Flot
Well-Known Member
Drove my Laramie Sport Crew Cab home from the dealer last week - it was a 1000 mile trip but I saved a few thousand dollars and did some sightseeing along the way. I'm coming out of a 2011 Sport Quad Cab which has treated me well. I didn't like the wood trim and chrome on the higher-end models, so I spec'ed out a loaded Laramie + sport package, which is all black with chrome badging and wheels. Interior is black with black accents.
First impressions : I'm very happy with the truck overall. The interior space on the new crew cab is ridiculous, with the seats up or down. The ride is luxury-car quiet up until about 55 mph, 60-80 you get a bit of wind noise but by no means unreasonable. Engine responds well and has a nice, if muted, exhaust note when you step on the gas. It is a bit of a transition for me going from quad to crew, the truck does feel a bit bigger in tight spaces, but the 360 camera was a big help with parking.
Exterior: The sport package looks great. The hood with vents is understated on my black truck, but will really stand out on other colors. The vents, btw, are not functional as far as I can tell from a brief inspection. Didn't see any sign of the sport hood flexing on the highway as some have reported with standard. The rest of the truck is as expected from photos etc, although I was shocked at how light the tailgate is to put back up. The truck definitely feels "bigger" standing next to it compared to the previous gen - however, the tires (and the sport wheel combo) do look notably smaller. I'm not usually one to say it, but I'll probably go a small size up when they need to be replaced. Oh and the power running boards? They're great. I didn't expect them to be so functional or responsive, but I like them a lot. It takes a little getting used to the "whirr clunk" when they go back in but on the black truck they nest away and you never notice them.
Interior: Wow. This truck is more-or-less the same package as my previous, and what a huge leap forward. Seats are great - I could do without the "laramie" stitched into them (and on the dashboard) but the suede inserts and overall design look very nice together. Ventilated seats work a bit better than the previous gen and seem to vent more of your lower back than just the bottom cushion. Stitched dash and door panels look good, stitching maybe not quite as precise as on my 2011. The area above the radio and door panels have a piano black surface with a dotted pattern (almost like a fake carbon fiber) inside. Looks nice. No wood anywhere on the sport and headliner is black. At night, the dash lights up beautifully and there is accent lighting throughout the cab that looks dramatic without being distracting. Only nit-pick there is the accent on the far-right side of the upper glove lid is a bit glaring compared to the rest. Center console turned out to be very functional, although I will miss my ability to just throw everything into the bottom bin out of sight like I do today. With the sliding cup holder there's a little bit more going on overall. Glad to see there's an integrated change holder, although I would have preferred it to be inside the armrest. Still, it was all very comfortable for my 4-5 hour drives.
Driving tech: This is the first vehicle I've owned with a legit safety package, and I'm pretty impressed with all of it. I discovered that I tend to hug the outer lines on the interstate, and found the lane-keeper nudging me back more than I expected. The side-radar was great and after a few hours of driving I found that I was being trained by the truck to signal a bit earlier, the audio alerts for a car next to you were solid. I surprisingly got to try out the emergency braking in a parking deck - not sure what happened there, I was going about 5 mph up a ramp and suddenly the truck hit the brakes - will do some more experimentation with that. Radar cruise worked flawlessly on the interstate, and between that and the lane keeper I wondered how far I could make it - the answer is, not far. The lane-keeper will get frustrated with you and turn off if it bounces off a line more than a few times in short succession.
Engine/Trans: I'm familiar with the hemi but the 8 speed is new to me. I was surprised at how intuitive the knob shifter is - it makes perfect sense to me coming off a standard console shifter. The electronic transfer case controls are seamless, I went from 2wd to 4wd auto a number of times and aside from a few clicks underneath, no drama there. The engine feels strong and sounds good with the windows down. I couldn't tell you if/when I was in 4 cyl mode without really straining to hear a difference. No autostop on my package, which I am happy with. I did feel the occasional bump from the transmission on downshifts but nothing I would call especially jarring - I did notice what felt like an engine power dropoff as it shifts under heavy throttle, which surprised me - but I haven't put enough honest city driving into it yet to really weigh in on that.
12" Uconnect etc: Very cool. I honestly didn't have too much time to play with this, as I was mostly driving over the last week, but it has given me a whole new appreciation for XM radio with the album art, touchscreen control, etc. I'm still getting used to the hard buttons for climate control - I do feel like I have lost a tiny bit of functionality here, for instance there is no "max ac" hard button, but I think it'll come quickly. The top-bottom card thing is interesting, although I found myself a bit frustrated not being able to figure out when I would be in full screen mode vs half screen, and in some cases I would have preferred full and found myself with a split view. Give me another week to go a bit more in-depth on that. I have the HK stereo - I'm happy with sound quality overall (turned off the "surround sound" right away though) but as I noted in another thread, the max volume when in XM mode is surprisingly low. Low as in, with the XM cranked to the highest volume position, it is still comfortable singing-along-like-an-idiot at the top of your lungs levels. In contrast, I tried the USB audio in and I was about 2/3 of max volume before it was equally loud. Hopefully a software update can address this.
Wireless charging: I admit, of all the functions this one confused me. I have 3-4 wireless pads at home and at work and they all just do their thing, but the wireless charging pad in the truck seemed to have a mind of its own. Often it had a blinking red light on it, whether a phone was in it or not. Sometimes it charged my iphone just fine (blue light), and sometimes there was no light. I admit I haven't read the manual yet, maybe this all makes sense but I have a feeling that something is up and it'll need to be replaced.
Night driving: was great. I have the non-steering LED headlights and they are solid. The LED foglights are great - felt every bit as good as the aftermarket HIDs I had put in my 2011, which were a big step up from the factory halogens.
Other random items: Based on other forum posts I was watching out for a few things that might be wrong. Some people mentioned USB ports not charging or charging intermittently - I didn't see that. I DID notice the AC really struggled on one unusually (90-92 degree?) hot day - not sure if that is to be expected in a black crew cab but I was surprised when I realized I had been driving 15 mins and it was still barely keeping up. Getting the windows tinted today and will see how that goes, I may complain at my first oil change in a month and see if the dealer identifies any shortcomings. I also saw the same coolant temp inconsistency someone posted on here - mostly at low highway (50-60) speeds. I saw my gauge going from 202-220. Picked up a gallon jug of water and added a bit to the overflow, let the engine heat cycle a few times and it seemed to clear up. Will keep an eye on that, I think it is resolved for now but still seemed more variable than my 2011 which gets to 204 or so and stays there consistently.
Overall I'm giving the ram a 9/10, very happy with the purchase. Any questions on this config feel free to ask - I think this is one of the first Laramie Sports to get delivered.
First impressions : I'm very happy with the truck overall. The interior space on the new crew cab is ridiculous, with the seats up or down. The ride is luxury-car quiet up until about 55 mph, 60-80 you get a bit of wind noise but by no means unreasonable. Engine responds well and has a nice, if muted, exhaust note when you step on the gas. It is a bit of a transition for me going from quad to crew, the truck does feel a bit bigger in tight spaces, but the 360 camera was a big help with parking.
Exterior: The sport package looks great. The hood with vents is understated on my black truck, but will really stand out on other colors. The vents, btw, are not functional as far as I can tell from a brief inspection. Didn't see any sign of the sport hood flexing on the highway as some have reported with standard. The rest of the truck is as expected from photos etc, although I was shocked at how light the tailgate is to put back up. The truck definitely feels "bigger" standing next to it compared to the previous gen - however, the tires (and the sport wheel combo) do look notably smaller. I'm not usually one to say it, but I'll probably go a small size up when they need to be replaced. Oh and the power running boards? They're great. I didn't expect them to be so functional or responsive, but I like them a lot. It takes a little getting used to the "whirr clunk" when they go back in but on the black truck they nest away and you never notice them.
Interior: Wow. This truck is more-or-less the same package as my previous, and what a huge leap forward. Seats are great - I could do without the "laramie" stitched into them (and on the dashboard) but the suede inserts and overall design look very nice together. Ventilated seats work a bit better than the previous gen and seem to vent more of your lower back than just the bottom cushion. Stitched dash and door panels look good, stitching maybe not quite as precise as on my 2011. The area above the radio and door panels have a piano black surface with a dotted pattern (almost like a fake carbon fiber) inside. Looks nice. No wood anywhere on the sport and headliner is black. At night, the dash lights up beautifully and there is accent lighting throughout the cab that looks dramatic without being distracting. Only nit-pick there is the accent on the far-right side of the upper glove lid is a bit glaring compared to the rest. Center console turned out to be very functional, although I will miss my ability to just throw everything into the bottom bin out of sight like I do today. With the sliding cup holder there's a little bit more going on overall. Glad to see there's an integrated change holder, although I would have preferred it to be inside the armrest. Still, it was all very comfortable for my 4-5 hour drives.
Driving tech: This is the first vehicle I've owned with a legit safety package, and I'm pretty impressed with all of it. I discovered that I tend to hug the outer lines on the interstate, and found the lane-keeper nudging me back more than I expected. The side-radar was great and after a few hours of driving I found that I was being trained by the truck to signal a bit earlier, the audio alerts for a car next to you were solid. I surprisingly got to try out the emergency braking in a parking deck - not sure what happened there, I was going about 5 mph up a ramp and suddenly the truck hit the brakes - will do some more experimentation with that. Radar cruise worked flawlessly on the interstate, and between that and the lane keeper I wondered how far I could make it - the answer is, not far. The lane-keeper will get frustrated with you and turn off if it bounces off a line more than a few times in short succession.
Engine/Trans: I'm familiar with the hemi but the 8 speed is new to me. I was surprised at how intuitive the knob shifter is - it makes perfect sense to me coming off a standard console shifter. The electronic transfer case controls are seamless, I went from 2wd to 4wd auto a number of times and aside from a few clicks underneath, no drama there. The engine feels strong and sounds good with the windows down. I couldn't tell you if/when I was in 4 cyl mode without really straining to hear a difference. No autostop on my package, which I am happy with. I did feel the occasional bump from the transmission on downshifts but nothing I would call especially jarring - I did notice what felt like an engine power dropoff as it shifts under heavy throttle, which surprised me - but I haven't put enough honest city driving into it yet to really weigh in on that.
12" Uconnect etc: Very cool. I honestly didn't have too much time to play with this, as I was mostly driving over the last week, but it has given me a whole new appreciation for XM radio with the album art, touchscreen control, etc. I'm still getting used to the hard buttons for climate control - I do feel like I have lost a tiny bit of functionality here, for instance there is no "max ac" hard button, but I think it'll come quickly. The top-bottom card thing is interesting, although I found myself a bit frustrated not being able to figure out when I would be in full screen mode vs half screen, and in some cases I would have preferred full and found myself with a split view. Give me another week to go a bit more in-depth on that. I have the HK stereo - I'm happy with sound quality overall (turned off the "surround sound" right away though) but as I noted in another thread, the max volume when in XM mode is surprisingly low. Low as in, with the XM cranked to the highest volume position, it is still comfortable singing-along-like-an-idiot at the top of your lungs levels. In contrast, I tried the USB audio in and I was about 2/3 of max volume before it was equally loud. Hopefully a software update can address this.
Wireless charging: I admit, of all the functions this one confused me. I have 3-4 wireless pads at home and at work and they all just do their thing, but the wireless charging pad in the truck seemed to have a mind of its own. Often it had a blinking red light on it, whether a phone was in it or not. Sometimes it charged my iphone just fine (blue light), and sometimes there was no light. I admit I haven't read the manual yet, maybe this all makes sense but I have a feeling that something is up and it'll need to be replaced.
Night driving: was great. I have the non-steering LED headlights and they are solid. The LED foglights are great - felt every bit as good as the aftermarket HIDs I had put in my 2011, which were a big step up from the factory halogens.
Other random items: Based on other forum posts I was watching out for a few things that might be wrong. Some people mentioned USB ports not charging or charging intermittently - I didn't see that. I DID notice the AC really struggled on one unusually (90-92 degree?) hot day - not sure if that is to be expected in a black crew cab but I was surprised when I realized I had been driving 15 mins and it was still barely keeping up. Getting the windows tinted today and will see how that goes, I may complain at my first oil change in a month and see if the dealer identifies any shortcomings. I also saw the same coolant temp inconsistency someone posted on here - mostly at low highway (50-60) speeds. I saw my gauge going from 202-220. Picked up a gallon jug of water and added a bit to the overflow, let the engine heat cycle a few times and it seemed to clear up. Will keep an eye on that, I think it is resolved for now but still seemed more variable than my 2011 which gets to 204 or so and stays there consistently.
Overall I'm giving the ram a 9/10, very happy with the purchase. Any questions on this config feel free to ask - I think this is one of the first Laramie Sports to get delivered.
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