Looking for another Ram, 2019 or 2018?

[Firebird]

My 2016 Laramie got wrecked, so I've been driving a 2017 Wrangler Unlimited. Now, I'm looking to get back in a Ram again. Those of you with the new 2019's, how do you like it? I love the new interior, but I am really struggling with the new exterior design, honestly, I still think it is ugly. However, if it is a significantly better truck, I will consider one. What won you over to the 2019?

 

[iLLeStEyECoN]

My 2016 Laramie got wrecked, so I've been driving a 2017 Wrangler Unlimited. Now, I'm looking to get back in a Ram again. Those of you with the new 2019's, how do you like it? I love the new interior, but I am really struggling with the new exterior design, honestly, I still think it is ugly. However, if it is a significantly better truck, I will consider one. What won you over to the 2019?

Have you seen one in person?

I was iffy when I first saw the release. Then I saw it in person and couldn’t trade in my Scat Pack fast enough. They look amazing in person, especially if you’re going for a Laramie. My family had had 1500s my entire life (although this is my first) and this truck is a massive leap over my father’s 2016 as far as the interior goes, in my opinion (and I love that truck).

I thought I’d miss my Charger after driving them for almost 14 years. I don’t.


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[johnts]

When I see them side by side on the dealer lots, to me the exterior of the '18 is so much better. The '19 looks generic to me and blends in with every other truck on the road. Somebody on another site mentioned that when he drove onto the dealer's lot to look for '19's, he almost passed up the '19 because it was parked in among the 18's, and he thought it was a used GMC.
Yes the interior of the '19 is definitely better, but I would have buyers remorse every time I walked up to the '19. The ideal would be the interior of the '19 in the '18 body.
Chances are you will pay 1,000's more for the '19 since rebates are minimal. If I had your decision to make, I would pick the '18 and not look back.

 

[PaulNY]

When I went to the dealer to purchase my '19, I did my due diligence and test drove an '18 just to make sure. There is no comparison really, and in my humble opinion I would advise any potential buyer who is between both model years to do the same. The '18 Ram still rides better than any other 1/2 ton on the market for the model year, but the '19 is just so much better. That, in combination with the unparalleled interior, makes it a slam dunk. Respectfully, the exterior is a subjective taste but since I live on the inside, I am more concerned about how it drives and the interior amenities. I place a large % on those two factors along with payload/towing capabilities rather than exterior appeal. Just my .02 cents, but for those that seem to place an emphasis on exterior styling, my advice is that once you drive one, you won't care if the exterior looks like dried dog poop. It's actually a good looking truck in person, but then again everyone's taste differs. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[CBTBOB]

I heard complaints that the 2019 aluminum hoods flex at highway speeds and a few problems with the 12" screen.

 

[iLLeStEyECoN]

When I went to the dealer to purchase my '19, I did my due diligence and test drove an '18 just to make sure. There is no comparison really, and in my humble opinion I would advise any potential buyer who is between both model years to do the same. The '18 Ram still rides better than any other 1/2 ton on the market for the model year, but the '19 is just so much better. That, in combination with the unparalleled interior, makes it a slam dunk. Respectfully, the exterior is a subjective taste but since I live on the inside, I am more concerned about how it drives and the interior amenities. I place a large % on those two factors along with payload/towing capabilities rather than exterior appeal. Just my .02 cents, but for those that seem to place an emphasis on exterior styling, my advice is that once you drive one, you won't care if the exterior looks like dried dog poop. It's actually a good looking truck in person, but then again everyone's taste differs. Good luck whatever you decide.

What Paul said. That being said, I also had these conversations when Dodge revamped the Charger and I bought the 15. Half of the people hated it, half loved it. I see a lot of that redesign in the RAM redesign. Perhaps looking more modern is a good thing. Too often we (myself included in this) get stuck in nostalgic looks we are comfortable with. But yes, it is all subjective but I would recommend seeing it in person and driving it.


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[Firebird]

I took everyone's advice, and went and drove a 19. Wow, does that baby drive nice! Hands down, that is the finest interior I have ever seen in a truck. Even though I still prefer the look of the 18, the 19 looks better in person than in pics. All that being said, with the refinement and upgraded interior, including the 12" screen and Harmon Kardon system, I can live with not liking the outside as much.

 

[iLLeStEyECoN]

I took everyone's advice, and went and drove a 19. Wow, does that baby drive nice! Hands down, that is the finest interior I have ever seen in a truck. Even though I still prefer the look of the 18, the 19 looks better in person than in pics. All that being said, with the refinement and upgraded interior, including the 12" screen and Harmon Kardon system, I can live with not liking the outside as much.

I thought you’d have this reaction. The pictures don’t do the truck justice. I am glad you enjoyed it and hope to see you join our “All New” generation [emoji23]


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[JimfromAZ]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would gripe about the exterior. I think it is gorgeous and the more I look at it the more I like it.

On a side note, did ram redesign all the air intakes as shown in the video? It really looks like they took the vararam cai and improved the design. So my question is will this be available for 2018 1500s? I want it so much.

 

[RammerHarder]

Being its a newly designed truck, i passed it up and bought the 18 instead. Newly designed vehicles ALWAYS have growing pains, and i dont want to be in the middle of THAT mess. I`ve learned my lesson with buying shiny newly designed vehicles in the past, and got burnt every time. I`ll run this 18 for 3 to 4yrs, then trade it in. Hopefully the 5th gen bugs will be less of an issue in the next 3 to 4yrs. The 4th gen went away and it STILL has issues that chrysler never fixed to this day. Now throw in all the NEW gadgets on this 5th gen that the 4th gen dosen`t have... recipe for disaster for the first couple years. No thanks, i`ll keep the 18 for awhile. The 4th gens have proven to be somewhat reliable.

 

[zuiquan1]

People should clarify what exterior they are referring to when the say its ugly. There are three different types of headlights for the new Ram and I think they make or break the new design depending on which one you choose. Yes the Limited's headlights are the most advanced but in my opinion are the most ugly. They appear to be smaller then the others and chrome lined and just don't match the truck, also the rest of the chrome accents don't do the truck any favors either in my humble opinion. Whereas go down a class with a regular Laramie and you have a much larger looking headlight that fills out the front end a little bit more. I personally think it looks much better, especially with a body colored grill to match.

I mean look at these two examples, they could almost pass as two completely different companies-

 

[DRkNESS]

I’m in the same situation as I’m looking for a replacement truck. I want the newest but not at the expense of failing things right out of the box. Again this is me just assuming as every first year of a new designed that I’ve purchased has had issues.

Now with that being said, I’m a minimalist kind of guy when it comes to truck so no fancy 12” screen for me. Nor sunroof or leather seating. With that being the case, a BigHorn would probably be the way to go.


Father Of Four

 

[JB1]

Honestly, I don't know why anyone would gripe about the exterior. I think it is gorgeous and the more I look at it the more I like it.

On a side note, did ram redesign all the air intakes as shown in the video? It really looks like they took the vararam cai and improved the design. So my question is will this be available for 2018 1500s? I want it so much.

That’s a nice truck in that video

 

[Neil E]

I do like the exterior of the 4th gen better than the new 5th. Mainly, it looks different than every other truck. But the interior is light years ahead. Also, I can't stand the badge on the side of the hood of the 5th Gen. To me, what were they thinking. I would absolutely stay away from the first year. I have owned two cars in their first year, including my 16 Cruze LT, that I traded for my 17 Ram. I loved the car, but just the little issues were driving me crazy, even if they were under warranty. My 14 Cruze was almost perfect, never had any issues with it.

Though, the power wagon does look really good.

 

[johnts]

Yesterday I was looking once again at these trucks at the local dealer's storage area in a mall parking lot. Their '19's are scattered among the '18 Rams. I have yet to see the Limited in person but do agree with the above comments that the LImited and Longhorn headlights make a bad design look worse.
The chrome unibrow on these trucks is the dominating feature of the front end, and it is hideous. It grabs your eye and is a totally useless design element. The dealer has a Big Horn black edition, which helps the look of the front, but still doesn't totally mute the ugliness of the unibrow.
Comparing these trucks to the '18's sitting next to them and the '18 looks the good from all angles. The '19 is far from a looker and won't win any awards for it's styling.
A fix could be done without changing much sheet metal, other than the hood and the grill. Get rid of the unibrow, make the grill more upright, and let the hood meet the grill.
Look how much a moderate change to the front of the Cherokee has improved the looks of the front end of it. Same thing with the lift gate of the Cherokee, simple redesign and better looking.
I have a feeling, if the sales fall flat on these trucks, they will fix the front in a year or 2. I recently read a Motor Trend 1st drive of the Ram. They praised just about everything about the truck, but not one sentence about the styling.
If I needed a new truck now, I would order the '18.

 

[DRkNESS]

Well I am in need of a new truck and as much as the interior of the 2019 is spot on, I’m feeling a 2018 will be thrown into my garage.


Father Of Four

 

[Ryelinek]

Well I am in need of a new truck and as much as the interior of the 2019 is spot on, I’m feeling a 2018 will be thrown into my garage.


Father Of Four

You can get an 18 for GREAT deals right now so from a cost perspective you can’t beat current prices.

Take a 19 out for a Test Drive. It will blow you away and perhaps change your opinion. Everyone that is hating on the 19 is just giving their two cents on the looks and haven’t bothered driving it.

 

[JB1]

People should clarify what exterior they are referring to when the say its ugly. There are three different types of headlights for the new Ram and I think they make or break the new design depending on which one you choose. Yes the Limited's headlights are the most advanced but in my opinion are the most ugly. They appear to be smaller then the others and chrome lined and just don't match the truck, also the rest of the chrome accents don't do the truck any favors either in my humble opinion. Whereas go down a class with a regular Laramie and you have a much larger looking headlight that fills out the front end a little bit more. I personally think it looks much better, especially with a body colored grill to match.

I mean look at these two examples, they could almost pass as two completely different companies-

Its the chrome grille and brow that I don't like, this one has the larger lights but with the chrome grille its just too much

Take a 19 out for a Test Drive. It will blow you away and perhaps change your opinion. Everyone that is hating on the 19 is just giving their two cents on the looks and haven’t bothered driving it.

what makes it ride better than an 2018?

 

[johnts]

Well I am in need of a new truck and as much as the interior of the 2019 is spot on, I’m feeling a 2018 will be thrown into my garage.


Father Of Four

The interior is the only saving this truck.
If I can't get past the looks of it, I don't care how nice it is to drive. I wouldn't pay 50K+ for a truck and hate looking at it every time I went to drive it. This is a very generic looking truck that blends in instead of standing out, like the Rams from '94 to '18 did.

 

[22hemi13]

Its the chrome grille and brow that I don't like, this one has the larger lights but with the chrome grille its just too much








what makes it ride better than an 2018?

I think that color with the chrome actually looks good. But it all kinda blends so it helps a lot. Plus it sits taller it seems. The white looks good too. It all comes on the truck and color more than it usd to I think.