Can a new work truck be a great road trip vehicle? I take this new 2025 Ram 1500 Tradesman crew cab 4×4 pickup truck on a long road trip for Detroit to Denver. It’s over 1,000 miles and I want to see how comfortable and efficient this new truck really is. Come along with me.
This truck has a unique configuration you may not see again. It’s a long wheelbase crew cab 4WD with a 6-foot 4-inch bed. It has a six-person seating configuration. This base Tradesman trim is equipped with an adaptive cruise control system and a maximum towing package. The truck has basic all-season tires and a relatively low ride height. It does not have any special off-road package. It’s not a Warlock or a Rebel. This should help it with overall highway efficiency.
On the flip side, the max-towing 3.92 rear axle ratio and large towing mirror will detract from its ultimate efficiency.
The engine is the optional 3.0-liter twin-turbo I6 Hurricane that costs around $2,700. The power rating is 420 hp and 469 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. It’s a very smooth and quiet combination which is great for any trip.
This Ram’s seats are very comfortable for the long haul. The cabin is quiet. The adaptive cruise control system works great (it’s not a hands-free system that is available on more expensive Ram 1500 trucks). The new LED projector headlights are WAY better than any work truck headlights that preceded them in Ram trucks.
The Lane Keep system is not as great as it could be. If enabled, it vibrates the steering wheel if the driver gets too close to a lane marker or crosses a lane marker. However, the system is not assertive enough to steer the truck back into its lane. I would say – the system needs to be more assertive or not correct the truck’s trajectory at all.
By the time we went through the entire tank of fuel, we went over 555 miles. We used the cheaper 87 octane that the engine is also designed to run on. The final MPG result was a respectable but not leading 21.7 MPG. If this truck was equipped with an efficiency 3.21 to 1 rear axle ratio – the MPG result would have been MUCH better. Although, the efficiency truck would not be able to tow the maximum 11,000 lbs. You have to either pick maximum towing capacity or greater efficiency.
This truck’s window sticker price is just over $57,000 the way you see it here. If you didn’t get the long bed and a couple of other options – you could get this 4×4 Tradesman down to $51,000 or so.
We did the same trip last year in a 2023 Ford F-350 dually with a high-output turbo-diesel. We look forward to do more trips soon.
Join me in the video below for a road trip!
