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One month of ownership

Kidder

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Location
DFW, TX
I purchased my Laramie Sport on August 8th. Here's a few random thoughts on ownership after a month.

First off, the interior is why I'm driving one today. When I had my 2500 in for an oil change I made the mistake of walking the lot and they had a Laramie with the 12" screen unlocked. So I sat in it and looked over everything. Wow. Two weeks later, I test drove a couple. Two weeks later I had one. On August 13th I broke it in properly with a road trip to south central Kentucky for the week. I got to test all of the features (except 4wd and associated hill descent/rear locker).

Mods:
Spray-in liner, front tinted windows, all-weather mats, bed light kit (haven't installed yet)

Future mods:
Trailer Brake Controller, steps (not sure which ones)


What I like:
LED Headlights - FINALLY! The headlights on my 2011 and 2016 (with projectors) just plain sucked. The LED headlights and fogs are actually effective!
12" screen - with Android Auto I love splitting the screen with Waze on top and the radio on bottom.
Harmon/Kardon - it is, IMO, so much better than the Alpine that I had in my 2011 1500 and 2016 2500.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Surround Camera - I love this feature. I didn't think I would use it as much as I do. I use it every time I park. If you can't park with this, turn in your license.
Charging pad - I turn my Note 8 on its side and it charges reliably every time
Rain sense wipers - they just plain work
Auto High Beams - they work although sometimes a highly reflective sign will trigger the low beams
Those reclining rear seats are nice even though I will never get to use them
I'm getting used to the new center console. I like it.
Ventilated seats - they work a lot better than my 2016
I like the headrest adjustability (up/down and back/forward)

What I don't like (compared to my 2011 1500 and especially my Laramie 2016 2500 with 8.4n radio):
Android Auto - Uconnect is SO much better. Texting works better both sending and receiving. What's with the new way of setting precanned texts when using Uconnect? This is a major step backwards. Also, as of now I can't have texts read to me with Android Auto. Supposedly there is a fix coming. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Underseat storage - I liked the old way of having covers instead of them just being open and covered by the seats.
Oil filter location - yuck. My 2011 1500 Hemi (5-speed) was so much easier to get to.
The Driver Information Center seemed bigger on my 2016 2500 and I liked the configuration options better than on this one.
It seems like there is more body roll when making a sharp turn than my 1500 4x4. Maybe someone with a 4th gen they've driven recently can rebut this since I'm used to the 2500.
The upper glove box that pops open/up. Papers in there will slide out through the crack where it closes.
The SiriusXM Guardian app doesn't have vital system info. I liked the Uconnect app that showed current tire pressure, fuel tank level, oil life along with what the current app has (remote start/stop, lock/unlock, vehicle location)

Glitches
This has happened twice. I have started the vehicle and I only get audio fron what seems like the right front speaker. Turning the vehicle off and opening the door to kill power to the radio and then restarting has cleared it.

Other
I have the front end clunk
Is it me or is the engine set further back than on the 4th gen (at least my 2011 w/5-speed)? Those back four spark plugs on the right by the brake booster are going to require original cuss words when trying to remove them. Luckily the service interval is longer than the 30k miles on my 2011.
The new all-weather floor mats are a lot nicer and provide more protection than the old ones that were just rubber versions of the carpeted mats.
I have to slam the tailgate to get it to not show open on the information center.
I expected fuel mileage to be a little higher with the 8-speed and eTorque (3.21 gears). I will see after it is a little more broken in. It's a truck, who cares!
It seems like I get a lot of wind noise from the right side of the cabin near the back passenger door. I will have this evaluated by the dealer at some point.
 
Last edited:

Bam2880

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Do you know what the build date is on your truck?
 

356

Ram Guru
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Good first report. Your observation about the interior is so true, as it’s helped me overcome some of my frustrations. It does have more felt roll than my 2012. Wonder if others feel the same?
 

19RamLimited

Ram Guru
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What I like:
LED Headlights - FINALLY! The headlights on my 2011 and 2016 (with projectors) just plain sucked. The LED headlights and fogs are actually effective! Agree 100% My 13 projectors were trash. I don't know how they met any federal regulation because they were incredibly dim. The new LED lights are great! They are bright and they move as you turn. Love that.
12" screen - with Android Auto I love splitting the screen with Waze on top and the radio on bottom. Love the new 12" screen. One of the main reason to purchase.
Harmon/Kardon - it is, IMO, so much better than the Alpine that I had in my 2011 1500 and 2016 2500. Don't agree. My 13 Alpine crushes the HK system Maybe the 11 is not as good as the 13. Not sure
Blind Spot Monitoring Love this as well. Couldn't believe it took them this long to add it.
Surround Camera - I love this feature. I didn't think I would use it as much as I do. I use it every time I park. If you can't park with this, turn in your license. Yes. GREAT feature. Love it!
Charging pad - I turn my Note 8 on its side and it charges reliably every time Same. Loe it. one the location as well. I feel they did it right. Gm located it in a stupid spot anti takes up too much room.
Rain sense wipers - they just plain work Yes they do.
Auto High Beams - they work although sometimes a highly reflective sign will trigger the low beams
Those reclining rear seats are nice even though I will never get to use them Yes super nice
I'm getting used to the new center console. I like it. Best console in a truck bye a million miles.
Ventilated seats - they work a lot better than my 2016 No comparison. These move more air than any vehicle I've ever driven.
I like the headrest adjustability (up/down and back/forward)


Other
I have the front end clunk Me too :(
The new all-weather floor mats are a lot nicer and provide more protection than the old ones that were just rubber versions of the carpeted mats. Always love the Ram floor mats. best in any brand. My Laramie longhorn mays were awesome and these limited its are even nicer.
I have to slam the tailgate to get it to not show open on the information center. This happened to me for a while. Once I closed it a few times it finally started to act right.
I expected fuel mileage to be a little higher with the 8-speed and eTorque (3.21 gears). I will see after it is a little more broken in. It's a truck, who cares! Yes me too but yes who cares. Who buys it for Gas Mileage
It seems like I get a lot of wind noise from the right side of the cabin near the back passenger door. I will have this evaluated by the dealer at some point. Yeah this shouldn't be. Mine is the quietest vehicle I've driven. Its incredible. I cant believe its that quiet. Hope you get it fixed
 

Kidder

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Location
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@19RamLimited
I had the Alpine in my 2016. It was a bit better than the 2011. The HK blows them away unless you're listening to XM. Audio for XM sucks. I'm comparing to streaming which sounds way better to me.

Audio is very personal so everyone is different.
 

Neurobit

RAM Sorcerer
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Location
Texas
I purchased my Laramie Sport on August 8th. Here's a few random thoughts on ownership after a month.

First off, the interior is why I'm driving one today. When I had my 2500 in for an oil change I made the mistake of walking the lot and they had a Laramie with the 12" screen unlocked. So I sat in it and looked over everything. Wow. Two weeks later, I test drove a couple. Two weeks later I had one. On August 13th I broke it in properly with a road trip to south central Kentucky for the week. I got to test all of the features (except 4wd and associated hill descent/rear locker).

Mods:
Spray-in liner, front tinted windows, all-weather mats, bed light kit (haven't installed yet)

Future mods:
Trailer Brake Controller, steps (not sure which ones)


What I like:
LED Headlights - FINALLY! The headlights on my 2011 and 2016 (with projectors) just plain sucked. The LED headlights and fogs are actually effective!
12" screen - with Android Auto I love splitting the screen with Waze on top and the radio on bottom.
Harmon/Kardon - it is, IMO, so much better than the Alpine that I had in my 2011 1500 and 2016 2500.
Blind Spot Monitoring
Surround Camera - I love this feature. I didn't think I would use it as much as I do. I use it every time I park. If you can't park with this, turn in your license.
Charging pad - I turn my Note 8 on its side and it charges reliably every time
Rain sense wipers - they just plain work
Auto High Beams - they work although sometimes a highly reflective sign will trigger the low beams
Those reclining rear seats are nice even though I will never get to use them
I'm getting used to the new center console. I like it.
Ventilated seats - they work a lot better than my 2016
I like the headrest adjustability (up/down and back/forward)

What I don't like (compared to my 2011 1500 and especially my Laramie 2016 2500 with 8.4n radio):
Android Auto - Uconnect is SO much better. Texting works better both sending and receiving. What's with the new way of setting precanned texts when using Uconnect? This is a major step backwards. Also, as of now I can't have texts read to me with Android Auto. Supposedly there is a fix coming. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Underseat storage - I liked the old way of having covers instead of them just being open and covered by the seats.
Oil filter location - yuck. My 2011 1500 Hemi (5-speed) was so much easier to get to.
The Driver Information Center seemed bigger on my 2016 2500 and I liked the configuration options better than on this one.
It seems like there is more body roll when making a sharp turn than my 1500 4x4. Maybe someone with a 4th gen they've driven recently can rebut this since I'm used to the 2500.
The upper glove box that pops open/up. Papers in there will slide out through the crack where it closes.
The SiriusXM Guardian app doesn't have vital system info. I liked the Uconnect app that showed current tire pressure, fuel tank level, oil life along with what the current app has (remote start/stop, lock/unlock, vehicle location)

Glitches
This has happened twice. I have started the vehicle and I only get audio fron what seems like the right front speaker. Turning the vehicle off and opening the door to kill power to the radio and then restarting has cleared it.

Other
I have the front end clunk
Is it me or is the engine set further back than on the 4th gen (at least my 2011 w/5-speed)? Those back four spark plugs on the right by the brake booster are going to require original cuss words when trying to remove them. Luckily the service interval is longer than the 30k miles on my 2011.
The new all-weather floor mats are a lot nicer and provide more protection than the old ones that were just rubber versions of the carpeted mats.
I have to slam the tailgate to get it to not show open on the information center.
I expected fuel mileage to be a little higher with the 8-speed and eTorque (3.21 gears). I will see after it is a little more broken in. It's a truck, who cares!
It seems like I get a lot of wind noise from the right side of the cabin near the back passenger door. I will have this evaluated by the dealer at some point.
Agree. Great write-up.
 

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