2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab Reviews

Mar 03, 2017 at 9:00am ET

– Detroit, Michigan

This Ram 1500 can tow, haul, and off-route with the all-time of them, but there'south more than to it than only truck stuff. This is a 1500 Sport equipped with the new Nighttime Edition parcel, meaning there's a bigger focus on adjourn appeal and performance than other versions of Ram's light-duty truck. It's a great toy for someone like me who doesn't really demand a truck and just enjoys a rear-bulldoze vehicle with a V8. And information technology would also conform someone who really wanted a Contrivance Challenger only ended up with a pickup. Almost of all, though, information technology reminds me how much I similar any version of the Ram 1500.

Pros

Big power from the big engine. Turbocharging is smashing, but so is the instant shove of a big Hemi V8. The five.7-liter mill in this truck does not disappoint in the acceleration section, with 410 pound-feet of torque that tin, if one were so inclined, light upwards the rear tires with an imprudent touch of the throttle. Or, yous know, make brusk work of passing and merging.

Don't Be A Sheep, Be A Ram:

Uncommon refinement. The Ram 1500 is my favorite light-duty pickup simply because it barely feels like a truck. The independent rear pause exhibits none of the hop-skip-and-spring beliefs of rivals over bumps, while the eight-speed automatic transmission is sublimely smooth in operation. Mopar frazzle aside (run across below), the motel is complimentary from excessive noise intrusion from the exterior earth.

Raise me up, Scotty. The optional air interruption makes life fifty-fifty easier past lowering to an entry/leave summit when y'all park – handy for someone like me who otherwise has to jump into the cab – and also lowering slightly at highway speeds to reduce aero drag. And if you were to encounter some rough terrain, you can enhance the suspension for improve ground clearance.

Information technology looks absurd. Special-edition pickup trucks are a dime a dozen, but at least the Nighttime Edition pack looks cool. Blacked-out badges and trim, black twenty-inch wheels, a vented hood, and a black grille all lend this Ram 1500 more visual punch than standard versions.

Grumbling exhaust annotation. This item truck had an optional exhaust and intake from the Mopar parts catalog, transforming its soundtrack. There's a growl and rumble like, well, a Dodge Challenger, which fits with the residue of the truck's bold demeanor. And still...

Cons

It never shuts up. I love how the engine and exhaust sound when I'grand accelerating hard. I hate how they sound when I'm cruising at a steady speed. The frazzle drones and burbles constantly; at 75 miles per hour on the highway, with the engine turning a leisurely ii,000 rpm, the racket is overpowering.

I'd like some more mirrors. Not for vanity, just for keeping tabs on the truck. Though this Ram has a blind-spot warning organization, I'd love the ultra-convex watch mirrors to which I've become accustomed on rival trucks. Information technology merely helps keep tabs on where this big brute is when squeezing through tight gaps.

It'due south thirsty. Are you lot surprised that a Coiffure Cab truck with four-bike bulldoze and a V8 drinks fuel? Me neither. The EPA says you'll accomplish 17 miles per gallon combined, but in my use the trip reckoner was pegged closer to thirteen-xiv mpg. Budget accordingly, especially given that this one has the optional 32-gallon tank and will quickly swallow a whole lot of unleaded at the pump. The Night Edition treatment is also available with Ram'due south 3.6-liter V6, which returns xix mpg combined in EPA testing for 4x4 models.

Can't (easily) impact this. There'southward no disputing that the Ram 1500'south 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment organisation is excellent: Quick to reply, easy to use, hugely legible at a glance. What's not so great is that it isn't canted toward the driver, and then from my vantage point, the screen seems distant and the right-hand edge looks like information technology's pointed away from my line of sight – an optical illusion and a mild complaint, just noticeable yet.

Noisy locks. This, besides, might seem like a petty complaint until you hear it a few dozen times. That the Rambox and liftgate lock and unlock with the keyless entry arrangement is supremely useful and secure. That their operation is a loud thunk gets erstwhile when you hear it every single fourth dimension yous arrive or out of the truck.

Competitors

Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Ford F-150
GMC Sierra 1500
Nissan Titan
Toyota Tundra

Photos: Jake Holmes / Motor1.com

Gallery: 2017 Ram 1500: Review

2017 RAM 1500 SPORT NIGHT EDITION 4x4

Engine five.7-Liter V8

Output 395 Horsepower / 410 Pound-Anxiety

Manual 8-Speed Automatic

Efficiency 15 City / 21 Highway / 17 Combined

Drive Blazon Four-Wheel Bulldoze

Weight 5,388 Pounds

Payload i,510 Pounds

Towing 10,140 Pounds

Seating Capacity 5

Base Cost $43,995

Equally-Tested Price $57,395

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Source: https://www.motor1.com/reviews/137744/2017-ram-1500-sport-truck/