RAM 2500 Laramie Longhorn: Like Being in Texas!
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Sometimes there’s no understanding the world of pick-up trucks and their drivers. Whereas the guy who buys a white 2WD 1500 with a V6 engine can spend ages making up his mind, the guy who has $80,000 to burn on a pick-up already knows exactly what he wants. Of course, it’s probably not his first truck, so he doesn’t want to waste time in choosing his next set of wheels. Here’s a case and point:
When I tested the 2014 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn, I happened to park next to another Laramie Longhorn, a “small” 1500. This got me chatting with its owner. When I asked him why he had chosen this truck, his answer was simple: “My dad always drove a Dodge, my first pick-up was a Dodge and I’ve had five so far in my life. The Longhorn is the ultimate Dodge!”
The Ultimate Ram
As soon as you lay eyes on a Ram Laramie Longhorn, you’ll see that this man is right. The two-tone paint job is very classy, the perforated chrome grille commands respect, and the vehicle’s sheer size is enough to earn it the title of the Ultimate Dodge. I got lots of compliments on the Western Brown shade of my test vehicle, from folks in their 50s down to teens. And it goes without saying that in the “My truck is bigger than yours” category, the Longhorn is hard to beat!
Inside, it’s like being inside a limousine with Texan decor. The front bucket seats are tremendously comfortable, offering good lateral support and a sufficiently deep seat to keep you happy for hours. And obviously they are both heated and cooled. Between them is a massive centre console that could swallow up a couple of grocery bags. Speaking of storage, the interior is replete with compartments. In addition to the aforementioned console, there’s a two-tiered glove box, six compartments throughout the interior, and a multitude of cubbies for smaller objects like cell phones and sunglasses. The dashboard is made from real wood and features leather and chrome accents. The top portion of the large steering wheel is also covered in wood, while the rest is leather-bound. And yes, it’s heated, too.
Western accents have been included throughout the passenger compartment. They include etchings around the dials, a barbed wire design on the carpet, and buckles on the pockets behind the front seat backs. We tested a Mega Cab, which offers passengers an exorbitant amount of space. In the back, I could stretch out my legs completely and still not touch the front seats! We had one beef with the infotainment system: even though it was equipped with the 10-speaker Alpine sound system, I felt that the volume was relatively weak. The sound quality was great, but it simply wasn’t loud enough when driving down the highway with the windows down.
Ever driven a castle?
The first thing you need to remember when you slide behind the wheel of the Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn is that this is one of the biggest vehicles you can drive with a Class 5 licence. It is long, wide and very square, meaning that you can easily miss seeing a small car in your blind spot. Compact vehicles had better get out of the way! The Ram 2500’s steering is nicely assisted, though not particularly communicative, as this isn’t a sought-after quality in pick-up trucks.
My test vehicle was equipped with a gas-powered 6.4-litre Hemi with 410 horsepower and 429 lbs.-ft. of torque. It proved surprisingly quiet for a mill of this calibre, which just goes to prove how good the soundproofing is. The 0 to 100 km/h dash is relatively spirited (for a vehicle that weighs more than 2,500 kg), but we were more impressed by the 20 to 120 run. This truck can accelerate with authority when it wants to. The 6.4-litre Hemi is paired with a flawless six-speed transmission; it is fluid, selects the right gear 95% of the time and essentially makes itself discreet. Even though the transmission shifted frequently under 2,000 rpm, I nonetheless recorded a fuel consumption rate of 17.9 L/100 km.
I was also lucky enough to drive a model with air suspension. Not only does it dampen any hiccups from the vehicle’s back end (typical in three-quarter tonne pick-up trucks), but it can also lower or raise depending on the load it’s carrying. The result is a much more comfortable ride, especially when the Ram isn’t fully loaded (which was the case during most of my test drive).
King of all Rams
The Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn is therefore the ideal machine for hauling heavy loads across long distances while maintaining your comfort. If you ask me, this is the most practical thing to do with this cushy mastodon. That said, at nearly $79,000, this vehicle won’t fit all budgets. Sure, you can do away with a few options to help bring the price down to more reasonable levels, but there’s one you absolutely must keep: Cummins. This includes an excellent diesel engine that delivers 800 lbs.-ft. of torque and can tow up to 11,340 kg (25,000 lbs.).
If this $6,000 option seems a little expensive to you, remember that the money you save on fuel will help compensate for a good portion of it. A Cummins Ram also has a better resale value over the long term, as these engines can easily cover more than 500,000 kilometres.
