New to Ram - Big Horn or Laramie?

[TxAg98]

I was on the fence with the etorque. Ultimately, I found the truck I wanted and it didn't have it. I justified it by 1) I always turned the auto start/stop off on my F150, and 2) with the fuel numbers, I figued the etorque doesnt really do anything for mileage once you're underway, like a true prius style hybrid system. Its a truck. If I wanted mileage, Id keep my wifes Accord.

 

[PowerJrod]

I was on the fence with the etorque. Ultimately, I found the truck I wanted and it didn't have it. I justified it by 1) I always turned the auto start/stop off on my F150, and 2) with the fuel numbers, I figued the etorque doesnt really do anything for mileage once you're underway, like a true prius style hybrid system. Its a truck. If I wanted mileage, Id keep my wifes Accord.

Good point. I'd like to see Ram do a real V8 Hybrid...that would be something...but it would be something way more expensive lol.

 

[arod412]

I was so cheap when I got my BigHorn. I paid $28k for my quad cab but I really should have gotten the crew cab for $4k more....smh. Next time.

I did the same in 2012..lol

Owner of a 2020 Ram Laramie, 16 Dodge Charger scat pack and my wife 21 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara

 

[Finn5033]

Agree that the biggest thing is if you want leather or not. I hate leather so it makes my choice very easy. I may be one of the only people that doesn’t like the sport hood either.

As far as must haves IMO is make sure you get the LED light package if you go big horn. 33 gallon tank, and anti spin differential if you don’t have the ORG. If the truck as ORG it will come with e-locker. I wish mine had the bed utility group too.

And I have to say it is shocking to me how many people care about the passive entry. My wife’s 2015 base model Grand Cherokee has it, so I’ll admit it is weird that my 2020 level 2 Big horn doesn’t. But it doesn’t bother me in the least that I don’t have it. It’s not hard to push a button.

 

[emings]

Had to have 12” screen but most dealers load up the options with 12” screen making eg Laramie ridiculously priced, so got a Lone Star with 12”, Level 2, and the option I never really knew I needed until I had - the Multi-Function Tailgate ((MFT). They kill me how they package trucks. My Lone Star was loaded with everything except LED lighting . I wasn’t paying attention, but I did get the 12” screen and the bonus was the MFT and BUG. To remedy LED headlights I just did Lasfit full LED bulb replacement. Got the Diamond Crystal Black Night Edition which the stock headlights are blacked/smoked out. To me this look actually makes the front end look more robust vs LED housing, like a truck should look (but I’m sure that’s just my rationalization for not getting the LED pkg )....Trade-offs...Probably would’ve taken LED vs MFT pkg, but like I said now that I have MFT would’ve actually wanted both these options. The other ‘nice to have’ would’ve been memory seating, but think Ram only options this in Laramie and above. Live in South Texas so don’t need hot a** leather seats and Ram deluxe cloth bucket seats are the best in the business. All in all, LOVE MY TRUCK! Bought in September, MSRP $52,500, paid $42,500, so $10K off list. Not bad.

Right there with you on the leather seats....

 

[wallyuwl]

I paid $43,500 plus TTL for a $55,135 MSRP Laramie two and a half months ago. That included $1000 Conquest and $1000 PenFed discounts and $3500 normal rebates. Prices are not quite that good anymore OTD except at a handful of dealers across the country, but you should have no problem getting a nicely equipped Laramie for around 18-20% off MSRP before TTL after the $1500 web site rebate and if you qualify for PenFed. There are other discounts available too, just scroll the forum a bit there is a thread on "How to Get the Best Price" or similar on the first couple pages.

 

[wallyuwl]

Engine question - any issues with the eTorque engine? Pros/cons?

No issues, just don't like how it brakes to charge the battery pack. It kind of brakes without you braking, it just feels weird. I'm finally getting used to it after almost three months, but if I could do it again I would not have gotten it (but alas, I bought a great deal and not the exact truck I wanted).

 

[BaseballDad]

My old truck took a poo so I needed another vehicle within a week as I was transporting my dad to and from physical therapy. I don't need a truck but I want one. It was an 04 Ram 1500 Laramie Lonestar edition which at the time was the best you could get. It was my birthday present when I was 16 (im 27 now) and I loved that truck.

With the time crunch I didn't have much time to look around. I don't like chrome so I knew I wanted a night edition and at the time in my area (San Antonio, TX area Sept./Oct. 2019) there were only black Lonestars.. No Laramies which is what I wanted.

I wish I had Ram Box and MFTG - sure I don't use my truck for truck things but seems cool to have so why not? But the first thing that comes to mind is passive entry. At the time of looking, if it didn't have leather seats then I didn't want it but I was actually surprised by how nice the premium cloth seats are.

If I had to choose one thing, it would be passive entry.

Agree on passive entry. Love my Big Horn. Have most of the options and prefer cloth seats over leather. But I regret not having passive entry almost every day. Will be a must have on my next truck.

 

[Condor757]

Love my 2019 Big Horn Level 2 with LED.. zero regrets about not having gotten a Laramie. When I went shopping for a truck the Big Horn was the fanciest I wanted in a truck... anything more than that became too “luxury” for me, I never wanted things like ventilated seats, sunroof, air ride, passive entry, etc. The Big Horn is the perfect balance of modern while still preserving old school truck “basics.”

Also, my Big Horn was $38,700... the closest Laramie was in the $45s.

Finally.. love my cloth seats, I’m not at all a leather seat fan.

To each their own, good luck choosing,

 

[Jako]

Love my 2019 Big Horn Level 2 with LED.. zero regrets about not having gotten a Laramie. When I went shopping for a truck the Big Horn was the fanciest I wanted in a truck... anything more than that became too “luxury” for me, I never wanted things like ventilated seats, sunroof, air ride, passive entry, etc. The Big Horn is the perfect balance of modern while still preserving old school truck “basics.”

Also, my Big Horn was $38,700... the closest Laramie was in the $45s.

Finally.. love my cloth seats, I’m not at all a leather seat fan.

To each their own, good luck choosing,

Man of my own heart, similar build and thoughts but mine cost 41+, list 49,865 MSRP. My bezel cost $800. That was actually the Nav with 8.4 but the bezel is the only thing of value for the $800.

 

[Scram1500]

Not sure of your performance concerns but Bighorns will be lighter and have more payload. Leather and all the gadgetry is nice, for me however in the end it's stuff that weighs the vehicle down and goes wrong. Warranty or not the chances of you having a positive experience at the dealership is like flipping a coin

 

[Jako]

Not sure of your performance concerns but Bighorns will be lighter and have more payload. Leather and all the gadgetry is nice, for me however in the end it's stuff that weighs the vehicle down and goes wrong. Warranty or not the chances of you having a positive experience at the dealership is like flipping a coin

Heads they win, tails I lose????????????

 

[TVANVA]

If leather is an important deciding factor, then one option is to get the better incentives on the Big Horn and use the saving to add Katskin leather seat covering replacements. That is what I choose to do. If you are handy, you can install a kit yourself, or most dealers offer it as an upgrade. Many dealers farm the actual work out, so keep the dealer honest by researching who does those installations in your area and get quotes from them. The Katskins are as good as or better than factory leather, and you have more colors and styles to choose from than factory.

 

[PhillyPhan]

Laramies don’t have full leather seats , there is suede inserts , not sure if that’s a dealbreaker . Others on the forum have mentioned there is an option to add full leather to Laramie build but I can’t confirm.

I just looked at the Laramies and Rebels this week. I did not like those suede inserts at all. Why did Ram do that? Any of you actually like the suede inserts on the leather seats?

 

[TxAg98]

I prefer full leather but I didn;t like all the fancy stitching on the Limited. Suede inserts don't bother me so far.

 

[mikeru82]

I just looked at the Laramies and Rebels this week. I did not like those suede inserts at all. Why did Ram do that? Any of you actually like the suede inserts on the leather seats?

I like how my Laramie seats look and feel, suede inserts and all. The seats in my wife's Limited are closer to full leather, but they aren't any more comfortable, and they look plainer to me than the seats in my Laramie.

I prefer full leather but I didn;t like all the fancy stitching on the Limited. Suede inserts don't bother me so far.

Limited's don't have a lot of fancy stitching. Maybe you're thinking of the Limited Longhorn. Lots of fancy stitching in those.

 

[PhillyPhan]

I like how my Laramie seats look and feel, suede inserts and all. The seats in my wife's Limited are closer to full leather, but they aren't any more comfortable, and they look plainer to me than the seats in my Laramie.


Limited's don't have a lot of fancy stitching. Maybe you're thinking of the Limited Longhorn. Lots of fancy stitching in those.

I just wonder how that suede is going to hold up after a while. It's easier to clean the leather as well when it's all leather.

 

[PaulieWalnutz]

If you can build a bighorn with everything you want minus the leather.. check out katzkin leather and get a quote for an install. A few members on here got it and it looks great

 

[Rickyrocket]

Someone got the dealer to upgrade the interior to leather in my bighorn then backed out of the deal,so I gat a unicorn

 

[theeuroguy]

If you can build a bighorn with everything you want minus the leather.. check out katzkin leather and get a quote for an install. A few members on here got it and it looks great

I had a particular installer that I wanted to use, so I ordered Katzkin through LeatherSeatPros in Jonesboro, AK, and they shipped them to my house.