2020 Ram 3500 Road Test and Review

2019 Ram 3500 ・ Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

A race car. No, a boat, a big boat, with multiple engines and hardwood floors like the ones you see in James Bond movies. Maybe horses. Yeah, horses. Prized thoroughbreds. Stallions. Wait, a luxury travel trailer. No, no, no, a fleet of ATVs, bulldozers, a custom-built sand rail dune buggy with massive back tires, Lamas, the world’s largest meat smoker, the contents of Fort Knox...

You can tow a lot of stuff with the 2020 Ram 3500HD. Our massive diesel-powered test vehicle, a Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Long Box dually, packed 1,000 lb-ft of torque and could pull over 35,000 lbs. Big, bad pickup trucks just don’t come any bigger or badder. Built in Saltillo, Mexico, the Ram 3500HD delivers the power, comfort, and capability heavy-duty truck buyers not only expect, but demand. It competes with the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, GMC Sierra 3500HD, and Ford F-350 Super Duty.

Wide Range of Configurations

Ram completely redesigned its largest pickup just last year, not only improving its capability but also its comfort and refinement. The 3500 is still offered in a wide range of configurations, including four body styles. The four-door Crew Cab like our test truck offers a large rear seat, while the extra-large Mega Cab can practically sleep a family of four. Buyers looking for the most load-carrying and towing capability should go for the dually models with four rear wheels and tires to better handle the weight.

Ram also offers six trim levels, most with cool Western names like Big Horn, Long Horn, and Laramie. A large gas-burning 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine making 410 hp is standard, while two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive are available across the board. Buyers can also choose between a 6-foot-4-inch-long short bed or an 8-foot-long long bed. Prices start at $36,890, including a $1,695 destination charge, for a two-wheel drive Regular Cab Tradesman with a long bed. Four-wheel drive adds about $2,800. A smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission is standard.

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$85,000 Test Truck

Base prices max out at $69,395 for a Limited Mega Cab with four-wheel drive, while our test truck, a 3500 Crew Cab Laramie 4x4 dually, starts at $53,800. That’s a heck of a value considering the truck’s size, features, and capability.

Big-ticket options on our test truck included power-deployable running boards; the Max-Tow Package, which includes an auto-leveling rear air suspension; and a $4,095 luxury package that added a laundry list of features including ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a remote tailgate release, a Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, and a 17-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system. Notable standalone options included our truck’s dual rear wheels, which cost $1,395, and a massive 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, the largest in its class. Those extras spiked its MSRP up to $85,275, putting our truck in the same price category as a BMW 8 Series, which of course can’t tow quite as much.

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Diesel Power and Fuel Economy

The most expensive options on our RAM 3500 test truck were its Cummins turbo diesel engine and its Aisin heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission. With 410 hp, the Ram’s gasoline-burning Hemi V8 is no lightweight, and it runs happily on 87-octane regular-grade fuel to keep operating costs down. However, for maximum pulling power, you gotta go diesel.

Ram offers two diesel engines, both 6.7-liter inline six-cylinders built by Cummins. Many consider them to be the mack daddy of diesels. The first is shared with the RAM 2500 and costs $9,100. It’s rated to produce 370 hp at 2,800 rpm and a massive 850 lb-ft of torque peaks at just 1,152 rpm. And then there’s the big dog. The Clydesdale. The Tiger King. That’s our test truck’s High Output version, which makes 400 hp at 2,800 rpm and an incredible 1,000 lb-ft of torque at just 1,356 rpm. It costs an additional $11,795, but it’s the second-most-powerful engine in this class, only trailing the Ford Super Duty’s Power Stroke diesel by 50 lb-ft of torque. With its optional shorter 4.10 rear axle ratio, our test truck averaged 14 mpg in mixed driving.

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Huge, But Easy to Drive

Although our test truck weighed over 9,000 lbs, it had plenty of get-up-and-go. The big diesel’s turbocharger spools up quickly, and the inline six-cylinder delivers its massive torque right off idle. Keeping up with traffic isn’t an issue, and with a heavy right foot, it’ll dust the gaggle of SUVs found at any stoplight. Reaching 60 mph takes about 8.5 seconds, about as quick as a tiny Honda Fit, though the more powerful Duramax V8-powered Chevy and GMC are quicker. This big-rig Ram is also easy to drive, even around town, although you do have to pay attention. The dually’s extra-wide rear fenders and huge side mirrors stick out perilously and can easily take out your neighbor’s mailbox.

This is a very comfortable truck. The Cummins is much quieter than it used to be. You no longer have to shout over its diesel rattle at the drive-thru, and it’s no longer an issue out on the highway. It doesn’t ride quite as well as a RAM 2500, which uses a unique coil-spring rear suspension, but the 3500 doesn’t beat you up either. With an empty bed, it’s a bit bouncy and jiggly over rough roads, but the air suspension does a remarkable job at keeping the ride livable.

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Big Towing and Payload

With the Cummins HO turbodiesel, a crew cab RAM 3500 dually long box with 2WD or 4WD is rated to tow up nearly 20,000 lbs on a conventional hitch and a fifth-wheel trailer weighing over 35,000 lbs. And with 2WD, the Ram’s max payload rating of 7,680 lbs is extraordinary.

The truck makes it easy to haul such incredible loads. Ram’s towing aids include an integrated trailer brake controller, trailer sway control, and a basic backup camera. Our truck was also equipped with an optional surround-view camera system, which gives you a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the truck, as well as a Trailer Reverse Guidance system that provides visual cues and tips to help you back up a trailer.

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Big Space, Comfort, and Features

Our Crew Cab test truck swallowed five big guys like Godzilla. There’s enough rear legroom and headroom for Shaquille O’Neal in a Stetson. Buyers expect nice materials and impressive fit and finish in a truck costing this much, and the Ram delivers with the finest overall interior in its class. The pickup’s cabin has an overall feeling of quality, sound ergonomics, and an abundance of upscale chrome. Our truck’s gauges were also particularly striking with big round gray-faced dials and metallic trim. They would be at home in a high-performance luxury sedan.

The Ram’s seats are large and well-shaped, and thanks to our test truck’s height-adjustable driver’s seat, power-adjustable pedals, and tilt steering wheel, finding the right seating position is easy. I also appreciated the truck’s huge 12-inch touchscreen, easy-to-use navigation system, and front and rear parking sensors, which are a must in a truck this big.

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Torquing About the Competition

For the most torque and towing, the Heavy Duty truck class is still Ford’s show. Its 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 packs 475 hp, which is the best in this class, and 1,050 pound-feet of torque, which is the more than any other vehicle on the road. And it can tow the most; a crew cab dually can pull 24,200 lbs on a conventional hitch and 37,000 lbs with a gooseneck trailer. Its max payload is also the king of the class at 7,850 lbs. These numbers beat the Ram’s ultimate capabilities.

Then there’s Chevy and GMC with their new 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel. The V8 makes just 445 hp and just 910 lb-ft of torque, making it the weakest diesel in the class. Like the Ford, it gets a 10-speed automatic, but ultimately the GM twins don’t have the grunt to go tow to tow with the Ram, which can haul and pull significantly more weight.

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Sharp-Looking

Some prefer the boxier look of the Ford, while others favor the more in your face futuristic design of the Chevy or the GMC, but this is a great-looking truck. For our money, it’s the best looking of the four. With voluptuous lines, massive black wheels, and the purposeful presence of a Peterbilt, our very red RAM 3500 dually turned heads like The Rock at a little people convention.

Unlike the Ford F-350 Super Duty, the Ram’s shapely body and bed are made from steel. Its front end is visually strong and determined. It seems to press itself out into the wind like it has someplace to be. Something important to do. But there’s also an understated elegance to its overall shape, offset by an inherent muscularity emphasized by its alert stance and bulging rear fenders.

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Final Thoughts

Big, massively capable monoliths like the 2020 RAM 3500 are selling at record rates as America’s automakers continue to improve the breed — designing, engineering, and building bigger, better, and more efficient trucks. As a result, the full-size heavy-duty pickup class only gets more competitive every year.

Although Ford continues to sell the most trucks, the RAM 3500 still leads in many ways, offering impressive levels of luxury, refinement, and capability. It not only offers the best interior in its class, but its Hemi V8 and Cummins diesel engines are still extremely impressive, and few trucks make towing very large things easier. With a truck like this, you can finally buy that race car you’ve always wanted. Wait, no, a boat. Yeah, a boat.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles