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Quick Spin: 2019 Ram 2500 Limited Mega Cab

2019 Ram Limited Mega Cab
2019 Ram Limited Mega Cab in Maximum Steel Metallic Clear Coat (a $200 option)

2019 Ram 2500 Limited Mega Cab 4X4

Class: Large Pickup Truck

Miles driven: 368

Fuel used: 22.5 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 16.4 mpg

Driving mix: 30% city, 70% highway

CG Report Card
Room and ComfortA
Power and PerformanceA-
Fit and FinishA
Fuel EconomyC+
ValueC+
Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup.
Big & Tall Comfort
Big GuyA
Tall GuyA
Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester.
Drivetrain
Engine Specs380-hp 6.7-liter
Engine Type6-cylinder turbodiesel
Transmission 6-speed automatic
Drive Four-wheel drive

EPA-estimated fuel economy: NA

Fuel type: Diesel

Base price: $65,700 (not including $1695 destination charge)

Options on test vehicle: Maximum Steel Metallic paint ($200), 5th-Wheel/Gooseneck Towing Prep Group ($445), Limited Level 1 Equipment Group ($2995), Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover ($695), Anti-Spin Differential Rear Axle ($445), 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine ($9100), Power Sunroof ($1095), Clearance Lamps ($95), Center High-Mount Stop Lamp w/Cargo View Camera ($345), Auto Level Rear Air Suspension ($1595), Ram Box Delete (-$490)

Price as tested: $83,915

 

Quick Hits

The great: Cavernous, impeccably finished interior; heavy-hauling capability

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

The not so good: Steep price for diesel engine helps push bottom line past $80K

More Ram price and availability information

 

CG Says:

It seems that an automotive reviewer could drive different Ram pickups from now until the cows come home and still not have sampled them all. A stacked deck of weight classes, engines, drivelines, trim levels, and cab configurations sees to that.

Ram Mega Cabs boast three inches more rear-seat legroom than their Crew Cab siblings. The cab’s stretch is can be seen aft of the rear doors; the extension slightly compromises the view to the rear corners for some drivers.

Consumer Guide’s march through the expansive field of all-new 2019 Rams pressed on with a stint in a 2500 motivated by the lower-powered of two 6.7-liter 6-cylinder turbodiesel engine options atop a 4-wheel driveline, and sporting the extended-length 4-door Mega Cab with outright-luxurious Limited trim. It was a big truck but a thin slice of the current Ram pie.

The test model’s engine was one of the inline Cummins diesels long revered by Dodge—and now Ram—truck owners. The turbocharged powerplant made some headlines this year by being first in the full-size-pickup market to the 1000-lb-ft torque milestone. That 400-horsepower job wasn’t in our tester, though; it’s a goody left for Ram 3500 buyers to consider. The 2500 is restricted to a 380-horse/850-lb-ft version as a $9100 upgrade over the standard 6.4-liter gasoline V8, and it comes with a column-shifter 6-speed automatic transmission in place of the Hemi V8’s dial-twister 8-speed autobox.

Quick Spin: 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty Limited

The Ram’s cabin is even more spacious in Mega Cab form. Limited models come standard with an appropriately massive 12-inch vertically oriented touchscreen that controls many functions; navigating all of its menus takes practice.

What the diesel lacks in trigger-quick launch—that turbo has to spool up—it recoups in strength to get the roughly 7500-pound truck and whatever it might be carrying or towing on the move in an orderly fashion. (Payload capacity for the model tested is 3240 pounds and towing capacity is 18,900 pounds.) What may surprise is how capable of keeping up with pretty speedy expressway traffic a Cummins-powered Ram 2500 can be when not loaded down with anything. Plus, the engine is quieter on startup and during acceleration than you might expect from a big diesel six. Over the full term of CG’s test, the truck averaged 16.3 mpg, but one editor whose driving included a slight majority of highway miles saw almost 18 mpg.

Test Drive: 2019 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn

The Ram pickups’ interiors are class leading regardless of trim level, but they’re especially impressive in Limited models. Upscale details include handsome gloss nickel-finish accents, and “stitched pinstripe” accents on the center armrest.

The 2500’s ride is not up to the legend that Ram is carving out in this respect, particularly in the 1500 models. Rolling on 20-inch wheels with on-/off-road tires, the unladen tester felt a little “busy” at highway speeds, and potholes and cracks didn’t need to be especially bad to jolt and jostle the truck right through to the cabin. CG’s truck had the optional automatic load-leveling rear air suspension, which we suspect does more for a 2500 with something more to do than take a Sunday drive.

The 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups are available with the Mega Cab 4-door body that adds three inches of rear legroom and a bunch more rear storage space than even the capacious Crew Cab has. A flat floor beneath the rear seat creates lots of in-cab storage when the cushions are flipped up. Rear roof pillars are thicker than on other cab bodies, so drivers will find over-the-shoulder vision more obstructed. The 2500 with Mega Cab comes only with a 6-foot-4-inch cargo bed.

First Spin: 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy-Duty Pickups

It costs a cool $9100, but the Ram 2500’s optional 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel 6-cylinder puts out 380 horsepower and an impressive 850 pound-feet of torque, which helps enable a maximum towing capacity of 18,900 pounds.

The tested truck had a starting price (with delivery) of $67,395, but the jackpot wheels didn’t stop spinning until they showed $83,915. After the Cummins engine option, the next-costliest add-on was the $2995 Limited Level 1 Group with a 17-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, Uconnect infotainment upgrade to a tablet-like 12-inch display screen, adaptive cruise control, full-speed forward collision warning, surround-view camera, and Sirius XM 360L radio that adds streaming features to its satellite-radio capability. As a Limited, standard equipment includes things like comfortable seats covered in leather that are both heated and cooled in front and heated in back; heated wood-and-leather steering wheel; dual-zone climate control; Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone compatibility; navigation; memory functions for the driver’s seat, mirrors, and pedals; keyless entry; power sliding rear window; handy power-retractable running boards; and blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitors.

Come to think of it, with one of these ox-strong Cummins-powered Ram Heavy Duty pickups, you don’t have to wait for the cows to come home—you can tow them there yourself.

Review Flashback! 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche

Loading up a Ram 2500 Mega Cab with a healthy roster of options and the Cummins diesel engine makes for a seriously expensive pickup truck, but also one that is exceptionally capable and luxurious.

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