honestly, the Ridgeline (based on the Honda Pilot mid-size crossover SUV) is a nice vehicle but it's not really a truck perse. You can't really expect it to compare to a Ram, F150 or the like IMO. The unitized body alone makes a huge difference in sound and vibration I would expect it to be much quieter.
 

jastevenson

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When you say suspension sway, what are you referring to? Rough ride, or something else?

I test drove 2 limiteds this past weekend and thought it was the quietest ride I’ve ever been in. One had a sunroof and one didn’t. I was personally thinking I wouldn’t like the oversized sunroof due to wind noise, but it was great and now I actually want it.

I was a little underwhelmed by the power (both had etorque). I feel like this truck deserves a 6.2L. I can’t imagine that with the addition of etorque and cylinder deactivation that the 6.2 would use much more fuel than a 5.7 engine.

Apart from power and a little more suspension sway than I expected, I absolutely loved the truck. I’m trying to make a purchase before the end of the year.
 

iamtheav8r

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When you say suspension sway, what are you referring to? Rough ride, or something else?
I'm curious as well. I didn't notice anything like that. This had air suspension. Felt completely damped at all times. Planted. Doesn't really drive like a truck.
 

iamtheav8r

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That's fine but honestly, the Ridgeline (based on the Honda Pilot mid-size crossover SUV) is a nice vehicle but it's not really a truck perse. You can't really expect it to compare to a Ram, F150 or the like IMO. The unitized body alone makes a huge difference in sound and vibration I would expect it to be much quieter.
I'd agree with you, but the Ford is as quiet or more so than my Honda. It's not my impression. I took sound pressure measurements in every truck I've driven to see how they compared. The Ram is significantly more noisy inside than the others I compared it to. It's still quiet, don't get me wrong. It's just not as quiet as others.
 

Talisman

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When you say suspension sway, what are you referring to? Rough ride, or something else?

The dealership I went to was on top of a big hill. The back road to the dealership is pretty windy. The truck had a little more lean than I’m used to. Now that could simply be because I’m used to a much lighter truck (Tacoma 2wd). It took me about 10 minutes of driving to get used to the full size truck. The trucks I tested had air suspension.

I wouldn’t say it was a bad feeling, it was just different for me coming from my little Tacoma. I’ve read about some members upgrading the rear sway bar. I suspect that would solve this very minor issue for me. With that said, I’m sure I would just get used to the way a full sized truck drives after a couple of days and wouldn’t think twice about wanting a bigger sway bar after a couple of days.

I loved the truck and plan on purchasing or ordering very soon.
 

SpeedyV

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I test drove 2 limiteds this past weekend and thought it was the quietest ride I’ve ever been in. One had a sunroof and one didn’t. I was personally thinking I wouldn’t like the oversized sunroof due to wind noise, but it was great and now I actually want it.

I was a little underwhelmed by the power (both had etorque). I feel like this truck deserves a 6.2L. I can’t imagine that with the addition of etorque and cylinder deactivation that the 6.2 would use much more fuel than a 5.7 engine.

Apart from power and a little more suspension sway than I expected, I absolutely loved the truck. I’m trying to make a purchase before the end of the year.
3.92 gearing and a Hellwig sway bar = done.
 

ChadT

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The dealership I went to was on top of a big hill. The back road to the dealership is pretty windy. The truck had a little more lean than I’m used to. Now that could simply be because I’m used to a much lighter truck (Tacoma 2wd). It took me about 10 minutes of driving to get used to the full size truck. The trucks I tested had air suspension.

I wouldn’t say it was a bad feeling, it was just different for me coming from my little Tacoma. I’ve read about some members upgrading the rear sway bar. I suspect that would solve this very minor issue for me. With that said, I’m sure I would just get used to the way a full sized truck drives after a couple of days and wouldn’t think twice about wanting a bigger sway bar after a couple of days.

I loved the truck and plan on purchasing or ordering very soon.

I had a midsize toyota before my first fullsize Ram

Man be careful the first time you pull into an ATM lane.... some of them get narrower at the end!
You're right that the adjustment period doesn't take too long. The braking distances involve a touch more "staging", same with turns, but not crazy so. Midsize trucks are bigger than some might think they are - but the fullsize ones are a friggin hotel on wheels.
 

AbitaPro

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My local dealer gave me a 2020 Laramie Longhorn for an hour+ tonight. I only put 30 miles or so on it, but here's my impressions if anyone cares.

Interior is louder than my Honda or the F150 platinums I've driven. Sound meter (non-calibrated microphone) shows 62-64 db in the Ford and Honda and was 65-69 in the Ram (same roads, same speeds, etc) I could hear the wind noise (open door) so many complain about (passenger rear door noise), but believe I can correct that based on what others here have done. It was a little better with the sun shade closed, but not much.

Seats are comfortable and have great adjustability. The driver's left seat base bolster was bothering me a bit, but likely due to it being stiff (not broken in) Seat heaters, steering wheel heater, climate control all seemed to work very well.

Access into the truck front and rear seating is awesome. Best in class for sure.

Visibility is good, but not great. Head rests get in the way (front and rear seat) when looking over your shoulder. Rears can be folded down.

Sunroof and shade are great. Roof tilted is noisier than the ford or honda. I didn't try it opened.

HK stereo isn't nearly what I had expected. Sound quality (Sirius and USB source of lossless media) was meh....I adjusted the EQ etc and it just never was great. Honda is better...Ford is about the same.

Plenty of power (5.7 E-Torque), but not "wow" power. It's a truck...not a race car. Averaged about 18 on my short drive which included hills, city streets, neighborhoods and highway at 65 MPH.

Transmission shifts well. This truck only had 11 miles on it so I'd guess the TCU hasn't had enough time to learn and smooth out the shifts. Some downshifts at slow speeds were abrupt, but it never felt lazy accelerating from slow speeds.

The truck bumped forwards several times when sitting at a light (engine off due to stop) when I lifted my foot off the brake pedal...not all the way off...just enough to let the truck roll a bit. The engine started and the truck jumped forward a bit. Surprised me. Not dangerous, but unexpected.

Headlights are great! Better than Ford or Honda.

The myriad of controls and adjustment on the 12.4 Uconnect are staggering. I found it easy to navigate and found what I was looking for without much trouble.

Wireless phone charger wouldn't charge consistently with my Note 10+ and Samsung rugged case. I removed the case and it worked fine.

Took 4 tries to pair my phone to the truck. My phone didn't see the uconnect the first 3 holding it over the console. I held it near the charger on the 4th try and it worked.

Suspension was plush and silent. I did hear a rattle from the passenger rear a couple times on stutter bumps. Sounded like it was coming from outside the cabin.

Overall a pretty nice truck. Best interior, not the best in other ways, but what is?
My impression of the 2019 Ram was such that I left a lifetime of Ford Trucks but more importantly a 30 year relationship with the local Ford Dealer less than 10 minutes from the house, and a truly professional service department. Leaving those Friends in Service to buy something, anything was something I never entertained or thought possible.

But the ultra comfortable ride, quietness, NASCAR road hugging, smooth power, remarkable engineered design and built, and awesome looks was a game changer, and honestly None of the other Truck Manufactures comes close! Comfort was the most important consideration in my case due to medical issues. Had the Ram been close to the F-150 in comfort, I would have just kept my 2013 Platinum. It only had 42K miles and was in showroom condition. We just made a 2100 mile trip, in my Ram Limited, average MPG 18, most importantly, I had absolutely no Truck induced neck, back or spine pain or discomfort! Unlike my F-150 when I was almost hospitalized after a 520 mile trip to TN.

As far as your review I would have to disagree with most of it, but then again it’s only my opinion. My Limited is Diamond Black with the 5.7Hemi, Off-road, Pkg1, No Glass Roof and is honestly the best designed truck I’ve ever owned!
 

AbitaPro

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The dealership I went to was on top of a big hill. The back road to the dealership is pretty windy. The truck had a little more lean than I’m used to. Now that could simply be because I’m used to a much lighter truck (Tacoma 2wd). It took me about 10 minutes of driving to get used to the full size truck. The trucks I tested had air suspension.

I wouldn’t say it was a bad feeling, it was just different for me coming from my little Tacoma. I’ve read about some members upgrading the rear sway bar. I suspect that would solve this very minor issue for me. With that said, I’m sure I would just get used to the way a full sized truck drives after a couple of days and wouldn’t think twice about wanting a bigger sway bar after a couple of days.

I loved the truck and plan on purchasing or ordering very soon.
My Limited is stock with the Off-Road package and honestly 0 sway, and hugs the road likes it’s glued and it’s NASCAR rated!
 

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