In the decades-long pickup wars, Dodge has played perennial second-fiddle to the battle being ostensibly waged by Ford and Chevy. It’s the RC Cola to their Coke -vs- Pepsi, Wendy’s to their McDonald’s -vs- Burger King. (Sorry, it’s no contest: Wendy’s.) But while the contenders have slugged it out on the main stage, the third wheel has quietly been in training. It’s stayed focused, kept its head down, and now—rebranded in 2011 purely as Ram Trucks—is taking swings that in a just world will send the other two giants reeling, along with those other scrappers from Nissan and Toyota, the equally massive Titan and Tundra.
That, in a nutshell, is how good the 2019 Ram 1500 truly is. I drove the Longhorn version recently, and honestly can’t quite say enough about it. It’s smooth. It’s quiet. It’s as roomy as you can possibly imagine, with a rear bench that shames all but Rolls-Royce. Its optional 5.7-liter eTorque Hemi V8 is massively powerful, cranking 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. of torque. It’s high and commanding, with styling that’s crisp, brilliantly proportioned down to the smallest of details, and modern, essential for that statement-vehicle swagger one expects from such a mountain of metal. After all, these days pickup trucks can be about as divisive as electric cars—at least among vehicles that come from the factory freighted with Great Cultural Meaning as standard equipment—so you may as well go all-in.
The Longhorn edition, which starts at $53,995 but reached $68,500 specced as I drove it, brings lots of attractive wood and leather details in the cabin, along with heated and reclining rear seats, and a wood-trimmed steering wheel that’s a work of art unto itself. But it’s the standard and optional equipment across the trim levels that make it truly special. This includes the massive, glorious 12-inch touchscreen display, the 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, and the ample Bluetooth and streaming audio options and abundant charging ports. Inside, it’s a palace fit for a well-connected king and queen, and their little princes and princesses—all of whom will find it refreshingly helpful to bound in via the automatically extending electric running board.
Driving the 1500 Longhorn reveals one surprise after another. Not only the aforementioned power, delivered as needed but in casual use returning a reasonable 19 mpg combined, but also in its ride quality. Credit here goes to overall engineering, which optimizes stiffness where essential and flex where beneficial, but also the optional air suspension, which can absorb the worst road scarring imaginable without tossing you and your passengers around. That air suspension also allows for ample extra clearance when trundling off-road—up to 10.7 inches. If you tick that box, by the way, you may as well also opt for the off-road package, which adds various skid plates, hill descent control, and an electronic rear differential.
Ultimately, whether on-road or off, on the highway or on the town, the 1500 gins up a degree of confidence, performance, and capability that makes the whole Ford-Chevy feud seem kind of laughable. Dodge has earned the loyalty of millions over the decades, and this machine not only will broaden that appeal, but in fact seal its place at the front of the current crop of heavy-metal pickup trucks. You can fight about Ford/Chevy or even Nissan/Toyota all you want, but you’ll be missing out if you don’t bring Ram into the conversation.
