NEW 2022 Ram 3500
For the last 30 years, Ram has managed to keep the most cars on the road of any automaker thanks to its reliability, with one of the models holding up the record being the Ram 3500 heavy-duty truck. The truck leads the segment in more ways than one, though, once setting the benchmark for towing with a figure of 35,100 pounds. That may since have been usurped by chief rival, the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, with the Ford F-350 Super Duty coming close, too, but the Ram is still among the best in the segment. But where the Ram remains untouched is in its luxurious appointments, refined ride quality, and practical niceties, with an interior second to none and a suspension setup that makes the big bruiser as comfortable on the road as many a smaller truck. When it’s equipped with the most powerful engine and it’s in Mega Cab guise, you’ll be living in high cotton.
3500 Exterior
Every aspect of the Ram 3500 screams utilitarian, from its mammoth countenance to its no-nonsense face. The 3500’s visage is dominated by a large grille and intimidating headlights that house halogen bulbs in the lower three trims, and full-LED strips in the upper three. All models except for the Laramie, Longhorn, and Limited share the same old-school incandescent taillights, with the exceptions boasting LED-lit taillights. The first five trims come with 18-inch wheels as standard, and the range-topping Limited boasts a set of 20-inch wheels. LED bed lighting is also standard on the top two trims.
Dimensions
The size of your Ram 3500 will be dependent on the configuration you choose. The smallest one would be the Regular Cab with an eight-foot box, measuring at a total length of 232 inches. Next up is the Crew Cab with the 6.4-foot bed that measures in at 237.3 inches from front to back and then comes the Crew Cab with the eight-foot bed that has a whopping total length of 260.8 inches, and the Mega Cab with the 6.4-foot bed shares the same total length measurement. All models have a maximum width of 79.1 inches and stand 77.8 inches tall. Notably, the height increases to 78.5 inches on Limited models with 4×4 and the Mega Cab. The Tradesman in 4×2 guise with a regular cab is the lightest of the bunch and has a curb weight of 6,056 pounds. The Limited in 4×4 guise with the Mega Cab weighs in at 7,536 lbs and is the heaviest of them all.
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Length232.0 in
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Wheelbase140.0 in
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Height77.8 in
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Max Width79.4 in
Engine and Transmission
There are three things that truck shoppers are particularly concerned about and those are power, power, and power. Luckily, the 3500 comes standard with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine that means business, and a class-leading diesel engine is optionally available. The V8 powerhouse has 410 horses and 429 lb-ft of torque lying in wait for the right opportunity, allowing for a maximum payload of 3,240 pounds and a towing capacity of 14,370 lbs depending on the configuration as well. If that’s a little “all hat and no cattle” for you, a 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel engine is available and bumps torque figures and capability up by a mile. Opting for that one means you’ll have 370 horsepower and 850 lb-ft to work with, increasing the maximum towing capacity to 19,780 pounds. The true king of them all is the 6.7-liter Cummins HO turbo diesel that has a whopping 1,000 lb-ft of torque. Opting for this engine allows for a maximum payload of 7,680 pounds and a towing capacity of up to 35,100 pounds depending on which model you choose. Three different transmissions are available, with an eight-speed automatic as standard for all trims.
Engine6.4L V8 Gas
Transmission8-Speed Automatic
Drivetrains4X4, RWD
Handling and Driving Impressions
Your experience behind the wheel of the 3500 will vary depending on which engine you opt for, but even with its puniest engine, it delivers enough power to get the wheels turning without obvious signs of struggle. That being said, the more powerful Cummins engine is far more capable of getting up to speed, working in perfect harmony with the transmission sourced from Aisin. Common amongst large haulers, bumps and cracks in the road are made known to the cabin immediately, though this is significantly mitigated when there’s a particularly heavy trailer attached to it. Going 60 miles an hour in something the size of a mammoth feels fast, but the brakes are always ready to stop the beast of burden with enough force. Parking the truck will take 3-5 business days without the 360-degree camera equipped, but the steering isn’t half bad which makes it somewhat easier.
3500 Gas Mileage
While there are no official EPA estimated figures for any of the three engines, real-world reports suggest that the 6.7-liter Cummins engine will deliver a combined figure of 16 mpg with mixed driving and the 6.8-liter V8 will manage around 12.3 mpg. A 32-gallon fuel tank is standard on all models, but a 50-gallon fuel tank is optionally available for Crew Cab models with an eight-foot bed.
Fuel Tank Capacity32.0 Gallons
Seating and Interior Space
The smallest Regular Cab 3500 will manage three adults comfortably and Crew Cab models offer enough seating for six. The rear space offering of the latter is impressive, but falls slightly behind the back of the Ford F-350 in terms of legroom. If space is what you desire, the Mega Cab offers the most interior space of the segment for five occupants and annihilates the F-350’s biggest model. The Ram also has more premium upholstery than most rivals and offers extremely comfortable and supportive seating in the front and the rear.
Seating capacity3-seater
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Front Leg Room40.9 in
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Front Head Room39.8 in
3500 Trunk and Cargo Space
Big trucks like the 3500 don’t typically have a lot of space inside to store items and rely mostly on their beds for storage. You’ll have a lot to work with when you opt for the 6.4-foot bed, but the ultimate option for the most space would be the eight-foot bed. The former has a bed height of 20.1 inches, while the latter marginally increases this to 20.2 inches. Both beds have a width of 66.4 inches. The 6.4-foot bed has a total of 57.5 cubic feet to carry cargo, and the eight-foot bed allows for 74.7 cubes of storage space. A cargo management system called RamBox is available and this adds two lockable storage bins to the bed.
In-cabin storage is decent enough thanks to a cavernous bin in the center console, with Mega Cab models boasting two boxes behind the rear seats. There is overhead storage and a glovebox, too.
3500 Infotainment and Features
Features
The bare-bones Tradesman is the most affordable 3500 that money can buy, and this is made possible by the inclusion of limited features. The fleet-focused truck has standard features that include four-way manually adjustable front seats and push-button start, as well as cruise control, air conditioning, and a 12V power outlet. The Lone Star adds power front windows and the Laramie adds keyless entry, a heated, leather-clad multifunction steering wheel, heated eight-way power-adjustable front seats with two-way lumbar support, dual-zone climate control and power-adjustable pedals. Added to the Laramie Longhorn is ventilation and memory for the front seats and the top of the range Limited model adds wireless charging. For the Tradesman, a rearview camera and hill start assist are standard. The Laramie adds blind spot monitoring and the Limited adds cross-path detection.
Infotainment
The infotainment features in the fleet model are relatively limited, but the suite improves by a large measurement in the upper three trim levels. The Tradesman comes standard with a five-inch touchscreen that enables Bluetooth streaming, AM/FM radio, and an aux input as well as a USB port and a six-speaker sound system is standard. The Lone Star and Big Horn models don’t offer much to improve this, but the Laramie adds a 7-inch color instrument cluster and most notably, an 8.4-inch touchscreen and a nine-speaker Alpine sound system. It also adds Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM to the mix along with an extra USB port. The Longhorn adds an improved Uconnect 4 software system with a navigation system and a five-year SiriusXM traffic subscription, and the Limited gets upgraded to a 12-inch touchscreen. They also add HD Radio. An upgraded system is additionally available on all models except for the Tradesman and the Big Horn along with a 17-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
3500 Safety
While the Ram 3500 hasn’t been officially tested by the NHTSA or the IIHS, its standard safety features should be enough to rid one of concerns. All models come with six airbags. The base model comes standard with a rearview camera, electronic roll mitigation, electronic stability control, hill start assist, and trailer sway damping. The Laramie adds front and rear park sensors and the top of the range model adds blind-spot monitoring. Various additional safety features are available and include an auxiliary camera system that allows for a maximum of two cameras. The Safety Group Package costs around $2,000 to start, but varies considerably between the trim levels. It adds adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, forward-collision warning and blind-spot monitoring as well as cross-path detection.
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