Used 2019 Ram 3500 Crew Cab

If you need to move a house or set up a new city, the 2019 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty are the trucks for the job. While this level of capability may sound like a Paul Bunyan-level exaggeration, the all-new Ram Heavy Duty trucks are the hardest-working, most capable pickups Ram offers that don’t require a commercial driver’s license. They boast up to 35,100 pounds of towing capacity, nearly 8,000 pounds of payload capacity, and an available engine that puts out 1,000 lb-ft of torque — an industry first. But the Rams also specialize in luxury and high-tech features, making these trucks the most civilized heavy-duty models to date. The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty fired the opening salvo, but the Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD and Ford Super Duty will all be new or significantly updated for 2020 and promise to offer competitive levels of capability.

With the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500, you have a choice of two engines, a 6.4-liter gas V8 and a 6.7-liter turbodiesel inline-6. We drove a 3500 powered by the 6.4-liter V8 backed by an 8-speed automatic. Acceleration was quite good, and the V8 offers plenty of midrange passing power. The V8 is technically the base engine, but buyers will be happy with the power it provides. Transmission shifts were smooth, and the steering had just a touch of play, the right amount for when you’re towing.

A note about towing: While the 3500 model is the more capable of the two, most people prefer the softer ride and lower price of the 2500. With the 2500, you have a maximum towing capacity of 19,370 pounds and a payload capacity of 4,520 pounds — incredible numbers, but not the 35,100 and 7,680 of the 3500.

The Ram we spent the most time in was incredibly easy to recommend for most Heavy Duty truck buyers: the 2500 Limited Crew Cab with the standard-output Cummins turbodiesel and air suspension. There’s something to be said for smooth power that seems infinite. A slight squeeze of the throttle and you easily reach freeway speeds, and shifts are just as smooth as with the gas engine. This truck also had the smart diesel brake-exhaust system, which uses engine braking to slow the truck when going downhill, so you don’t have to ride the brakes. Putting it in Auto mode helps keep the truck at a constant speed while the truck descends.

The ride was very comfortable, slightly firmer than you’d find in a half-ton truck and pleasant for the daily drive. The interior is quiet, damping the sound of the diesel to a quiet murmur. The truck’s 12-inch center screen looks terrific but is not as intuitive as the 8.4-inch screen for daily use. The only real issue we had was with the rear-center seat’s headrest. It blocks some of your vision in the rearview mirror and doesn’t fold down.

We also sampled the Power Wagon, the ultimate off-roader in the Heavy Duty line, which is based on the Ram 2500. It benefits from improvements made to the Ram 2500 for 2019, as well as a 360-degree camera and an all-new Warn winch with synthetic line. While we still would like to see the turbodiesel under the hood of the Power Wagon, awesome suspension and disconnecting sway bars are only part of why the Power Wagon is such a beast off-road.

For 2019, the Ram Heavy Duty trucks have stepped up their already impressive interior appearance and quality. Each trim level has its own design, with attractive premium and durable materials. Ram uses real wood and metal, and the redesigned dash houses a gorgeous optional 12-inch touch screen. If you prefer having more tactile controls like knobs and buttons, you can get those with the smaller 8.4-inch screen instead. The new Ram Heavy Duty trucks use active noise cancellation and acoustic glass to reduce ambient sound by almost 10 decibels.

The Heavy Duty interior’s bins and boxes offer up to 258 liters of storage (you could carry the equivalent of 129 2-liter bottles of soda). In addition to the huge center console, which can be reconfigured 12 ways, there’s a dual glove box, extra storage when the rear bench seat is folded up, and two Ram Bins in the floor on Crew Cab models that are covered and hidden from view.

There’s also available wireless smartphone charging and up to five USB ports in the center console, including USB type-C. You can also get as many as three 115-volt 3-prong outlets in the cab: one up front, one in back, and one in the RamBox.

The 2019 Heavy Duty Ram’s bold new styling is sharper and more angular than that of its predecessor. The nose uses crisp, modern lines, which define the precise-looking front end. Narrow directional LED headlights flank a split grille, and the Ram crosshairs are no longer part of the design. Different trim levels use their own versions of the grille. The Power Wagon, which has its own unique styling cues, sports a grille that resembles a handlebar mustache.

The Ram 2500 comes only in the single rear-wheel layout (two wheels in front, two in back), but you can get the Ram 3500 with single rear wheels or dual rear wheels (two wheels in front, four wheels in back). The dual rear-wheel models are the most capable in the lineup, offering the highest towing capacity, at 35,100 pounds.

SMART TOWING FEATURES
A smart diesel exhaust brake offers downhill braking at an even speed without overheating the truck’s brakes. Blind-spot monitoring takes into account vehicles on either side of your trailer. An available auxiliary camera system can show you what’s behind your trailer as you drive. You can get trailer-tire-pressure monitoring. And the 2019 Ram Heavy Duty is the first to make both the regular mirror and the convex tow mirror below it power-adjustable.

TRUCK BED INNOVATION
The RamBox system, with integrated bedside storage bins, is lockable, drainable, illuminated, and comes with a 115-volt power outlet — and the bed is still large enough to carry 4×8-foot sheets of plywood. The tailgate is dampened and can be power-released with the key fob, and there’s a retractable bed step to make it easier to load and unload cargo.

The base model of the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty is the regular-cab Tradesman with an 8-foot bed. This is the model that will appeal most to companies buying fleet vehicles, and while it does offer a relatively low starting price, it also doesn’t come with a lot in the way of comfort and convenience features. It’s powered by a 6.4-liter gas V8 and 8-speed automatic transmission. It comes with a manually adjustable 40/20/40-split bench seat and black vinyl floors. The AM/FM radio, which runs through four speakers, has a 5.0-inch touch screen and uses Uconnect connectivity for Bluetooth.

As you move up through the trim levels, the trucks get increasingly lavish. You can choose from Crew Cab or Mega Cab layouts. While we felt the Crew Cab was plenty spacious, the Mega Cab has more rear-seat legroom and the seats recline. You can opt for the 6.7-liter turbodiesel inline-6 engine, with a 6-speed automatic transmission designed to handle the engine’s massive torque. You can choose the standard-output diesel, or the high-output version that has 1,000 lb-ft of torque.

Selecting the terrific auto-leveling rear air suspension makes the ride smooth and civilized. Choose from a very good 8.4-inch Uconnect system, or the visually stunning 12-inch navigation and multi-purpose touch screen, as well as a Harman Kardon 750-watt 17-speaker audio system. You can get a wide array of towing and safety equipment, including a surround-view camera, cargo-view camera, blind-spot monitoring, and forward-collision mitigation. Full leather interiors, and real metal and open-pore wood accents adorn top trim levels.

With the all-new 2019 Ram Heavy Duty, buyers can choose between a 6.4-liter V8 with an 8-speed automatic, or two different versions of the 6.7-liter inline-6 Cummins turbodiesel. You can get the standard-output 6.7-liter in either the 2500 or 3500, but you can only get the high-output inline-6 with 1,000 lb-ft of torque in the 3500. If your towing needs require the capability to lug 35,100 pounds, you’ll have to get the 3500 with dual rear wheels and the high-output diesel. Note that heavy-duty trucks, such as the Ram Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500, are not EPA-rated for fuel economy.

6.4-liter V8
410 horsepower @ 5,600 rpm
429 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: Not rated

6.7-liter turbocharged diesel inline-6
370 horsepower @ 2,800 rpm
850 lb-ft of torque @ 1,700 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: Not rated

6.7-liter turbocharged diesel inline-6 (High Output, 3500 only)
400 horsepower @ 2,800 rpm
1,000 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: Not rated