2019 all new Ram 1500 first drive

First drive in the all new 2019 Ram 1500 at Arizona. Cactus are tall and the boulders are big. The all new Ram is quieter, more fuel efficient with less vibration. Improved steering and handling. 12 inch touch screen will be the most talked about feature. Like a large tablet in the dash. Like a large tablet in the dash. New Rebel is more off-road worthy with best looking interior in my opinion. Tire track on the seats, red accent interior. Rebel steel progressive coil standard 1 in lift, air option 2 in lift.  Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs. Now with Quad cab or the new longer crew cab.

New crew cab is 4 inches longer.  Crew cab rear seat reclines 8 degrees and the seat bottom slides with it. Like a first class aircraft, bed is 1.5 in deeper with reinforced u-shaped tube framed around tailgate opening. Finally telescoping along with tilt steering wheel. Center console cup holders slide back and forth with a very adaptable center console. New Full adaptive front lighting system, includes twin bi-functional projector headlamps, fog lamps and tail lamps. High-end models have headlights turning 15 degrees when turning.

Higher payload for 2019, up to 2300 lbs and trailer towing up to 12,750 lbs. with new progressive rear coils for less sag under load. 225 lbs lighter truck with aluminum hood, tailgate and tranny and engine cross-members. Almost 1/2 the weight savings (100 lbs) came from the frame. Stronger frame and better frontal crash resistance using exclusive front splayed rail design, (means it spreads out).

Adaptive cruise control with a trailer allows your truck to lock in a speed and adjust to vehicle speed in front of you and also brakes your trailer when it slows you down. A blind spot detection that knows when you are trailering, measures the trailer length and alerts you when someone is passing clear back at the end of the trailer. This is good for lane changes.

Now more storage, bigger floor RamBins in second row. Center console with 12 different storage configurations, adjustable cup holders, quiet material in console so your console cargo won’t get loud. More USB ports include the new C/A, dedicated toggle switches and the front console has wireless phone charging.

More aerodynamic body. All new Frequency Response Damping shocks improve the ride and handling. Next generation class exclusive air suspension improves mpg, ride, load-leveling and load height.

14.9 in front brakes, 14.8 on the rear. New electric parking brake saves weight, improves reliability and is part of a safety system that brakes when detecting you’re backing into an object. No more mud flying at you when you pull the lever on the park brake and it works from you truck brakes, not a secondary brake in the rear rotors.

New 4×4 off0road package has coil spring suspension with a one inch lift, electronic locking rear axle, tuned shocks, and Hill decent. Air suspension is 1 in higher, adjusts to 2 inches higher and down 2 inches for entry into cab.

New eTorque mild hybrid option is a belt-driven generator that charges a 48-volt battery pack behind the rear seat of the cab. It replaces the alternator. eTorque is what drives the start-stop feature. It aids in launch and smooths the tranny shifts. Expected to add 10% to fuel economy along with the overall weight saving on the new trucks. Also gives short-duration torque assist and regenerates energy from braking to the 48-volt battery. eTorque is standard on the Pentastar V-6, optional on Hemi V-8.

Frame mounted isolating active tuned mass modules and active noise cancellation in cab take out vibration and noise from the ride. New to the industry is a 3 valve heat exchanger system that uses the heat and cooling of the engine to heat and cool rear differential, another improvement aimed at improved fuel mileage. Only available on 4×2 Ram 1500.

Available 19 premium speakers, 900-watt surround sound amp. 360-degree surround view camera. With the new optional 12 in. dash touch-screen, navigation has a new meaning, 3-D map graphics, the screen can be split. The dash layout is like sitting in an aircraft. ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park and Hill-start assist with ultrasonic sensors just like a luxury car.

20% improvement with body roll mostly by moving the front anti-sway bar behind the axle instead of up front attaching to the high strength steel frame. Rear shocks now outside of frame. Hydraulic accumulator will precharge the front clutch pack for faster start during stop/start. 3 axle ratio’s still. Electro magnetic locking rear diff is new. Traction control comes off in 4×4 low range. New electric engine fan for better cooling. Equalizing brakes improves braking with a trailer. Three axle ratios’ as before with 3.21, 3.55 and 3.92.

New dual pane moon roof is massive. Love it in the mountains. Acoustic glass, laminated for less noise. Real wood on the interior on high end models, more leather in cab. Big control knobs for gloves in the dash. 360 camera helps all around the truck.

Most popular Big Horn model goes down in price, rest goes up some. Luxury models are selling well, more and more features.  Hot branded Longhorn Laramie in the real wood in the cab. Models stay the same: Tradesman, Bighorn, Rebel, Laramie,Longhorn Laramie and Limited model. Least by not last, 2019 EcoDiesel will come later this year.

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