What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Ram 1500? What does it compete with?
The 1500 is Ram’s full-size pickup truck, one that can outperform the heavy-duty trucks of just a few years ago with its powerful V-8 engines, stout four-wheel-drive system, expansive four-door crew cab, and multi-talented bed. It’s a big, beefy rival to the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, and GMC Sierra.
Is the 2022 Ram 1500 a good truck?
Review continues below
It earns a TCC Rating of 6.2 out of 10. If less expensive versions came with the latest safety gear and if its V-8 were more economical, it’d rank much higher. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2022 Ram 1500?
It gets a few new trim packages, but the big news is a new infotainment interface on Big Horn 1500s and above, with faster processing and a wi-fi hotspot.
Ram sells the Ram in Tradesman, Big Horn, Rebel, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn, and Limited trims. With the usual color and grille differences, all sport a conventional truck body that’s lost the tractor-trailer look that used to distinguish the Ram from Ford and GM pickups. It’s a loss, but one that Ram makes up for with interior style that’s the best of its kind in Limited and Laramie Longhorn editions, with their refined trim choices and balanced designs.
The four-engine lineup squares up the Ram well against performance rivals, but it’s more a two-horse race here. The base 305-hp V-6 performs well enough to drive everyday and to tow and haul on occasion; the brappy and torque 395-hp V-8 does everything well, and comes closest to the F-150’s sky-high towing ratings. Turbodiesel Rams will take a very long time to earn back their additional cost in fuel savings; a TRX offsets that meager eco-conscious move in any case, with its 702-hp supercharged V-8. Life’s all about choices, right? We’d choose Ram’s more sophisticated suspension setup versus its rivals; the more complex air-spring setup doesn’t have perfect ride control, so it’s a take-it-or-leave-it line item.
Ram takes a pass on the regular cab body style—it’s all extended and crew cabs here, and the latter offers scads of leg room and reclining rear seats to go with a 5-foot-7 or a 6-foot-4 bed. For an 8-foot bed, you’ll have to shop elsewhere, but Ram will sell the usual scores of utility add-ons, from bed liners to tailgate locks to cargo tie-downs.
Ram omits automatic emergency braking from base 1500s, which dings its score. Higher-spec trucks have fancy add-ons like a head-up display and a surround-view camera system, not to mention strong crash-test scores from the IIHS and the NHTSA.
How much does the 2022 Ram 1500 cost?
Tradesman trucks start at $35,770, but don’t include automatic emergency braking or a usefully sized touchscreen. We’d spec a $48,395 Ram 1500 Laramie with an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leather upholstery, and heated and cooled front seats for utility and luxury. It’s possible to spend more than $100,000 on a Ram TRX; we’re not saying it’s OK to spend all that, but we’re not saying it’s not OK, either.
Where is the 2022 Ram 1500 made?
In Michigan.