DETROIT. In the past month-plus, Ram Trucks’ 1500 model has picked up significant recognition as the top pickup in North America. Motor Trend, Four Wheeler magazine, and the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year Awards have all named the 1500 the top truck model on the market. Now, Ram is taking that award-winning culture and turning it loose on its heavy-duty pickups, announcing redesigned and updated 2500 and 3500 models at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“This is what happens when you take every class-leading attribute and apply it across your heavy-duty platform,” Reid Bigland, head of Ram Brand, said. “It is proof that there is a company that refuses to rest on its laurels. With the new 3500, we are raising the bar.”
The 3500 one-ton features 1,000 lbs.-ft. of torque and is capable of towing 35,100 pounds and hauling 7,680 pounds.
An optional 6.7-liter Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel, the truck “will out power, out tow, and out-perform all other heavy-duty pickups,” Bigland said. The vehicle is standard with Ram’s 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with 410 horsepower and 429 lbs.-ft. of torque. It is equipped with a TorqueFlight eight-speed automatic transmission.
The transmission uses “shift-by-wire” technology to eliminate a mechanical linkage between the transmission and gear selector and offers 40 individual shift maps to optimize shift points for fuel economy, performance and drivability.
Among the features is a rear air suspension with driver-activated bed lowering mode, normal/payload mode, and trailer-tow mode and a 360-degree surround-view camera with trailer reverse guidance and single display-screen view of both sides of a trailer. An auxiliary camera setup allows for the addition of cameras at the rear of the trailer as well as inside to watch over cargo.
The advanced trailer tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system can accommodate up to six pickup tires and 12 trailer tires with up to four trailer profiles.
Adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking (AEB) with AEB for trailer brakes is standard, “which all works while towing a 35,000-pound trailer,” Bigland noted.
“With new levels of comfort, this new Ram is the most comfortable, technologically advanced Ram ever,” Bigland added.
The heavy-duty models feature frequency response damping shocks to reduce ride harshness when empty while still optimizing performance when loaded or towing.
The interior picks up on some of the design cues of its award-winning sibling, the 1500. The Uconnect 4C navigation with 12-inch fully configurable screen includes Sirius XM 360L customized listening experience powered by a 750-watt, 17-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system. The redesigned center console now includes 12 different storage configurations with optional dedicated/assignable switches, wireless charging dock and up to five USBs, including type C ports, and the Mega Cab version offers 258 liters of interior storage capacity, more than twice the closest competitor, Ram said.
Like the 1500, the 2500 and 3500 models offer LED exterior lighting, including an adaptive front-lighting system as one of the three headlight designs and six price points. Halogen lights are also available.
The RamBox Cargo Management System includes versatile, weatherproof, lockable, illuminated and drainable storage bins built into the bed rails. New for 2019, RamBox features a 115-volt outlet with up to 400-watts of power.
“For customers who want an even bolder style, we introduce the 2500 Laramie Black edition,” Bigland said, in introducing a special edition 2500 model. There is also a Power Wagon version for off-road capability.