Road Test: 2018 Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab

Trucks rock. They do anything and everything, seamlessly. We all have things and people to move, and trucks like the Ram 1500 make it really enjoyable. We took possession of a Ram 1500 Limited Tungsten Edition loan for a week and it was difficult to hand the keys back at the end.

Ram Limited takes the Ram truck line to the highest level of sophistication and attention to detail. Just looking at this truck, you know it’s something special. But open the door, and wow, it’s easy to confuse this with inside of a luxury home.

Premium materials cover nearly every surface, full leather seating, real wood trim, magnetic seat pocket buckles in the back, and unique badges really make this truck stand out. Comfort is top notch thanks to seats that are very well padded, heated and cooled, heated in the rear, and  even the steering wheel is heated. The A-pillar-mounted entry grabs are wrapped in leather and stitched beautifully.

Subtle stitching accents, pin-striping, and unique materials fill every aspect of the interior. The deep console bin houses a smartphone and tablet holder and is concealed with a tambour wood sliding door. The genuine wood door is made from Black Argento wood it looks perfect in this truck.

Dual glove boxes, huge door pockets, under seat, and floor storage spaces make this truck as functional inside as it is luxurious. The optional Ram cargo management system is the coolest innovation since the invention of the pickup truck. A bin above each rear wheel well is sealed from the environment, is lit with LEDs, and locks and unlocks with the trucks other locks.

A massive 8.4″ display with WiFi, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and so much more, works beautifully. We love how Ram combines a blend of physical buttons with touch-screen buttons; they’re large and legible for anyone to grab or see while driving, even with gloves on.

The Limited’s grille is the truck’s most prominent exterior distinction. Limited also features a bolder “RAM” tailgate design and unique 20-inch Satin Carbon/Mineral Gray wheels. They’re gorgeous and whatever ride impact qualities they affect, the Active Air suspension system takes care of them. The unique suspension comes  with five settings: entry/exit, aero mode, normal ride height, off-road 1 and off-road 2.

Emblazoned on the front fenders and located under the hood is a 5.7L HEMI V-8 that achieves an impressive 21 mpg on the highway, 15 in the city, and 17 combined. We averaged 18 mpg during a week of mixed driving, filling it up once due to a lot of highway miles. The tank holds 32 gallons, allowing for hours of driving between fill-ups. An 8-speed automatic controlled by a rotary knob on the dash works brilliantly. Four buttons underneath control the various modes of the 4WD system.

The 2018 Ram 1500 is easily one of the best, and we look forward to driving the new 2019 Ram 1500 which takes everything to the next level.

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Make: Ram
Model: 1500
Trim Level: Limited
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: 8-Speed Auto
Options: Tungsten Edition, Sunroof, Ram Box, CD Player
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Base Price: $53,595
As-Tested Price: $63,870