 | Positives: The right balance of styling, posh interior that has plenty of space, excellent infotainment system, torquey diesel power provides good fuel economy. |
 | Negatives: A lot of exterior chrome is a bit much, busy gauges prevent quick reading, big blind spots when maneuvering in tight spots, most controls are relegated to the touchscreen. |
 | Bottom Line: The 1500 Limited with the V6 turbodiesel is a great combo for luxury and fuel economy, and it's also a real looker on the street. |
Driving Experience
The Ram 1500 is a great-driving truck. Smooth, easy road manners, and it's got strong acceleration even with the V6 diesel. We're always surprised by how good the 1500 is to helm, and we were not disappointed this time.
Ride Quality: Excellent ride thanks to an updated suspension and improved, lighter ladder frame chassis. The ride borders on creamy, absorbing bumps very well.
Acceleration: The Ecodiesel Ram 1500 isn't as quick off the line as the HEMI version, but it has plenty of grunt for something this big, getting to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds.
Braking: The brakes are strong (thanks to larger front rotors) and progressive, and we love the adjustable pedals.
Steering: Steering is surprisingly precise for a pickup truck, but the effort is on the light side.
Handling: There's some lean you expect from a tall truck, but thanks to the relocated roll bar, the Ram 1500 manages things very well.
Technology
In-car technology for the Limited trim is truly impressive and truly enormous. Although we lament the order to have an excellent infotainment experience. Our Limited
Infotainment System: The optional 8.4-inch screen in our Big Horn was vivid, responsive, and now comes with an indicator that shows when you've pressed a selection. Genius.
Controls: The on-screen controls work well, but it's the presence of large knobs for audio and climate that make us really happy. Everything works very well. We did have some hiccups with the rotary shifter, but you get used to it.
Styling
The Big Horn isn't super fancy outside, but the sleeker (but still plenty rugged) exterior makes it seem more upscale than before. Even the basic interior is still quite nice.
Front: Ram's new grille gets better the more you look at it. There's a lot of chrome going on, but it still looks good.
Rear: There's not a ton you can do with a pickup tailgate, but FCA manages to do it up nicely with some taillight styling, tailgate contours, and two very nice round exhaust tips.
Profile: It's well balanced now that the Ram 1500 only comes in crew and quad cab trims.
Cabin: There's a lot of gray and black, but they balance each other well. The interior seems far less clunky than GM and Ford offerings, making the Ram Interior one of the best. It's well-styled and even refined for something that's meant to take punishment.
Comfort
You usually expect that biting low rent feel when you don't have leather, but such is not the case with the 1500 in Big Horn trim. The cloth seats look and feel great, and there's just a ton of features inside that are superb for this trim level.
Front Seats: Big, wide, and comfortable, the seats are very good for long haul driving, and there's a lot of headroom and legroom. The grey cloth is grippy and high quality.
Rear Seats: Though we didn't have the executive seating, the Ram 1500 crew cab has best-in-class legroom, and it shows. This thing is seriously spacious. The rear top part of the LATCH system is hard to use with only fabric loops to secure baby seats to the headrests.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): It's rock solid inside with only the guttural growl of the big HEMI engine. Even at highway speeds, it's pretty quiet.
Visibility: The truck is tall, so getting around parking lots can be a challenge. The cameras and sensors are a must.
Climate: The climate system is easy to use and powerful. Both the AC and heating are powerful, and the large vents move tons of air quickly. The heated seats in both rows, as well as the ventilated front seat are excellent.
Safety
The Ram 1500 does remarkably well in crash tests, and it has a strong set of safety features, both standard and optional.
IIHS Rating: It actually nabbed the Top Safety Pick award for 2022. It got dinged on headlight performance for some trim levels but overall did very well.
NHTSA Rating: The Ram 1500 earned 5 stars from the federal government in crash tests.
Standard Tech: The Limited comes standard with ParkView Rear Back–Up Camera, ParkSense Front and Rear Park–Assist with Stop, Blind–Spot and Cross–Path Detection, and Full–Speed Forward–Collision Warning Plus.
Optional Tech: Head–Up Display, Digital Rearview Mirror, Pedestrian Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Lane Keep Assist, Parallel and Perpendicular Park–Assist with Stop, Surround–View Camera System
Storage/Cargo
The Ram 1500 is brilliant in terms of storage capability. It's actually one of the best we've seen with ingenius use of internal storage capacity.
Storage Space: Not only is the center armrest and cubbies huge, they also fold back to provide a middle seating position in the front row. Our tester did not have the Class Executive Reconfigurable Center Console, but it held our gear incredibly well. The flat load floor in the rear lets you hold a ton of cargo. too.
Cargo Room: Cargo volume is 61.5 cubic feet.
Fuel Economy
Ram has worked hard to make its big truck more efficient, and the diesel mill certainly helps in that regard. It's got ample amounts of torque but also the miserly character of a diesel powertrain. Plus, its has two fewer cylinders than the HEMI. The benefit of a roof design that helps airflow over the truck bed, an air dam that lowers at speeds above 35 mph with temps above 38 degrees, and grille shutters helps matters.
Observed: 23.3 mpg
Distance Driven: 162 miles
Audio
The Limited comes standard with a premium audio system that's fantastic. Plenty of bass, clarity, and power come from the 9 speakers and subwoofer.
Buying Guides 