My 2019 Laramie Sport road trip review

[Flot]

A note on the lane-keep assist - if you take your hands off the wheel and the vehicle corrects 3 times without driver intervention, in most of our vehicles it will actually indicate in the in-cluster display to "PLACE HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL". I do not know if the DT does the same.

That sounds right - I did see that warning once or twice when fooling around with the system.

 

[Flot]

Following-up on my review - after a week of (mostly) highway driving, I've now put a week of city driving on it.

Still very happy overall but definitely have found some things that I'm less than thrilled with that are on my list for the dealer at first oil change in a few weeks:

- The air conditioning is definitely mediocre. I wish I had taken the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison with my 2011, but feels like once the dashboard heats up the air really struggles to deal with it. I've now tinted the front windows and windshield in an effort to combat, but in fresh air mode (and even sometimes on recirc) the truck is barely staying comfortable on the ridiculous hot summer days we've been having. This is absolutely on my list for my first service, hopeful that it is something that can be corrected and not a design flaw.

- My wireless charging pad is flaky, it's a blinking red light more often than not, but this should be a simple swap out for the dealer if they'll acknowledge it is broken

- Max volume in XM radio mode I mentioned earlier. Definitely a LOT quieter than other modes.

- Earlier, I said I hadn't noticed the downshift clunk from the transmission. That was wrong. I do get it, although only 5-10% of the time. Not sure if it's a 2-1 downshift or a 3-2 or even 3-1 that does it, but coasting towards a light I'll get the bump from behind every so often. I don't really expect anybody to fix this but it is definitely happening.

- Speaking of shifting, there's an odd slow upshift as well. Even under spirited acceleration there's a remarkable gap at first upshift - this really surprised me, as I always felt the 2011 Ram's shortcoming was the boring 5 speed. Not sure if this is torque management kicking in or the transmission is programmed for excessively soft shifts, but for driving experience I wish this shift were tighter/faster.

- I've gotten the occasional phantom distance/safety alert I can't pin down, and 3 times now had the auto-braking slam the brakes on for me in slow speed situations. I've never had these safety features on a car before so trying to leave the settings on default until I get more accustomed to them. The only really inexplicable one was that I was driving up the incline in a parking garage at 5-8 mph and the truck screeched to a halt. I assume it was some combination of the incline and maybe a speed bump in the garage that contributed to it, but it was definitely unexpected.

- For some reason I guess I expected the range of the keyfob to be improved. If anything, it feels a little shy of my 2011 keyfob. I know that's probably intentional, but still a bit aggravating given the size of the thing. I also can't figure out why my remote start sometimes honks twice, and sometimes three times, despite the truck being locked in either case as far as I'm aware.

Like I said - really like the truck, different perspective now after a few hundred miles of stop and go - the only issue above that worries me is the A/C performance. Fingers crossed that my dealer can make some headway with that.

 

[borant]

- Max volume in XM radio mode I mentioned earlier. Definitely a LOT quieter than other modes.

I disabled surround mode in settings and it did some improvement.

 

[Mcaveman]

Outstanding review, got a laugh out of the wireless pad has a mind of its own , mine does similar weird stuff

 

[Remixznflow]

I was able to find one with black badging here in the USA. Actually mine has all black accents. I'm very happy with it.

My wireless charger was finicky until i figured out how and where to place the phone exactly. I tested both my Galaxy note 8 and my wife's Iphone 8 plus. Both charge well. In the case of my Samsung it even fast charges.

I just need some nice running boards and a lift and level to set this thing off completely. I've been stopped twice with questions about my trim.

 

[tcw3628]

I was able to find one with black badging here in the USA. Actually mine has all black accents. I'm very happy with it.

My wireless charger was finicky until i figured out how and where to place the phone exactly. I tested both my Galaxy note 8 and my wife's Iphone 8 plus. Both charge well. In the case of my Samsung it even fast charges.

I just need some nice running boards and a lift and level to set this thing off completely. I've been stopped twice with questions about my trim.

Is that just the Black Appearance Package?

 

[Remixznflow]

Is that just the Black Appearance Package?

Its the Laramie with the black appearance package indeed. If its different from OPs version I'm not sure where... Other than the accents. Everything else I have on this model.

 

[Flot]

Its the Laramie with the black appearance package indeed. If its different from OPs version I'm not sure where... Other than the accents. Everything else I have on this model.

Mine is the Laramie Sport package, not the black package. I believe the only difference is the chrome vs black badging and the wheels.

The wireless charger IS finicky, although my dealer agreed that mine is also defective as it will do the flashing red light thing most of the time even if there is no phone anywhere near it. They ordered me a replacement but I haven't had a convenient time to get it replaced.

I'm still very happy with the truck and closing in on 4000 miles - I have not had most of the "early build" issues (like brake squeal or suspension clunk) that others had, my big complaint is still the A/C performance. I'm managing with it, and oddly it feels like it has improved a bit (we're getting low 90s now, not high 90s though) but it is probably me getting used to it. Fingers crossed that some sort of resolution comes for that.

 

[m57923dw443]

Does your center console and trim around it have a champagne or gray color? Is your headliner black as well? I'm interested in the sports package on the Laramie and do not have anything locally to compare it to.

 

[billyraff]

Does your center console and trim around it have a champagne or gray color? Is your headliner black as well? I'm interested in the sports package on the Laramie and do not have anything locally to compare it to.

The laramie sports should all have a black headliner as part of the sport package

 

[Nöennig]

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.

Just picked my 19’ Limited up Tuesday. It’s been great 600 miles in . It was very hot and humid today . Driving around I noticed the cab not cooling off on auto / 68. I’ve always owned Fords with outstanding ( freeze you out , never used Max AC. ) cold A/C. I’m worried about this as we like to travel to Florida on vacation in the hot summer. My wife already said “ let’s not take this on vacation. My Murano would be freezing us out by now.” We love the looks and ride of this RAM but this may be a deal breaker. I started reading about this issue a few weeks before I took delivery . We took her Murano out later in the afternoon ( still 91 ) and it was cold ( auto 68) in less than 5 min. With Fall rapidly approaching I am worried this won’t raise its ugly head again till late Spring ( May) 19. Hope there is a fix by then.