News • Arts & Culture

September 13, 2019

2019 Ram 2500 Limited Is A Pretty Boy With A Shovel In His Hands

Casey Williams

Think of the Ram 2500 Limited Mega Cab as a luxury car that can tow a bulldozer across continents. Have a 35-foot fifth wheel RV? Not a problem. Mountains will barely slow it down. Love horses? Load ‘em up and head ‘em out. Have a muscle car addiction? Feed a trailer full of them and take them wherever you please. This is not a toy, but gets the job done in style.

Key Word: Chrome

The key word for our Limited luxury-grade truck is “chrome”. There are acres of it across the grille, encasing the bumper, glitzing mirror caps, and gleaming strips through doorhandles. Even the tow hooks glisten. Look close to notice LED headlamps that bend around curves. It’s identified as a Ram by its step-down front fenders that echo semi-trucks. Take in the side view to see the power running boards and extended Mega Cab that coddles rear passengers as if in a Maybach. Twenty-inch wheels look tiny beneath all that sheetmetal. Spray in bedliner protects from scratches and dings.

Ram stylists offer multiple interior color schemes, but our truck was Indigo and Frost, which means bluish-gray and beige leather with accents of woodgrain on the dash/steering wheel and real aluminum on the Harman Kardon stereo grilles. Some competitors stitch cheap vinyl dash coverings that only look good, but the Ram’s feel like they belong in a Range Rover. With the Mega Cab, rear passengers stretch out like it’s their private club. Stylists deserve accolades for what must be the most beautiful truck interior of all time.

It’s also lavishly equipped. The soft leather seats are heated and cooled, rear outboard seats are heated, steering wheels warm in winter, and everybody stays temperate with dual-zone automatic climate control. Add to that a power sunroof and intuitive 12-inch tablet-style touchscreen for audio, navigation, and phone. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth ease smartphone connections while safety is enhanced by adaptive cruise, forward collision warning with auto brake, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, and trailer sway damping.

Key Word: Cummins

As luxuriously stylish as the Ram is, many will decree its best asset is the Columbus, Indiana-built 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel engine. The inline six-cylinder powerplant delivers a hefty 370 horsepower and…850 lb.-ft. of torque. Low-end torque gets heavy loads moving while the turbo provides deep lungs underway. Unloaded, it’s quite fast and a delight to throttle. Putting more digits to it, that’s enough to tow 15,520 lbs. or carry 2,030 lbs. of payload. Fuel economy for heavy duty trucks is not required, and thus is not reported, but 20-MPG highway is about right (unloaded).

That’s not the entire toolbox. The auto level rear air suspension not only damps nasty bumps but can also curtsy when snuggling trailer hitches. It’s a stiff-riding truck, but among the best heavy-duty pickups at keeping bucking to a minimum. The truck also had an integrated hitch receiver, trailer prewiring, and a dash brake controller to keep heavy loads in check. Beds come equipped for goosenecks.

All in, the Ram 2500 is a pretty boy who comes with a shovel in his hand. From sleek fenders to acres of chrome and sumptuous interior, the Ram looks as good as it goes. As a powerful luxury “car”, it comes with a commensurate price. Base Ram 2500s start at $33,645, but our Limited Mega Cab came to $83,915. Competitors include the Ford F-250 Platinum, GMC Sierra 2500 Denali, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 High Country.

Storm Forward!

Send comments to Casey at AutoCasey@aol.com; follow him on YouTube @AutoCasey.