There are three main classifications for consumer pickup trucks — light, medium, and heavy duty. The first two are the kinds of trucks people will buy for work purposes as well as the status symbol of having a truck.
Heavy duty trucks, however, are not for the faint of heart. Dual rear wheels, huge beds, enough torque to move anything that can be moved and some things that normally can’t. The Ram 3500 has been refreshed for the 2019 model year and it is substantial both in size and features.
Clocking in at 6,037 to 7,326 pounds, depending on trim level and options, the Ram 3500 is no nimble sports car and doesn’t pretend to be. The 3500 was built for one purpose and that was to tow your purpose-built race car or camper to the ends of the earth and back.
With a maximum tow weight of 35,100 pounds, you could bring a whole race team and pit crew with you and fit all of their stuff in the bed so long as it is less than 4,663 pounds of personal belongings. The bed length can vary between 76.8 and 98.4 inches and easily fit most sizes of lumber without hassle.
The exterior of the 3500 isn’t the only big thing about this truck. At a minimum, the new Ram 3500 comes with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 which pumps out 410 horsepower and 429 foot-pounds of torque. The other engine option is an absolutely massive 6.7-liter inline 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine.
The regular output version of this engine makes a paltry 370 horsepower in comparison, but an impressive 850 foot-pounds of torque. This same 6.7 Cummins inline 6-cylinder also has a high output version making just 400 horsepower, but a mind boggling 1,000 foot-pounds of torque. That’s probably enough to move an entire house.
The interior of the new Ram 3500 is exactly the kind of place I would want to be for a cross-country roadtrip. The pedal box has plenty of space to stretch out when needed and the same can be said about the legroom for the rest of the cabin. The back seats are as comfortable as a couch and about as big as one as well. If I needed to sleep in a truck I would probably pick this one just for the seats alone. The 12-inch touch screen display is truly remarkable to see in a truck and is easy to see and use, and paired with the 17-speaker sound system, it’s quite the luxury experience.
Pricing for the 2019 Ram 3500 starts at $34,845 before any towing packages or other options like 4X4. At the top of the line is the Limited 4X4 Mega Cab, which starts at $70,690 before options, but it does come with almost everything you could ever want in a truck as standard. But I am sure you could easily get over $90,000 with all the engines and options you have for these behemoths.
The model I tested was a mid-range Laramie Crew Cab 4X2 Long Box with a few options like the larger 12-inch touch screen and towing package. With just the base V8, the price was still $66,170.
This isn’t meant to be a familiy-only car. The 3500 is a work truck that is just as capable as a long distance hauler. It’s easy to drive and hard to lose in a parking lot because it will be taller than most everything else around you. If I had to get just one vehicle and I knew I had a 30-foot camper that I wanted to tow across the county, the 3500 is the obvious choice.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or via email at Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
