2018 RAM Trucks: Choices, Choices, And More Choices

It’s been nine years since RAM split from Dodge, so that the brand could focus solely on making the best trucks possible. Some experts worried that the successful RAM trucks (and Dodge’s cars) would suffer from the sudden lack of cross-pollination.

Thankfully, those people could not have been more wrong.

Free to focus solely on pickups, the RAM brand flourished. Though Ford remains the industry leader, Chevrolet follows not far behind, with RAM directly behind them, nipping at their heels for second place. According to data collected by PickupTrucks.com, one in every five half ton pickups sold in the United States is a RAM 1500. January 2018 alone saw the sale of over 29,000 RAM 1500s, nearly three times as many GMC Sierras and four times as many Toyota Tundras.

With a slight increase in sales from 2016 to 2017, RAM’s business is booming. And 2018 looks by all indications to be another banner year. Whether it’s the popular RAM 1500, the workmanlike 2500, or even the hulking 3500, RAM is assured to have a truck to fit into every lifestyle.

RAM 1500: The Cornerstone

As previously mentioned, the 1500 is RAM’s top seller. And the 2018 iteration of this full-sized workhorse is the most well-equipped version yet. Often credited as the smoothest-riding truck on the market, the 1500 owes this to its suspension. With its standard coil springs (and optional air springs) both front and rear, it glides by all other competitors who still rely on less sophisticated rear leaf springs.

The RAM 1500 is available in a wide variety of trim levels, which can be paired with its three different cab configurations (two-door, four-door quad cab, and four-door crew cab). From the Express and Sport models, to the Limited, Laramie, or the leather-clad Rebel trim, with several stops in between, the choices are beyond plentiful. Mix and match the multiple cab choices and trim levels with three different bed lengths (67.4, 76.3, and 98.3 inches) and customization possibilities for your RAM are at an all time high. If that’s not enough, there are plenty of pre-chosen special editions to offer something exciting for every taste. Just to name a few, this includes the Limited Tungsten Edition, the agriculturally-deft Harvest Edition, and even the Texan-exclusive Lone Star Silver Edition and Lone Star Yellow Rose Edition, offered only in a model-exclusive color, Stinger Yellow Clear Coat. Buzzzz.

Which Engine To Choose?

The 2018 RAM 1500 has choices under the hood, too. Three different engines are available. There’s a 3.6 liter V6, making 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. The available 5.7 liter V8, good for 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. And of course, the 3.0 liter V6 turbo-diesel is capable of 240 horses and lots of low end, making 420 lb-ft of torque. All these options pair with an 8-speed automatic transmission and either rear-wheel, part-time four-wheel, or full-time all-wheel drive.

2018 brings the most tech-connected RAM fleet to date. The 1500 is available with an 8.4 inch Uconnect touchscreen that is tops in the industry. A 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility keep drivers (and riders) connected.

A Truck For Everybody

So the RAM 1500 is a boss. We know this. It sells well. It’s backed by a top-notch warranty. There are a gazillion options for customization. All the modern tech bells and whistles are there. That should be everything, right? Right?? No?

But what if you just need a little more truck? Three-quarter and full-ton jobs tend to be clunkier, less-equipped versions of their smaller, hipper siblings, don’t they?

That’s not what RAM has in mind for the big boys.

2500: Bigger And Badder

Take one step up in size to the 2018 RAM 2500, and you’ll find virtually all of the creature comforts available in the 1500, plus more size and power. The 5.7 liter V8 available in the RAM 1500 is now standard. Other engine choices include a 6.4 liter V8 that makes 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque. And finally, a 6.7 liter Cummins turbodiesel inline-6 cylinder, rated at 350 hp and 660 lb-ft of torque. (Buuut, when mated with the 6-speed automatic transmission those numbers jump to 370 hp and a staggering 800 lb-ft. Nice.) This is the RAM segment that birthed the off-roading behemoth Power Wagon, one of the most trail-ready trucks ever conceived.

Full-ton trucks are for people who aren’t doing any messing around. None whatsoever. They have serious a job to do and a truck capable of taking a beating and getting it done. For these people, the RAM 3500 is one hell of an option.

3500: Serious Inquiries Only

At the tippy-top of the RAM line sits the 3500 like an oversized kingpin. The engine choices are the same as the RAM 2500. However, when the Cummins diesel engine is paired with the 3500’s heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission, magic happens. It becomes capable of 385 horsepower and an insane 930 lb-ft of torque. That’s the class standard in torque, beating out the mighty Ford Power Stroke. New for 2018 models, the 3500 is also available in the uber-luxurious Limited Tungsten Edition. It includes (among other features) a high end leather interior with real wood accents and premium mats, and all the state-of-the-art tech goodies available in the 1500 and 2500 offerings. There’s no longer a need to sacrifice comfort or style to up the payload.

A Legendary Distinction

And no matter which RAM fits your lifestyle, they can all likely fit your budget. MSRP for the RAM 1500 starts around $27,000. The base 2500 retails for about $32,500, and the 3500 is just a skosh more, at $33,645.

The RAM 1500 won Motor Trend’s coveted Truck of the Year award in 2013. History was made when the 1500 took it again in 2014, the first back-to-back win in the history of the prize.

Motor Trend raved about its choice. “It offers all the things truck buyers want in a rig,” they said, “choice, value, great design, and more than enough power and torque.”

2018’s RAM trucks are of the same generation as these winners, the final class before a 2019 redesign. And the family resemblance shows. Upgrades in tech and safety features abound, but changes to the RAM this decade have thus far been subtle. Perhaps that’s for the best. The RAM family of trucks certainly ain’t broke, and you know what they say about things that ain’t broke.

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