Ram 2500 wins heavy-duty showdown

The Ram 2500 Heavy-Duty pickup is the winner in PickupTrucks.com’s 2014 “Ultimate Three-Quarter-Ton Heavy-Duty Challenge.” The three judges, Aaron Bragman, Cars.com Detroit bureau chief; Kent Sundling, operator of MrTruck.com; and Mark Williams, PickupTrucks.com editor, were unanimous in their decision, naming Ram 2500 their top pick for a gasoline-powered three-quarter-ton pickup.

Williams wrote:

It dominated our test events, winning 10 of 16 events and scoring a first-place finish with each of our judges. The Ram definitely offered the best interior and had the best ride of the three, comfortably traversing just about every smooth and broken tarmac surface. Even though it sat below our $50,000 price cap, it still provided a lot of technology and features that the other two players could not match: the RamBox, adaptable rear coils, hidden storage, a top-notch information center and more. Our biggest complaint about this truck was that it didn’t have side steps, which is practically a requirement unless you are 6 feet 5 inches or taller. Other nitpicks had to do with the fact that Ram tried to pack too many features into the truck; having the Tow/Haul and trailer brake controller relatively low in the center stack makes both a challenge to find in a hurry. Still, if we were going to choose the best all-around three-quarter-ton player in the field today, the Ram 2500 would be at the top of our list.

There were sixteen tests including time trials, towing trials, braking tests and observed fuel economy, and six subjective comparisons shown in the charts.

The Ram aced 10 of the 16 tests but came up seven points short of the Ford F-250 Super Duty, due to the way points were calculated. Last-place scores in fuel economy and braking made the difference.

However, when it came to the subjective tests, the Ram was the winner or runner-up in all six categories, coming in 70 points ahead of the Silverado and 120 points ahead of the F-250 Super Duty, more than enough to wipe out the seven-point Ford advantage and leaving it in last place.