I’ve had my 2019 Ram Limited for almost 2,000 miles so far. 1,000 has been driving home from dealer and excessive driving around the city during my honeymoon phase with the truck, and another was a 1,000 mile road trip over the weekend. Wanted to give people my feedback on the truck thus far on the highs and lows
Pros
Adaptive Cruise = This is just about my favorite option on the truck. It works so confidently, it very very rarely isn’t on the same page as I am on breaking distance and reaction time. My wife Acura always seems like a crapshoot and is only practical on the highway (it additionally does not work under 15MPH). The stop and go of FCA is really, really relaxing during rush hour, or during this trip over the weekend with Cincinnati traffic that is always present. Highly recommend this package.
Parking Lot Defense Mode = This…is obviously not a real thing, but it IS a thing. Over the weekend we went to the Cincinnati Zoo on the way home, and had to follow the parking lot attendants location on where to park. I am usually a back of the lot parker, but wasn’t an option. I parked and then some old Pontiac Sunfire parked next to me…way too close. So then I had the bright idea of deploying the running boards and putting it in off-road 2, this raises the car up enough and the running boards stick out enough that they will catch any stray doors opening. Felt great about this.
Ride Comfort = 1,000 miles in 40 hours (Not a planned trip, friend was in the hospital). I’ve made this trip a hundred times, and usually it FEELS every bit of a 1,000 mile trip. I got home with this truck feeling completely fresh, no sore back or buns. Really really comfortable ride (20inch rims, air suspension)
LED Projector Headlights = I’m mostly city driving or highway night driving, but I did take this on a midnight cruise last week to finally see how these worked. They are very cool, it appears that one headlight (whichever corner you are turning) turns a few degrees into the corner, and if you take the corner in a spirited manor, you can see it quickly make its way back to center. Another cool feature is when you start the car, the headlights quickly move in and out (sort of like HID’s would move up and down in my Grand Cherokee Overland).
Panoramic Roof = Wasn’t an option I was originally going to get. It came stock in my Overland package, but I never really used it. I DO notice that other people are very wowed by it, and on overcast or evening drives, it is huge and very impressive.
Rear Seat Comfort = My other choice for a truck was going to be the 2018 F150 Platinum, but the interior looks so outdated compared to the Ram, and the rear seats are pretty uncomfortable for anything other than around the city driving (in my opinion with friends trucks). The reclining option, with the center armrest is an incredibly nice place to be.
Soft Touch Everything = Wherever your arm is, it’s soft. All the knobs just feel quality when you turn them or touch them. It is just very impressive, I cannot imagine Ford isn’t really having to take a look at their playbook for the new F150 after seeing what Ram has done. I feel as tho I’m hating on F150, I’m not! I am a huge fan of that truck…any hate would be towards the GM trucks which weren’t even an option…and the new ones were not an option still.
Understated Look = So compared to the Denali or Platinum, this truck (IMO) doesn’t stand out as much. I have had it about a month and I would say most people don’t notice it. Which may be the way NORMAL people go about their days, where as I drool at every nice truck that passes. I am specifically talking about the Limited. I feel as tho the platinum and Denali scream “overpriced truck”, the Ram doesn’t catch that negative attention.
Road trip Practicality = The 1,000 mile trip was with a wife and 10 month old. Everything non essential item went into the bed (MX4 bedcover), and the cab was left uncluttered and clean. This is probably normal for you already truck owners, but coming from my Jeep Grand Cherokee, a road trip like this would take up every bit of space in the rear and most likely a folded down rear seat to accommodate everything for the baby.
Interior Storage = The other main reason I went with the Ram. I am a touch OCD and love the idea of everything having a place and things clutter free. I originally ordered with the Ramboxes but….couldn’t wait that long. The duel glove boxes, center console, rambins and under seatt storage are really impressive. I have more space than I need (with a few totes in the bed under the MX4 cover with recovery gear)
MX4 bedcover = I put this one within a few days after getting the truck. I really like the look and ease of which it folds up. It is PRETTY waterproof, but some water does trickle in on the corners. I feel completely comfortable leaving luggage and whatnot locked up in the bed while leaving the truck in a parking lot.
Instead of Cons, I’ll say “underwhelming”
Lane Assist = My wife’s Acura is almost hands off, can really center the car in the lane by itself for about 15 seconds at a time if you want it to. The Ram with the setting at it’s highest, is pretty unpredictable and if it corrects you going one way, it will turn off the assist because a lane was crossed, and then you’ll be bounced the other direction while it’s turned off. Not a feature I really care about, but something that I know can be done better.
12” Screen = I love the looks of this thing…probably wouldn’t have ordered it if it didn’t come with the Limited. It is again, a showstopper but….does absolutely nothing that the regular screen which is plenty big in my option, cant do. The navigation is the only thing that really takes up the space, but that really is not beneficial in anyway. That isn’t my gripe with it, my issue is one that some simple updates would fix. Every time I get in the car, it ask me if I want to sync my phone to the bluetooth with a popup screen, then about 5 seconds later, it finds my phone and goes away. The other thing is screens not freezing (mostly the radio page). It’s a very minor issue, I would just say that the 12” is awesome, but in reality, just about looks.
HK Speakers = The truck sounds great, but any volume above halfway (turned off surround) is rattling the back. I could turn down the bass even more, or find out what exactly is rattling. Again, not a big deal but I hateeeeee rattling. I cannot imagine that there is much of a difference between the non HK setup. I definitely do appreciate the silver faces on the speaker, but fear that’s the only thing you’re paying for.
Things I would do differently
Get the higher gear ratio = I have the fuel saver gear ratio (3:21’s I believe) and it feels pretty sluggish. I had a V6 in the Grand Cherokee that sort of felt the same way, BUT I could put it in sport mode and it would wake up a great deal. Again, not a huge deal but when I order a truck in the future, I’d pay a little more attention to comparing the gear ratios.
....That's all I can think of right now on things I'd do differently which is...pretty darn impressive in itself. I love the blue and white colors on the truck, I have the Steel but im very very happy with it. It can look too black at times but when it's in the sun and showing its grey color, it's perfect.
Pros
Adaptive Cruise = This is just about my favorite option on the truck. It works so confidently, it very very rarely isn’t on the same page as I am on breaking distance and reaction time. My wife Acura always seems like a crapshoot and is only practical on the highway (it additionally does not work under 15MPH). The stop and go of FCA is really, really relaxing during rush hour, or during this trip over the weekend with Cincinnati traffic that is always present. Highly recommend this package.
Parking Lot Defense Mode = This…is obviously not a real thing, but it IS a thing. Over the weekend we went to the Cincinnati Zoo on the way home, and had to follow the parking lot attendants location on where to park. I am usually a back of the lot parker, but wasn’t an option. I parked and then some old Pontiac Sunfire parked next to me…way too close. So then I had the bright idea of deploying the running boards and putting it in off-road 2, this raises the car up enough and the running boards stick out enough that they will catch any stray doors opening. Felt great about this.
Ride Comfort = 1,000 miles in 40 hours (Not a planned trip, friend was in the hospital). I’ve made this trip a hundred times, and usually it FEELS every bit of a 1,000 mile trip. I got home with this truck feeling completely fresh, no sore back or buns. Really really comfortable ride (20inch rims, air suspension)
LED Projector Headlights = I’m mostly city driving or highway night driving, but I did take this on a midnight cruise last week to finally see how these worked. They are very cool, it appears that one headlight (whichever corner you are turning) turns a few degrees into the corner, and if you take the corner in a spirited manor, you can see it quickly make its way back to center. Another cool feature is when you start the car, the headlights quickly move in and out (sort of like HID’s would move up and down in my Grand Cherokee Overland).
Panoramic Roof = Wasn’t an option I was originally going to get. It came stock in my Overland package, but I never really used it. I DO notice that other people are very wowed by it, and on overcast or evening drives, it is huge and very impressive.
Rear Seat Comfort = My other choice for a truck was going to be the 2018 F150 Platinum, but the interior looks so outdated compared to the Ram, and the rear seats are pretty uncomfortable for anything other than around the city driving (in my opinion with friends trucks). The reclining option, with the center armrest is an incredibly nice place to be.
Soft Touch Everything = Wherever your arm is, it’s soft. All the knobs just feel quality when you turn them or touch them. It is just very impressive, I cannot imagine Ford isn’t really having to take a look at their playbook for the new F150 after seeing what Ram has done. I feel as tho I’m hating on F150, I’m not! I am a huge fan of that truck…any hate would be towards the GM trucks which weren’t even an option…and the new ones were not an option still.
Understated Look = So compared to the Denali or Platinum, this truck (IMO) doesn’t stand out as much. I have had it about a month and I would say most people don’t notice it. Which may be the way NORMAL people go about their days, where as I drool at every nice truck that passes. I am specifically talking about the Limited. I feel as tho the platinum and Denali scream “overpriced truck”, the Ram doesn’t catch that negative attention.
Road trip Practicality = The 1,000 mile trip was with a wife and 10 month old. Everything non essential item went into the bed (MX4 bedcover), and the cab was left uncluttered and clean. This is probably normal for you already truck owners, but coming from my Jeep Grand Cherokee, a road trip like this would take up every bit of space in the rear and most likely a folded down rear seat to accommodate everything for the baby.
Interior Storage = The other main reason I went with the Ram. I am a touch OCD and love the idea of everything having a place and things clutter free. I originally ordered with the Ramboxes but….couldn’t wait that long. The duel glove boxes, center console, rambins and under seatt storage are really impressive. I have more space than I need (with a few totes in the bed under the MX4 cover with recovery gear)
MX4 bedcover = I put this one within a few days after getting the truck. I really like the look and ease of which it folds up. It is PRETTY waterproof, but some water does trickle in on the corners. I feel completely comfortable leaving luggage and whatnot locked up in the bed while leaving the truck in a parking lot.
Instead of Cons, I’ll say “underwhelming”
Lane Assist = My wife’s Acura is almost hands off, can really center the car in the lane by itself for about 15 seconds at a time if you want it to. The Ram with the setting at it’s highest, is pretty unpredictable and if it corrects you going one way, it will turn off the assist because a lane was crossed, and then you’ll be bounced the other direction while it’s turned off. Not a feature I really care about, but something that I know can be done better.
12” Screen = I love the looks of this thing…probably wouldn’t have ordered it if it didn’t come with the Limited. It is again, a showstopper but….does absolutely nothing that the regular screen which is plenty big in my option, cant do. The navigation is the only thing that really takes up the space, but that really is not beneficial in anyway. That isn’t my gripe with it, my issue is one that some simple updates would fix. Every time I get in the car, it ask me if I want to sync my phone to the bluetooth with a popup screen, then about 5 seconds later, it finds my phone and goes away. The other thing is screens not freezing (mostly the radio page). It’s a very minor issue, I would just say that the 12” is awesome, but in reality, just about looks.
HK Speakers = The truck sounds great, but any volume above halfway (turned off surround) is rattling the back. I could turn down the bass even more, or find out what exactly is rattling. Again, not a big deal but I hateeeeee rattling. I cannot imagine that there is much of a difference between the non HK setup. I definitely do appreciate the silver faces on the speaker, but fear that’s the only thing you’re paying for.
Things I would do differently
Get the higher gear ratio = I have the fuel saver gear ratio (3:21’s I believe) and it feels pretty sluggish. I had a V6 in the Grand Cherokee that sort of felt the same way, BUT I could put it in sport mode and it would wake up a great deal. Again, not a huge deal but when I order a truck in the future, I’d pay a little more attention to comparing the gear ratios.
....That's all I can think of right now on things I'd do differently which is...pretty darn impressive in itself. I love the blue and white colors on the truck, I have the Steel but im very very happy with it. It can look too black at times but when it's in the sun and showing its grey color, it's perfect.
