2022 Ram 2500 Laramie review

The Ram 2500 is one of the big dogs of the full-size pick-up truck world in Australia. Trent Nikolic fires the Ram around town, and out on the open road, to find out why Aussies love them as much as they do.

What we love

Unparalleled towing performance

Cabin space and comfort are exceptional

Updated tech and infotainment

What we don’t

Right-side column shifter feels out of place

Price means it’s out of range for some buyers who could really use it

Brakes need some footwork to pull up quickly

Despite the regular howls of protest from some, Australians have hoovered up full-size US pick-up trucks in large numbers since they were first made available in remanufactured RHD configuration.

Sure, smaller operations were converting them for years, but when Ford brought the F-250 into Australia as a factory RHD in 2001, it couldn’t keep them on showroom floors long enough for anyone to see them. Check out their residual value on the second-hand market, too, so many years later.

When Ram Trucks Australia brought the Ram 1500 into our market, that changed the game again. The 2500 and 3500 followed and Ram Trucks Australia could barely keep up with demand. So much so, that GM wanted a piece of the action and brought the Silverado to the Aussie market.

For many, though, whether they are Chrysler fans or not, the 2022 Ram 2500 is the truck to have. Forget the protestations – if you need to tow anything heavy and do it regularly, a US truck is the safest way to do it. They put even the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol to shame – no mean feat.

The fact that these trucks are the default family vehicle in so many parts of the US means they are well-equipped, robust, and practical. If you have the space to park them, and the use case for them, they make a hell of a lot of sense. No, they don’t work well in a tight lane in the Sydney or Melbourne CBD, but you’re not using a Porsche 911 to tow bore-drilling equipment either. Horses for courses as they say.

US trucks aren’t cheap. And before you try to formulate the argument, they have to be bought from the factory, they have to be shipped to Australia, they have to be disassembled and rebuilt, and there’s all the requisite RHD-specific equipment and modified or newly engineered parts. It’s not as simple as a cut here, a weld there, and a few bolts.

Having seen the process up close, there’s a hell of a lot of work and engineering that goes into them. Further, the factories in the States don’t do us any favours. It’s not like they need to sell units to a tiny market like Australia. Our trucks could happily stay Stateside and sell as a regular left-hooker as they were originally intended to.

Pricing for the 2022 Ram 2500 range starts from $157,950 before on-road costs. Dealers tell us, though, that most buyers aren’t stepping up from dual-cabs. Rather they are moving from large four-wheel-drives, like LandCruisers and Patrols. And in the case of the old 200 Series, and new 300 Series, they are hardly cheap in their own right. The Laramie is the top-spec variant, and the 2500 we’re testing here is the heavily updated DT variant, which takes over from the older DS, still a formidable beast in its own right.

There’s revised styling front and rear, a 64kg weight reduction, new details like the grille, and LED headlights. Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, part-leather trim, power adjustable, heated and cooled outboard front seats, heated steering wheel, and dual-zone air-conditioning.

You can option in a Driver Assistance Level 1 Package, which costs $1950. It adds blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and trailer detection.

Premium paint is $950, and you can also add the clever RamBox storage system for $4950, but as useful as the RamBox system is, it does cut into tray space. Still, it’s handy for anyone who has smaller objects that you need to get to regularly and quickly.

Let’s delve into the performance on offer from the truck you buy if you’ve got some heavy-duty work to do.

Inside

The cabin delivers limousine-like levels of comfort, space and inclusions. It’s quite simply that spacious and accommodating.

The Ram is a big truck, and that’s never more evident than inside the cabin where it makes a regular dual-cab feel like a toy, and even embarrasses heavyweights like the 300 Series and Patrol. That extends to the back seat as well, where there’s an enormous amount of room no matter how long the drive or how tall the occupant. The second row in a ‘Cruiser can not even compare to the Ram’s.

I really do like the way the American trucks deliver on interior usefulness as well. Yes, designers have the space to work with, but they really do make the absolute most out of it too. Visibility is fantastic aided by the high seating position. And that’s the case from any seat.

Use the hefty side step properly, and getting into or out of the 2500 is also a cinch. Once in, you can accommodate three adults taller than six-foot each across the second row, and they will all be comfortable. Up front, there’s a centre jump seat to make the 2500 a true six-seater.

The design, the leather trim, the quality of the fit and finish, all help to deliver a genuine premium feel to the cabin. Cooled seats are brilliant in an Aussie summer, as are heated seats in colder parts of the country. Makes you wonder why we don’t see more of it. The front seats are like sitting on the lounge at home.

The only aspect of the conversion that grates a little is the column-mounted automatic shifter, which sits on the right side of the wheel. It’s way too complex to swap to the left, I assume, and you do get used to it, but it’s unusual for starters. The smaller 1500 doesn’t have that issue thanks to the rotary dial for gear selection. The parking brake is foot-operated, as we’re familiar with in this segment. The conversion work, carried out by Walkinshaw, is otherwise very high-end in every aspect.

When you’re not using the middle seat in the front row, it becomes a cavernous storage space, armrest and cupholder, with three spaces on offer across the front of it. Into the second row, there’s plenty of storage again, with useful door pockets, and under-seat as well as under-floor storage space too.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The whopping 12-inch centre touchscreen is two things – incredibly easy to use and clear no matter how bright it is outside. It’s the area of tech and infotainment where the new Ram leaps ahead from the old model.

The screen alone, and the way in which it’s integrated into the cabin, makes a huge difference to the way you interact with the new Ram. You get nine USB outlets in the massive cabin, so no-one is going to be struggling for charge. There’s also a clever 360-degree camera with trailer guidance, and also a cargo-view camera.

According to Ram, there is active noise-cancelling inside the cabin, but to be fair, I quite like the noise of the hefty diesel getting to work up front. We tested Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth extensively during our time with the 2500 and both were faultless.

So much of the control work is undertaken through the touchscreen that the Ram doesn’t need buttons and switches everywhere. Those that it does have feel robust, built to last, and easy to decipher.

Safety and Technology

The Ram hasn’t been crash-tested locally by ANCAP, but it has been put through its paces in the US. It gets adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with active braking, hill-start assist, trailer-sway control, lane-departure warning, and six airbags.

You also get front and rear parking sensors (which you’ll need), a digital rear-view mirror, rear-facing cameras and 360-degree cameras. There’s also the aforementioned drive assistance package, which can be added as an option.

Value for Money

Based on the US claims, the Ram 2500’s fuel use should sit around 15.6L/100km on the combined cycle. We used an average of just under 15L/100km with more emphasis on the open road than around town. On prolonged highway stretches, that number drops into the very low 14s and high 13s. With nearly 2800kg hitched up for a quick tow assessment, the real-world average sat on 15.7L/100km, which shows just how effortless the big diesel is when you put it to work.

A three-year/100,000km warranty could be a little longer, but it’s standard for a truck of this type. What might get annoying, especially if you live out of the big cities, are the six-month/12,000km service intervals. They might come up a little quicker than you’d like.

Whether you can justify the outlay isn’t really the point when it comes to dissecting the value of the Ram 2500 Laramie. If you need a truck to get to work, or travel long distances towing trailers in rural areas, it will be the best money you ever spend. Given the current prices of large 4WDs – not that far behind the US trucks – the value equation is even stronger.

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Driving

It’s when you start driving that you most notice the difference between the 1500 and the 2500 we’re testing here. The 2500 really does feel like a bigger and more formidable truck. The 14.6m turning circle is something you’ll need to get used to, the steering isn’t as sharp as the 1500, and the brakes require some enthusiasm. All of which you get used to pretty quickly, it has to be said.

The engine is a thumping example of why diesel engines are, and will probably remain for some time, the first choice for proper working vehicles. Its 276kW might not seem like a lot of power, but the torque figure – a thunderous 1152Nm from just 1700rpm – is what the big diesel is all about.

Weighing in at 6.7 litres, Ram has opted for an inline six rather than the more expected V8 architecture, and it works a treat. It sounds like a Mack truck winding into action, and it provides the 2500 with a surprising kick in the backside from a standstill or when you’re rolling on the throttle to overtake.

The wave of torque seemingly never lets up, and when you do crank into it off the mark, the 2500 keeps piling on speed until you let off. The amount of torque on offer and the linear way in which it’s delivered are relentless. Rather than old-school diesel clatter rising with the climbing revs, there’s a thunderous roar that almost feels more like a V8 than a six. It does sound as tough as nails. It’s just as effortless with weight on the tow bar too. Even up near 3000kg barely affects the way the 2500 gets to work.

The heavy-duty six-speed automatic is smooth and decisive, and seems to use the torque on offer to select the best gear and stay there without slurring into and out of gears for the sake of it. We were surprised with the frugality of the fuel use, as listed above. This is an engine that really doesn’t have to work too hard to do all but the heaviest of tasks. Generally speaking, it feels effortless and relaxed at any speed.

Forget regular carparks of any kind, the 2500 is too tall for that. Another reason that city dwellers probably won’t be able to justify driving one even if they simply want to. The refinement inside the cabin, though, starts to help you forget the exterior dimensions. It’s quiet, comfortable and insulated from behind the wheel. It doesn’t take long to get into a groove with the 2500, becoming comfortable with the way you need to manoeuvre it and place it in the lane. That’s the case even in town.

The steering isn’t heavy, it could be a little more direct, but doesn’t feel vague either. It’s a subtle reminder that there’s some heft at the front end. What is pleasantly surprising is how easily the 2500 deals with a winding country road. If you’re keen on working up a sweat on a twisty B-road on the weekend, you’ve bought the wrong vehicle of course, but at a cruise, even up at the speed limit, the Ram 2500 does well.

The ride is excellent, too, aided by the damping and the wheelbase, and it takes a genuinely nasty road to unsettle the Ram. One of the major points of difference here is the 2500’s five-link coil sprung solid axle at the rear, compared to a leaf-sprung rear axle on the heavier-duty 3500.

You will need to work the brakes a bit harder than anticipated, and you need to give yourself more room for that too. We didn’t notice any change in pedal feel after repeated downhill work, so the feel that it does have through the pedal is consistent. On rough country roads, the cabin’s comfort is rarely ever interrupted, and it really is a beautiful way to knock over a long-distance country run.

Conclusion

If you have a genuine case to own a Ram 2500, you should absolutely buy one. If you need to tow anything heavy regularly, you won’t be able to do so with more safety and surety than you will behind the wheel of a full-size, heavy-duty truck like the Ram 2500. It really is that simple.

They aren’t for everyone, and you need to start with where and how you drive most often. City dwellers need not apply. It’s a big truck for a big country, in other words, but it’s also effortless when it comes to the tough stuff. Just as we expected it would be.

Keyword: 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie review