Quick Spin: 2020 Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab Diesel

2020 Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab 4×4

Class: Large Pickup Truck

Miles driven: 169

Fuel used: 11.1 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 15.2 mpg

Driving mix: 60% city, 40% highway

EPA-estimated fuel economy: NA

Fuel type: Diesel

Base price: $52,350 (not including $1695 destination charge)

Options on test vehicle: Leather-trimmed bucket seats ($545; includes wireless charging pad), Towing Technology Group ($1095), Safety Group ($1095), Protection Group ($95), 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Towing Prep Group ($495), Bed Convenience Group ($385), Night Edition ($2495), Laramie Level 2 Equipment Group ($4195), tri-fold tonneau cover ($695), anti-spin differential rear axle ($445), 6.7L I6 Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine ($9300), clearance lamps ($95), power-deployable running boards ($995), automatic level rear air suspension ($1705), Uconnect navigation with 12-inch screen ($1295), trailer camera wiring ($695; camera not included)

Price as tested: $79,670

Quick Hits

The great: Cavernous cabin space; excellent interior materials; long list of available comfort, technology, safety, and appearance features

The good: Better-than-expected fuel economy for a heavy-duty pickup

The not so good: Options–especially diesel engine–drive up bottom-line price; ride quality isn’t quite as good as the Ram 1500

More Ram price and availability information

CG Says:

If your humble servants at Consumer Guide haven’t driven this exact version of the current Ram pickup before, they have tested 2019-20 Rams with all its key elements. Three-quarter-ton 2500 Heavy Duty series? Check. Crew Cab body? Check. Laramie trim? Check. Four-wheel drive and optional Cummins turbodiesel powerplant? Yes, and yes. In a way, then, a truck we had never driven before was no stranger.

The latest Ram to pass our way reinforced our mostly favorable impressions of this large pickup. (The ½-ton 1500 with the same cab styles and similar trim levels is a CG “Best Buy” in the full-size-pickup class.) Here’s what holds up:

• Exceptional roominess of both rows of the 4-door crew cab. Three adults—not all of whom have to be svelte—fit across the second-row seat. Doors open wide for easy entry and exit, and ample glass area makes for fine driver vision.
• A confidently strong 6.7-liter turbodiesel straight-6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission that boost towing capacity and fuel economy.
• Nicely appointed interior with leather upholstery, 8-way power-adjustable heated front seats, automatic dual-zone air conditioning, a convenient Uconnect 4 infotainment system with 8.4-inch touchscreen, and plentiful personal-item storage.

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As applied to the ¾-ton line, the turbodiesel makes 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque for orderly but determined pull from a stop—and a pretty good gait on the highway, at least when empty. It’s also quieter on startup and under acceleration than engines of this type have been in the past. The Cummins mill costs $9300 to add to a 2020 Ram 2500, a couple hundred dollars up from the ’19 price. As outfitted, the test truck had a payload capacity of 2070 pounds and could tow up to 15,980 pounds. A standard-engine (6.4-liter gas Hemi V8) 2500 with the same body, driveline, and trim specs could carry a further 110 pounds of stuff in the 6.4-foot-long cargo bed, but cedes 1870 pounds of towing might to the diesel job, which has almost twice the torque. In our hands, the “oil burner” has consistently turned in mid-teens mpg (generally unladen we hasten to add), which is a few miles a gallon better than gas engines have done in similar trucks.

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Just a year from introducing the current generation of its big pickups, the Ram clan didn’t feel the need to make many changes to the 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duties. There are a couple of new paint colors and expanded options. Among the extras on the test truck was the new Night Edition appearance package with 20-inch black-painted alloy wheels; black interior accents, body badging, and power-folding memory trailer mirrors; and body-color front and rear bumpers. Indeed, the truck we drove was a virtual options catalog that jacked a $54,045 starting price (with delivery) to $79,670. However, it did show off the depth and breadth of comfort, convenience, technology, and towing-assistance features available to meet buyers’ particular needs.

For safety, there is lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning with emergency braking, and blind-spot detection that extends to a trailer. For work, there’s trailer-reverse guidance, a fifth-wheel/gooseneck-hitch prep package, anti-spin rear differential, and load-leveling rear air suspension. For fun, there’s front bucket seats, Uconnect upgrade with a tablet-style 12-inch screen, and a 17-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. As Ram options go, that’s not the half of it.

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One thing we’ve learned to accept about the Heavy Duty Rams is that they don’t ride as excellently as their ½-ton kin. Especially with the 20-inch wheels, which come with 285/60R20E outline-white-letter on-/off-road tires in the Night package, things like road cracks or railroad tracks can send a pretty good jolt through to the cabin. The test truck did steer with a decent level of precision for the class, and it braked well.

The Ram pickup lineup is as varied as it is capable. With models that run from the rudimentary to the regal, it has the ability to meet just about any set of needs and wants.

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2020 Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab Gallery

2020 Ram 2500 Laramie