2014 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Long Box Review
What We Like:
Interior materials and leather stitching
Duplication of buttons
Exterior styling
What We Don’t:
Unloaded ride quality
Cup holder placement
Describing the 2014 Ram 3500 long box truck is simple. It is one of the longest, most powerful towing haulers on the consumer market. If you want to tow anything without concern, the Ram 3500 with a 6.7L turbo-diesel will do it without breaking a sweat. See? Simple.
When we were first told about receiving a 2014 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4WD Long Box with a 6.7L Cummins turbo-diesel and dual real tires, we didn’t think much about it. However, when they dropped it off in our driveway, it was clear this monster was going to dwarf anything we had ever driven. The Ram turned out to be a comfortable, stylish beast with a rough ride when unloaded.
During, the week, sadly, we weren’t able to max out the towing capacity. Yet, we did put it to work on the highways, dirt roads and hauling a sliding-glass door and other miscellaneous small cargo loads.
Note: we drove the truck under load and know it rides substantially better. This review will focus on the unloaded ride.
Exterior Impressions
On the outside, Ram has done a great job of building a powerful truck without looking overwhelming. We mean, this truck doesn’t have such a large footprint that turns people off. Rather, the grille, hood and body panels flow together nicely while still maintaining the brawny look.
One of the items that struck most people is the chrome grille. While we thought it blended in nicely with the front bumper, we received more comments on this one piece than any others. We can appreciate that much chrome can be polarizing for some people, but we liked it.
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Overall, we knew this was a large, powerful truck, yet the exterior never lead us to that conclusion. In the driver’s seat though, it was quickly apparent how powerful it really can be.
Interior Impressions
It’s hard to not like the Laramie trim package with its “cowboy” leather finishing and premium materials throughout the cab. It is not only comfortable, but the buttons are laid out in a smart way for easy access.
One of the new design trends these days is to duplicate buttons throughout the cab. This is particularly handy in this big truck since it provides better access for people of all sizes.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, you have a different perspective on the road. It is a commanding position with outstanding visibility. The 10-way adjustable heated and ventilated driver seat provides every size of driver a perfect sitting position.
One of the downsides for the driver, however, is the placement of the cup holders. The setup is for the driver to reach across a storage bin to access their cup. It is much more convenient for the passenger. This surprised us and it seems the cup holder placement should be setup for ease of the driver, not the passenger.
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For our test truck, Ram offered a 7-inch Uconnect navigation/XM/Radio system with nine speakers mounted throughout the cabin. The sound quality was superb and the Uconnect system was fairly intuitive to use. Like most touch-screen navigation systems, it takes a while to adapt to their specific ins and outs.
Driving Impressions
Finally, you say, but how does it drive? With a truck this large, the ride quality is ultimately the biggest question. We can safely say it rode great at times and simply awful at others. Truthfully, though, the awful times were on dirt roads with the bed completely unloaded and with nothing being towed. Since this truck is meant to be under load, we expected it to ride terrible especially with the dual wheels compounding the reverberations from the pot holes in the road.
On the highways and city streets, it rode great for what it is. Again, this truck is meant to be driven under load. However, there are times when it won’t be. During these times, it is going to ride as one would expect: stiff, harsh over bumps. However, it didn’t ride worse than we thought.
It goes without saying the 800 lb.-ft. of torque and 370 HP gets you down the road in a surprisingly quick manner for the large truck.
Parking is another matter entirely though. It is so large with the dual wheels and long with the crew cab and an 8-foot box, we never got it to fit into a parking space. It was simply too long or large.
After a week of driving the beast, it is clear that the truck is better suited for driving under load, yet the unloaded ride isn’t that bad. It is just not as smooth as one would need for an everyday driver. But, that’s not the point right? When it comes to working and getting the job down, the 2014 Ram 3500 is ready to handle the job while pampering the passengers with its interior.
Options: 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Towing Prep Group, 4.10 Rear Axle Ratio, Auto Level Rear Air Suspension
Price as tested: $66,340
About the author
Tim Esterdahl
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