2021 Ram 1500 Review

You can get the Ram 1500 in a quad-cab or crew-cab configuration. They're both crew cabs, but the quad cab has less rear legroom. The quad cab comes with a long bed (6 feet 4 inches), while the crew cab can be had with the long bed or a short bed (5 feet 7 inches).

The Ram 1500 can be had with one of four engines, with availability depending on the trim level and configuration. They include:

• A 3.6-liter V6 engine (305 hp, 269 lb-ft). It comes with Ram's eTorque system, which is a mild hybrid system that slightly improves fuel economy and engine stop-start smoothness.
• A 5.7-liter V8 (395 hp, 410 lb-ft) with or without eTorque
• A diesel-powered turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 (260 hp, 480 lb-ft)
• Exclusive to the new TRX is a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (702 hp, 650 lb-ft)

All Ram 1500s come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. For most 1500s, rear-wheel drive is standard and four-wheel drive is optional.

The entry-level Tradesman comes with:

• 18-inch steel wheels
• 5-inch touchscreen and six-speaker stereo
• Air conditioning
• Tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel
• Trailer sway damping (adjusts vehicle brakes to help control trailer movement if a trailer begins to sway)

Moving up to the Big Horn or its Lone Star variant adds:

• 18-inch aluminum wheels
• Foglights
• 60/40-split folding rear seat

The real leap with the Big Horn and Lone Star comes in the way of available options, which include:

• 8.4-inch or 12-inch touchscreen
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration

If you value off-road capability, the Rebel builds on the Big Horn equipment with:

• More aggressive styling
• LED exterior lighting
• Upgraded shocks and suspension tuning and larger all-terrain tires
• Hill descent control and four underbody skid plates
• Electronic locking rear axle

Ram takes a sharp turn toward luxury with the Laramie trim. Standard equipment builds on the Big Horn and adds:

• 8.4-inch touchscreen
• Power mirrors and power rear window
• Leather upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)

Meanwhile, the Longhorn steps up the luxury quotient with:

• Side steps
• Reclining heated rear seats and rear underseat storage
• Navigation and satellite radio
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Spray-in bedliner and in-bed lighting

The luxurious Limited gets the 5.7-liter V8 as standard, and it adds all sorts of posh equipment and fittings including:

• 12-inch touchscreen
• Four-corner air suspension (can raise or lower the ride height of the vehicle)
• Wireless charging pad
• Premium-leather bucket seats
• Power-deployable running boards
• Blind-spot monitoring (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot) and rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle behind you is about to cross your vehicle's path while in reverse)

Right at the top of the heap comes the all-new TRX. While the Rebel is adapted for off-roading, the TRX seems to have mud flowing through its veins. It builds on the Limited and standard equipment includes the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine, along with:

• Bilstein adaptive dampers with remote reservoirs
• 2-inch suspension lift
• 35-inch all-terrain tires
• Upgraded brakes
• Dana 60 solid rear axle
• Electronic locking differential
• Five underbody skid plates
• Launch control and real-time access to performance data via the 12-inch screen

Many features on the higher trims are available on the lower trims as options. Other key optional features include:

• Reverse steering control (use of a dashboard-mounted knob controls the truck's steering wheel in a direction that will guide a trailer into a desired spot)
• Digital rearview mirror
• Head-up display
• Wireless device charging
• RamBox cargo storage
• Dual-pane panoramic sunroof
• 33-gallon fuel tank
• 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system

Finally, the Advanced Safety Group option package gets you:

• Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the Ram 1500 and the car in front)
• Surround-view camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Ram 1500 and its surroundings for tight parking situations)
• Lane keeping assist (steers the Ram 1500 back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)