Not only is the Ram 3500 massively capable and confident in terms of towing and hauling, the heavy-duty truck offers a well-rounded skill set—and that's why it earned the Truck of the Year award, along with the 2500 model.
The 3500 excels in both interior and exterior design; it's available with six different front grilles and an elegant mobile office of an interior loaded with clever useful tech. The UConnect infotainment system is easy to use and the available 12.0-inch touchscreen display feels more Tesla than truck. Both available engines provide plenty of grunt and even return decent fuel economy, even if we'd like to see an eight-speed auto for the diesel. Models with 4WD are more capable than we'd expect off-road, too.
The Ram's ride quality is impressively smooth both laden and unladen, no small feat for a heavy-duty pickup. We also appreciate the available active safety features that are available on all trims. All these strengths make the Ram 3500 a strong competitor, but its impressive value puts it over the top. Right now, it's the best heavy-duty pickup you can buy.Opting for the diesel swaps the gas V-8 for a 6.7-liter Cummins turbocharged I-6 and the eight-speed auto for a beefed up six-speed unit, but that inline-six is offered in two states of tune. The standard oil-burner generates an impressive 370 hp and 850 lb-ft of torque, though spending the extra cash for the high output version nets 400 hp and a segment-first 1,000 lb-ft of torque. When we tested a 4x4 dually 3500 with the high-output diesel, the 8,800-pound truck reached 60 mph in 8.8 seconds. It also returned 13.2/18.0 mpg city/highway in RealMPG testing.