We've finally downsized to a single truck which hasn't been the case for large parts of my life. I've owned more chevys than anything else, most of those highly modified. Only 2 fords, and two internationals (49 pickup as restoration project and a scout). I've also owned an assortment of jeeps, all single purpose modified and like the internationals not purchased new. Since 2000 I've purchased 3 rams and 1 chevy as new purchases, so I suppose that would indicate in the later model vehicles I prefer the Rams.
Overall my chevys have been quieter with less squeaks and rattles, had smoother engines, and noticeably better suspensions and braking performance, especially when running unloaded. While the cummins engines are rougher and not quite as overall powerful as the newer Chevys, I prefer the way the cummins pull other than the stupid torque management issues with my 2015 in low gear. My current Ram brakes are pretty good if you mash the pedal and hold on, but not as refined when you're on snow, ice, or dirt roads possibly pushing the vehicle performance a litte. The front to rear proportioning balance could be better as well as the rate of engagement.
As mentioned, both my 2011 and 2015 rams have sweet instrumentation and I like the nav system interface. The radar overlay is great when you're towing in winter conditions where warnings keep popping up on the nav display of road closures, and you're trying to pick the best option to keep moving. On the down side the maps are way out of date, and for some reason just awful in a lot of areas. I keep a portable Garmin in my truck for when the in dash unit gets lost, which it has done a lot more often than you would think given how long GPS mapping has been available. I've also learned never to trust the Nav system when it re-routes for weather related conditions. Seems it simply picks a road it thinks is good because road conditions aren't reported on that road, but more often than not you find that road is worse if anything.
My 2015 cummins/Asin combo is one of the worst trucks I've owned for transmission hunting, surprisingly much worse than my 2011 Ram 2500 CTD. Being a SRW with somewhat tall gearing I always lock out sixth gear or it hunts continually while towing. I lock out 5th as well if it's very windy or hilly, and I sometimes have to lock it in 3rd in some of the mountain areas when it keeps doing the 3rd to 4th, lug, back to 3rd thing. My other tow haul equipped vehicles have done better at automatically selecting an appropriate gear. That said, on the downhill run the new auto engine brake system seems to be dialed in very well and just does exactly what you expect it to do.
The Ram seats are very comfortable for both the wife and me and we love the heat/cooling options. We find they are good even for 16 plus hour days. The rear seat heaters are okay I suppose, but we rarely have anyone but the dogs back there. The heated steering wheel is Oh so Sweet in the winter. I really like the factory fifth wheel/gooseneck puck setup, and the rear air suspension is much nicer than any aftermarket rear suspension load handling system I've every had.
While it seems there are still a lot of compromises to be made when selecting a truck they have improved to the point where for me they are pretty much acceptable for use without having to do a lot of mods.
2015 Ram 3500 Laramie CTD, 4X4, AISIN, B&W Companion Puck Mount
2016 Heartland Bighorn 3270RS, 1kw solar with Trimetric and dual SC2030, 600 watt and 2k inverters.
