I think you're cherry picking a bit here......
Look at ALL the options. The below are direct from Ram's 2012 Ram 1500 Trailer Tow and payload selector sheet.
2012 Ram 1500 ST, Reg cab, 3.7 V6
They offer 2 GVWRs:
6025
6600
If you step up to a 4.7L V8 in the same trim as above:
They offer 3 GVWRs:
6025
6350
6600
If you get the 5.7 Hemi:
They offer 3 GVWRs:
6200
6350
6600
The gross combined should all be factored as well:
3.7 V6 - 8,500 lbs
4.7 V8 - 11,250 or 12,500 depending on rear axle ratio
5.7 Hemi - 14,000 or 15,500 depending on rear axle ratio
It appears that you are trying to compare a Volvo suv to a full sized half ton truck. Sorry, but there's no comparison. Volvo offers 2 options. An XC90 that can tow 4,000 lbs, or one that can tow 5,000 lbs. It's dependent upon which engine is in the car. Nothing more.
Serious question and not poking at you by asking this.... if Rams are of subpar quality (don't tell that to my old Audi A4... talk about a flaming pile of "well built" German engineering), then why do you own one?
Initially i said that the Volvo is rated to 5000lbs compared to 3800lbs of this post owner's 2012 ram in his configuration. And the other guy started having all kind of doubts about it. Well, his right. But the numbers are official, from the manufacturer, and they are not from thin air. I believe a good crew of engineers thought well and did some testing before they put those numbers in the book, we like it or not. And that's the reference if the question comes up of how much it can tow.
Yes, there are other configurations of the 2012 year Ram that are rated higher, but we're not talking about them. I was surprised that, as you say, "a full size half ton" pickup has such a small towing capacity. Which I call them now half-trucks,
) compared to my one ton Ram with it's high output Cummins. Sorry, half-ton owners,
)
As for why I own one, is because I don't have another choice. If there was an European pickup truck on the North American market available with a diesel engine, I would have bought it. Or if there were V8 diesel Mercedes GL, or Audi q7, or Touareg like they have in Europe, I would have got one of those. I was thinking of buying a 2016-17 Nissan Titan with a V8 Cummins, but for about the same price(a good price), I found this 2016 Ram 3500 Longhorn Laramie, 6.7 high output Cummins, deleted, with Aisin transmission, crew cab, short box, canopy, pearl white, very good shape, clean title compared to others that I saw, with little engine hours (3600) and, most important, little idle hours(360), 178 thousand kms, that I just couldn't pass by. I thought, well, compared to a Titan, a Ram is a Ram. And all last year I was checking the prices for the same configuration that I have, and they were about 5-7 thousand higher.
But, as a mechanic by trade, and looking at the quality of the factory paint job and everything else on this truck, I can not justify that one of these trucks brand new costs more than $100 thousand CAD now. Well, it's a good truck, but they could have done better, and I will just try to keep mine alive and in good shape for as long as I can, that means rust proofing it every year, and I use it mostly only to tow my camper in the summer, last winter it was parked with a battery maintainer connected, started it only twice since November. For just everyday drive around we have the Volvo, and for long distances without towing or big cargo we have the diesel Mercedes. Very efficient and smooth. I change the oils in my cars by hour meters, I installed on Volvo and Mercedes, and transmission and steering filters, additional 2 microns fuel filters on the Mercedes and Ram, so, my vehicles will last, I hope.
