2020 Ram 1500 review: eTorque truck is a road-trip star

Previously this summer, I made a decision that in purchase to dwell my best quarantine existence I necessary to get a motor vehicle. And due to the fact I have needed a tiny convertible at any time due to the fact I moved to Los Angeles in 2017, I went with the noticeable choice: a Mazda Miata, though mine is a 1999 tenth Anniversary Edition. It has much less than 27,000 miles, it really is in good ailment and none of the prior proprietors created any stupid modifications. I enjoy it.

What does that have to do with the 2020 Ram 1500? Effectively, I observed the Miata on Craigslist in Phoenix, and due to the fact it wasn’t registered or plated, I figured the least difficult way to get it again to LA was on a trailer. Rather a lot any comprehensive-dimension pickup truck would’ve completed this lengthy-distance tow vacation without breaking a sweat, but none would have been as great as the Ram.

The towing wasn’t the difficult aspect. Even the weakest 2020 Ram 1500 can pull 6,390 lbs and the truck’s greatest towing ability is 12,750 lbs. The combo of my Miata and a lightweight motor vehicle trailer was just around three,000 lbs — a thing our lengthy-term Honda Passport could’ve taken care of, experienced it carried a tow hitch — so for the Ram, it was a piece of cake. The 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Taxi 4×4 pictured here with the five.seven-liter eTorque V8 and optional three.ninety two rear axle is rated to tow 11,one hundred ninety lbs. In other words and phrases, if I needed to choose up a few additional Miatas on the way again to LA, it wouldn’t have been a challenge (theoretically).

This reasonably mild load didn’t even faze the Ram. The delicate-hybrid Hemi V8 would make 395 horsepower and 410 pound-toes of torque, with a forty eight-volt starter-generator that supplies an added 16 hp and a hundred thirty lb-ft of initial acceleration assist. Even on uphill starts off, the Ram efficiently and confidently pulled absent from stoplights, and on a rapid detour up to Prescott Valley, Arizona — about five,000 toes previously mentioned sea stage — the delicate-hybrid’s supplemental electrical power helped compensate for the by natural means aspirated V8’s decline of high-altitude oomph.

I was initially form of bummed my exam truck didn’t have Ram’s three.-liter EcoDiesel V6, only due to the fact I enjoy towing with torquey turbodiesels. But the eTorque Hemi genuinely grew on me. On the freeway, there was in no way a shortage of electrical power for generating my way around sluggish-relocating semi vans, not that I at any time did any form of aggressive acceleration with the cherished cargo in tow. I’m also delighted to report that irrespective of the elevation variations and my notoriously major appropriate foot, my observed fuel economic system wasn’t completely horrific. The EPA rates the eTorque V8-geared up Ram at seventeen miles for each gallon town and 23 mpg freeway, and I observed seventeen mpg. That could possibly not look outstanding, but think about that I experienced a three,000-pound penalty connected to the tow hitch at all moments, and the route bundled a bunch of uphill climbs.

I made use of the truck’s tow/haul manner a handful of moments in the mountains, primarily to retain the eight-velocity computerized transmission from upshifting too early, but I mostly remaining this off on flat streets, due to the fact the Miata and trailer only accounted for about a quarter of the Ram’s whole towing ability. The most helpful towing aid was actually the blind-spot monitoring, which instantly measured the length of the trailer and tailored the sensors accordingly, so I in no way ran the possibility of cutting somebody off when I necessary to transform lanes.

None of the truck’s towing feats are unique to the Ram 1500. And in fact, some opponents offer additional tech that would make hauling even less complicated. The Ford F-a hundred and fifty has the Professional Trailer Back again-Up Help where by you can steer the truck with a dial, turning it precisely the way you want the trailer to go with the electronics sorting out the relaxation. GMC provides as numerous as 15 cameras that can even give you x-ray eyesight by a trailer, which is freaking awesome.

But that’s not to say the Ram would not have a handful of methods up its sleeve. I enjoy the RamBox bed cubbies, which were great for storing the trailer tie-down straps when I unloaded the Miata for a brief stint in Prescott Valley, and they are lockable, so I could go away items in them outdoors overnight without stressing.

The other major ace in the Ram 1500’s hand is an optional load-leveling air suspension that smooths out the experience when you’ve got a major trailer bogging the truck down. But that’s about all I can say about this choice, as my truck wasn’t geared up with it.

Why I’m happy I took the Ram actually experienced nothing at all to do with its towing capabilities. In its place, it really is how good this truck was as a lengthy-distance cruiser — a silent, relaxed, roomy, tech-rich barge that ate up hundreds on hundreds of miles with simplicity. Even without the aforementioned air suspension, the Ram was correctly smooth along the ten freeway concerning Los Angeles and Phoenix, though it would’ve been improved on smaller wheels with thicker-sidewall tires, not the 22-inch monsters that arrived as aspect of this truck’s Evening Edition appearance package deal.

Half-ton pickup vans rival comprehensive-dimension luxurious sedans in the selection of ease and comfort, ease and multimedia characteristics they offer, and this is completely where by the Ram 1500 sets itself apart in the class. My truck’s heated, cooled, leather-based-trimmed seats were as plush and supportive as La-Z-Boy chairs. And when I in no way rode in the again myself, a passenger hopped again there to make use of the Ram’s onboard Wi-Fi hotspot and took a convention connect with with a good deal of home to sprawl out. There’s an complete ton of legroom, and the panoramic sunroof retained mild flowing in the cabin. With myriad storage compartments, wireless cellphone charging and additional than more than enough USB retailers, I could quickly deliver all my electronics and retain them all billed.

I’d be remiss not to point out the Ram’s stellar onboard infotainment tech: Fiat-Chrysler’s Uconnect 4C software, shown on the 1500’s 12-inch portrait-oriented display. I beloved the way I could retain the map on the best fifty percent and audio controls on the base, or run Apple CarPlay seamlessly without obtaining it just take around the complete display. Truth be told, I observed the display in my exam truck to be uncharacteristically laggy when responding to inputs, in some cases requiring a few or 4 presses just before a command would actually just take. But I’m going to chalk this up as an anomaly distinct to this truck, due to the fact I have in no way, at any time skilled that sort of negative actions from other FCA products.

On best of the infotainment excellence, a selection of driver guidance characteristics created the vacation less complicated. I described the trailer-length blind-spot monitoring, but it was good to have adaptive cruise management, entrance and rear parking sensors, lane-preserving assist and a 360-degree digital camera, which created parking this issue a cinch.

A whole lot of contemporary vans have these characteristics, too, but taken as a full, the Ram is my favorite fifty percent-ton. It has a improved on-highway experience than any of its opponents, the interior is additional relaxed, the elements are nicer and the tech is best-notch. The 2021 Ford F-a hundred and fifty is going to give the Ram a genuine run for its dollars when it launches, but for now, at minimum, the Ram 1500 is king.

That crown will charge you, though. The 2020 Ram 1500 starts off in the lower $30,000 variety, but the Laramie Crew Taxi 4×4 comes in at $forty eight,435 which include $one,695 for place. With all the driver guidance include-ons, the Evening Edition appearance package deal, the 12-inch Uconnect display, the eTorque engine and additional, the out-the-doorway price of this truck is a staggering $sixty eight,815. But it really is not like any of the Ram’s domestic opponents are any much less costly when they are all loaded up. And thinking of how a lot additional high-class, tech-rich and beautiful the Ram 1500 is, it unquestionably feels really worth every single penny.