Overview & Reviews

For decades, the Ram was Dodge's iconic full-size pickup. Starting for 2011, however, parent company Chrysler decided to make the Ram name an actual brand. So, yes, this truck's name is now just Ram, with 3500 added on to specify its status as a heavy-duty truck. The Ram 3500 ranks as the most robust truck in the lineup, with more hauling capabilities than the 2500 and standard full-size 1500.

Current Ram 3500
This Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup is available in three cab styles: regular, Crew Cab (with four forward-opening doors) and Mega Cab (jumbo crew cab). The regular cabs come with a long bed only, while the Crew Cabs have either a short or long cargo bed. The Mega Cab rides on the same wheelbase as the Crew Cab long bed but is paired to an even bigger cabin with the short bed. Main trim levels range from base ST to midgrade SLT and luxurious Laramie. With the exception of Crew Cab short beds, all Ram 3500s have a dual-rear-wheel axle.

Rear-wheel or four-wheel drive are available. A 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel inline-6 is standard and cranks out 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual with an option for a six-speed automatic. With the automatic, the diesel engine's torque output rises to 800 lb-ft. The Cummins also comes with a big-rig-like exhaust brake that provides additional stability and braking power when towing.

We found this Ram 3500 to be quite pleasant to drive and enjoy its nicely crafted interior that boasts numerous available luxuries. Opt for the manual transmission and the penalty in torque delivery puts the Ram 3500 at a distinct disadvantage over other heavy-duty trucks. For that reason, we suggest the automatic transmission, which meets or beats competing Ford and GM trucks in power output.

Past Ram 3500 Models
The new Ram 3500 name came into being for 2011. In reality, though, it's just the next model year of what was formerly the fourth-generation Dodge Ram 3500. Revisions since the name change are few, with the most significant being a boost in diesel torque to 800 lb-ft for the automatic that occurred halfway through the 2011 model year. Navigation was included as a standard feature for Laramie and Longhorn trims for the 2012 model year.

For more information on the Dodge version and its previous generations, please read our Dodge Ram 3500 review.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 6 of 6.00

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  2012 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 6 spd Auto - 2012 RAM 3500
  By atvdude - June 16 - 12:49 am

  Traded off a 2008 Ram 3500 Mega Cab for a 2012 Ram 3500 Crew Cab. Huge improvement over the 2008. Interior quality is much better. Seats are very comfortable and good for long road trips, leather quality is excellent. Audio system sounds great. Very quiet for a diesel and more quiet than the 2008. Feature overload, still have not figured them all out yet.

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  2012 Ram 3500 Mega cab - 2012 RAM 3500
  By nosboyracing - February 21 - 10:39 pm

  Best truck that Ive ever owned.. Drives like a Cadillac on the Highway.. Really Bad gas mileage ( diesel fuel),, but,, I kinda knew that would be the result of a truck weighing 8000 lbs! Comfortable on long trips. I took it to Las Vegas pulling a 7000lb racecar trailer down Route 66 and it got around 9 to 10 Miles per Gallon... Diesel fuel is Cheaper than gasoling for the first time in 4 years,,, So,, Im enjoying a little reprieve.. I change the oil and filter every 3000 miles with Mobil Delvac and Genuine Mopar filters... Hopefully it will last a while... Had trouble with my 2009 2500 Blowing black smoke around 80,000 miles,, So I traded it in for this 2012 Duallie.

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  Pretty darn nice - 2012 RAM 3500
  By pb58 - December 25 - 6:23 am

  After being a power-stroke guy for many years I made the switch to ram. Very glad I did. I have the Laramie package and it is pure luxury...truck or not. Uconnect works excellent, I have the 730n. High quality leather, great sound system, quite ride, more power than I will probably ever need...and I pull heavy equipment. Lumbar support is outstanding. M.P.G,s are not horrible for a 1 ton with this much power, I can get it down to about 14 if I drive hard, normal driving gets me about 18-19. Towing 14000# gets about 10. Call quality on Bluetooth is excellent. Took about 3 minutes to pair my iPhone and download the phone book. Absolutely no buyers remorse...love it. Would do it again!!

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  2016 3500 Ram Longhorn - 2016 RAM 3500
  By Jeff Woldt - March 2 - 1:32 pm

  Buy it!

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  Love it! - 2011 RAM 3500
  By mscmdurham - December 12 - 7:15 am

  We bought a 2011 used with about 40k miles on it already. I use it to pull my horse trailer and you can hardly even tell it is back there. I have loaded 2 full tons of haycubes in the bed and although it squated a little it handled it just fine. The only issue we have had with it so far is one day the key fob would not unlock the door. I made the mistake of using the manual key and everything went haywire. We had to disconnect the battery and let it reset. Also a couple of times while using the hands free device for the phone, even after the call was ended and the keys were out of the truck, the display stayed on. Again had to disconnect battery and reset. That happened 2 times.

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  Buyer beware - 2014 RAM 3500
  By wendymh - August 12 - 7:24 pm

  This truck has been back and forth to the shop since it was 3 days old. The motor uses oil has since about 4500 miles, radio is going out has been since the truck was maybe 2 months old, the side bar step on the drivers side is falling apart cruise control is out has an open recall that has not been done been in the shop twice since parts were made available, back window leaks water traction control out abs system works sometimes fender flares are falling off brake controller out has been for 3 months been replaced twice cooling unit light comes on has a lag in the motor tires are wore out have been since 12000 miles lag vibration motor sounds like its gonna blow