I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s Woodward Dream Cruise, and the fine folks at Ram put me in the Ram Rumble Bee concept for the weekend. They also provided transportation to and from Detroit by way of a 2014 Ram 1500 Big Horn crew cab 4×4. While I didn’t get to spend a great deal of time in the truck, here are a few things I learned from my time behind the wheel.
- Blue Streak Pearl Coat is a beautiful color. There are a lot of blues in the world, and some make their way onto pickup trucks. The Blue Streak pearl coat that adorned this Big Horn was absolutely stunning in person. It drew a lot of attention, including a guy who made a detour to stop and ask me what color the truck was. Dear Ram, offer this color on every version of the 1500, or at least the more expensive Laramie and Laramie Limited versions.
- The 3.6L V6 is efficient, but underpowered. There were several times at highway speeds that I was hoping for some more oomph. I observed 22.5 mpg overall, and that was equipped with the 8-speed automatic transmission and 4-wheel drive. It’s not a bad number, but the EcoDiesel would deliver better fuel economy and more oomph from my experience.
- $43,700 (as tested) seems like a bit of a deal. Yes, I’d rather have a bigger motor, but overall this truck came with a lot of equipment. The Luxury Group included a TFT display in instrument cluster, and auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors. The full Uconnect with apps and hotspot features was included, and front and rear parking sensors with a camera also came with it. I was in a Ford F-150 XLT last fall, and for roughly the same price this Ram has a lot more equipment.
- Everyone should have auto locking tailgates. Tailgate theft is a big deal in some states, and Ram was one of the first companies to offer power locking tailgates with the doors via the key fob. If the truck has RamBox equipped, it’ll also lock the RamBox. It’s a no-brainer feature that other makers are starting to adopt.
The Ram Big Horn 1500 is a nicely-equipped vehicle that doesn’t raise the price into the stratosphere like some options will. If you’re looking for a fuel efficient truck and don’t drive enough miles to recoup the fuel savings of the EcoDiesel, this would be a good truck to look at. At least until the 2015 Ford F-150 comes out and we start to see real-world mileage from it.
Chad Kirchner is a freelance automotive journalist that can be reached at Google+, Twitter, and his website.