Forum Discussion

4BIGAL's avatar
4BIGAL
Explorer
Jul 19, 2016

RAM/Cummins test drive observations

I am currently towing with a 2006 F350 XLT Crew Cab with V10/4:10 which I purchased new. Truck is mainly used for towing and only has 69K miles. I drive a Focus to work daily. Plan is to buy a new truck within the next year. My Focus will make its way to the oldest daughter in a couple years and the new truck will be my daily driver.

I recently test drove (3) new RAM trucks with diesel engines. First a 3500 Big Horn Mega Cab with 20" wheels. Wife loves the cab room and the flatter floor. Second a 2500 Tradesman and finally a 2500 Big Horn Crew Cab. We pretty much ruled out the tradesman and now are mostly thinking Mega Cab 3500. The 2500 seems to ride nicer but only had 2099 lbs payload. I would like to see no less than 2300. Per the specs I need to verify that the Mega Cab fits in my garage. I believe all (3) of these trucks were 3.42 models and all were under 100 miles on the odometer but the tradesman seemed to have less grunt. Anything to this? We drove all (3) consecutively. Negatives for the Crew Cab models are the middle rear seat which is shorted than the sides and the big hump on the floor. Our F350 is a straight 60/40 bench and the floor is flat. Sometimes our kids have friends along and our 85 lb dog loves to ride on the floor.

Are there any negatives to the mega cab other than the additional 11" of length? My F350 crew is only 3" shorter.

Thanks
Tow Vehicles

46 Replies

Show More
  • 4BIGAL's avatar
    4BIGAL
    Explorer
    Jul 20, 2016
    Thanks for all the replies. Surely do not mean to offend anyone abou the trim levels. Wife loved the passenger front seat and center console on the big horn the best. She also liked the extra room in the rear seat area of the mega cab for the kids. Kids are getting bigger and now bring friends so space for our family is key. Currently my f350 barely fits in our garage. The mega has to fit or it's no go. Hope to drive one home this weekend to find out.

    We had a 9500 lb 5th wheel before this trailer and I had hoped to go to an HD F150 but After towing it I feel better with a 2500/3500 truck.

    How many miles need to be on a Ram truck before towing? Do all Ram diesels come with exhaust brake standard?
  • spoon059's avatar
    spoon059
    Explorer II
    Jul 19, 2016
    OP, all single rear wheel HD Rams come with 3.42 gearing, you have no choice. If you get a dually 3500 you have the option of 3.73 or 4.10 gearing.

    Unless the 3500 you drove had the Aisin transmission, all 3 trucks had the same exact engine, rear axle ratio and transmission and therefore the same exact power. There is no logical explanation as to why the Tradesman (the lightest and therefore having the best HP to weight rating) felt slower.

    I believe that higher trim level Crew Cabs with the split bench don't have that center seat cutout. I have a Tradesman without the split bench and have the cutout. My friend has a Big Horn with the split bench and no cut out.

    The Crew Cab is plenty big for my family and our needs. With 2 child seats in the back, we can still have our front seats fully back and comfortably reclined without touching.
  • Adam_R's avatar
    Adam_R
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2016
    Mega Cab has 3 inches more leg room and the seats do recline. You also get a full middle seat in the back vs. a 2/3 middle seat in the crew cab. Big difference between the two for any passengers in the back and lots of storage under the Mega Cab seat. If I were in the market for a Ram, the Mega Cab would be hard to pass up. Too bad you can't get a Mega and an 8 foot bed without paying $7-8K or more to do the extension.

    Adam

    W
  • Bobandshawn's avatar
    Bobandshawn
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2016
    I have a 6.4 Mega Cab 2500 and love most of it. It has a 2900 cargo capacity due to the lighter engine. But all in all the 2500 and 3500 are the same with the exception of the rear spring rate. The 3500 has leaf springs and the 2500 uses coils. If this will be your daily driver go with the coils. Don't get the auto level as it'll actually limit your cargo capacity. If I were to do it again I'd go without the auto level (Mine has it) and install air bags. Even though it has coils instead of leafs, the axles, axle guts, wheels, bearings, axle shafts, tires are the same between the 2500 and 3500. Air up the bags when you tow and enjoy a really nice ride when you aren't. Being you don't have a 5th wheel the bags probably won't be needed, but should you upgrade to a bigger trailer you'll want them.
    I love the Mega Cab. The legroom is about the same as the crew cab but the seat reclines and is much more comfy if you haul anyone back there. It is a long truck even though it's a 6'4" bed and a little harder to park and do U-turns with. Even though it has a bigger cab the interior storage is not much more than the crew cab unless you fold down those seats. Once folded down even my big 6'6" frame could sleep back there in a pinch!
  • IdaD's avatar
    IdaD
    Explorer
    Jul 19, 2016
    The payload rating on the diesel 2500 is very understated because the truck weighs a lot and the class 2 max GVWR is 10k lbs. Since you're buying new it makes sense to get the 3500 if you're hauling heavy since the cost is comparable, but the RAWR difference is only 500 lbs between a 2500 and 3500 Ram (except on the few 2500s that come with 17" wheels) so in terms of real world performance there's little difference unless you go Aisin/HO or DRW.

    As far as Mega vs Crew, we were really on the fence but opted for the crew cab to get the shorter overall package and subjectively I've never liked the way the Mega looks. Objectively speaking the only downsides to the Mega are the longer length and it eliminates the long bed option if that's something you want.

    My 2015 has 15k miles now and I love driving it towing or not. The Tradesman drive train is identical to any other trim level so there should be no performance difference unless you're mixing in the manual or Aisin transmission.

About Travel Trailer Group

44,044 PostsLatest Activity: Jul 29, 2025