Traded 2017 Ford F-250 for first ever RAM - review

[troverman]

I'm a life-long Ford guy. I've owned 6 Super Duty trucks and one Ford Raptor. I have nothing bad to say about these trucks - but I have had a strong desire to try a Cummins with the manual transmission. I understand the manual "might" be going away. So I had the opportunity to trade my 2017 F-250 crew cab 4x4 XLT Premium Powerstroke for a 2018 RAM 3500 crew cab dually 4x4 Cummins / G56 combo - albeit in Tradesman form. Basically, finding the manual trucks is hard - extremely few in my area - and this one was fairly close by and the deal was very good. I've had all kinds of trim levels in the past with the Fords, from very basic through King Ranch diesel. This Tradesman had the basics: carpeting, shift on the fly 4x4, chrome appearance package, chrome running boards, UConnect 5.0, factory spray in liner, backup cam, 5th-wheel / gooseneck hitch prep, trailer brake controller, upfitter switches, cloth seats, etc.

I picked up the truck last Thursday with 15 miles on the odo. By last night, it has over 500 miles. My impressions compared to the Ford are as such:

The Ford cab is better. There is simply more room in the back...much more. Better head room. More leg room. Better under-seat storage. The Ford rear floor is totally flat...the RAM has a small center hump. The indented center portion of the rear bench seems pointless. There are no reading lights in the rear of the RAM. The Ford also has a bit more legroom in the front, and on the RAM the passenger footwell is cut in pretty deeply by the transmission tunnel. On the Ford the passenger footwell is equal to the drivers.

That said, this truck has the front center flip seat / console...and still has rear seat A/C vents. Ford does not give you this if you have the center flip seat. (GM doesn't give you rear A/C vents at all, lol). I also absolutely love the two under-floor storage bins near the door edges. Very cool.

Mind you, this is a Tradesman...and I'm comparing to a Ford XLT which is one trim level up. Nevertheless, I still feel the RAM dashboard has better fit and finish. Sure, its just rock hard plastic...but so is the Ford until you get to Lariat trim. My Ford already had some squeaks and rattles in the doors and dash...so far none on the RAM but it is pretty fresh. I like the black door panels better than the gray plastic in the Ford. But I will say the Ford aluminum doors feel heavier and shut nicer than the RAM steel doors.

The single white LED shining down from the roof console is a very nice touch, especially on a base truck. RAM does a nice job of lighting their dashboard and door buttons. On the Ford, the 4x4 selector knob has the positions lit, but not the pointer on the dial. RAM lights the positions and the pointer. But Ford completely lights their power mirror controls and RAM does not. The Ford glove box is better...locking and illuminated.

The RAM vents are nicer and the vent controls are nicer. Overall, the RAM dashboard knobs and buttons...from the headlight switch, to the volume knob, to the 4x4 selector...are nicer than the Ford knobs. They have a better feel...tighter. I also noticed the same thing with the turn signal selector...except it is a hair shorter than I'd like.

The UConnect 5.0...well, the voice controls are horrible. I had the Ford Sync 3 system which worked great. I get the 5.0 is a more basic setup...screen graphics are pretty bad...the backup cam on the 5" display is one step above useless. But I like the button to shut the screen off...on the Ford, it is buried 3 menus deep. That said, the sound system has better sound quality than the Ford 7-speaker XLT Premium system I came from. You'd think steering wheel audio controls would be standard, but they are not present on my truck.

One of my single biggest complaints with the interior...is the instrument cluster. On a heavy-duty work truck, why would RAM omit very important gauges like engine coolant temp and oil pressure? Yes, I realize this info can be had in the small info display, but that's just dumb. Instead, they provide a goofy DEF gauge...nice to have, but silly since DEF only needs to be refilled every 5-7k miles or so. I would have much preferred a coolant temp gauge.

The small info screen has low resolution but is functional. It provides a lot of info, but can't show much of it at the same time. I appreciate the lowest segment of this info screen being able to display a couple of colors.

So that leaves the drive train, which is why I bought the truck. I'll say right off the bat the Ford is much quicker. I realize the Cummins is pretty neutered with the stick, but this engine just doesn't seem to be quick revving like the Ford (and Duramax). But every time I fire it up, it puts a smile on my face. It sounds great! The exhaust brake is way better than the Ford brake, both in how smoothly it functions and how powerful it is. I like the exhaust brake warm-up feature, too. The Ford had an electric supplemental cabin heater which worked well, because the engine took forever to warm up. This truck seems to warm up quite a bit quicker. The engine pulls very well. I've already towed 12,000lbs with it...it tows just fine. I like towing with the standard.

Fuel economy leaves something to be desired, though. I expected better with the de-rated Cummins and manual transmission. I've had a 2017 Ford F-350 dually as well and know what that truck got. This truck only seems to get good fuel economy by really short-shifting. I find the 2-3 gear change to be the most difficult to do smoothly. The transmission is fine but certainly doesn't change gears quickly. The hill-holder feature makes driving this thing a piece of cake.

All in all, I really like this truck. I like the styling, love the engine, and really enjoy shifting gears myself. The second day after I picked it up, we got 5" of snow...so I tried out 4x4 too. Works as expected. No auto-locking hubs like the Ford; I believe this truck has a center axle disconnect? The rear "anti-spin" diff seems to work better than expected as well.

 

[Abell34]

I have not owned a ford hd but i drove one several times in the process of shopping. I agree with many of your findings butni hated the base trim seat configuration on the ford vs the tradesman ram that i bought. I also liked the prices much better... you may find better mileage as you put more miles on it i am up to 1900 and my mpg is still getting better.

 

[troverman]

Thanks. I prefer the seats in the RAM as well.

 

[mohemipar]

Nice comparison. I believe a lot of your complaints are being addressed for the 2020 redesign, but I do think it was confirmed they are doing away with the manual.

Jeep has started phasing out the 5.0 screen with a new 7.0 which is much nicer. It is basically the 8.4 but smaller. Would be nice if they would start making this the base screen in the Rams as well.

 

[RamHondo]

Welcome to The Brotherhood! I went from GMC to Ford SD back to GMC and now Ram 1500! Love the Hemi!
I take care of my trucks and no major complaints.
Accept on 2018 GMC too much electronic active crap!

 

[ronheater70]

I also bought a 2018 g56 3500 lb cc 4x4 about 6 weeks ago I think. I have 1500 miles on it now. I also bought it because It might be the last chance to do so. The cummins is detuned behind the manual tranny simply because of stock clutch limitations, that being said the transmission is geared lower than the autos as well. Coming from a 2016 2500 6.4 ths difference is night and day, and the MPG are a good 2 MPG better empty and about 3 or so better towing than the 6.4. You are right this is not a fast shifting truck, but Ive gotten pretty good with it as has my wife. Its a long throw and i have more trouble smoothly finding 5th than any other gear.

My Son has a 2017 f350 xlt as well, crew cab long bed dually 4x4. he is a pipeline welder and hauls about 2300 lbs worth of welder and gear in back and even with that weight it is noticably faster than my truck, and noticably faster than a 2500 Auto transmission as well. The V8s just rev faster. I Agree about the instrument cluster, and more importsntly I feel like Any diesel truck should have an EGT reading somewhere from the factory. All that being said I have never enjoyed any truck as much as I am this one. I love the transmission.

 

[wallacemf]

I have had a couple of SD trucks, a 2010 f350 and a 2015 f250. My 2015 was also an XLT Premium FX4 but with the 6.2L gas engine, which I traded for a 2016 Tradesman with the 6.4L gas engine. I can echo a lot of your comments in regards to the interior, I really missed some of the XLT options.

Conversely, the 6.4L Ram, in my opinion, is much quicker than the Ford 6.2L, fords torque management on the 6.2 absolutely sucks, serious dead pedal problem under heavy acceleration, like it doesn’t know what to do for a second or two when you press the pedal. I had the plow pkg and camper pkg, when it was empty it rode like a dump truck.

Eventually I realized that I had settled for the Tradesman, so I upgraded to a 2018 Ram 2500 Big Horn with the sport appearance package- power seats, 8.4 screen, most bells and whistles. Much happier now, you likely would be as well.

Some of the options you’re missing can be added yourself, check the classifieds here for the premium instrument cluster and such.

 

[SouthTexan]

I miss the gear display in my old Ford. It always showed what gear you were in at every start up and you didn't have to hit the gear selector. I also hate how it selects the gear you are currently in instead of starting from the highest gear like my Ford did. The gear selector button was also in a better position further down the shift lever allowing you to put you whole and on the lever without covering it. Other than the trans and gear shifting, I like my Ram much better.

 

[RamHondo]

Here's last 3 trucks.

 

[troverman]

Can you add any form of remote starter to the Cummins with the manual?

I had a couple of Ford 6.2L trucks...good engine, sounded good, but they did hesitate too much off the line. For 2017 they added 25lb-ft more torque and that torque comes 700RPM sooner. I considered trying one of these, but I prefer diesel for the pretty heft loads I pull.

I see there are options to upgrade the radio screen and instrument cluster...looks like the radio swap to one with Nav is $1200 (which seems somewhat reasonable and includes the new bezel); the cluster can be pricey. Would need to have correct miles / hours programmed.

So far, I ordered an auto-dimming mirror. Definitely enjoy having one of these.

 

[mohemipar]

Can you add any form of remote starter to the Cummins with the manual?

Mopar will not do it, but could maybe find an aftermarket option.

Lots of people have done a 5.0 to 8.4 Uconnect conversion. There's a lot of info in the DIY section of the forum. The 8.4 is a great system. The new/current "4C" version has a crystal clear picture. I love it in my Charger and wish they had been putting those in the Ram's for 2017.

 

[corneileous]

The Ford cab is better. There is simply more room in the back...much more. Better head room. More leg room. Better under-seat storage. The Ford rear floor is totally flat...the RAM has a small center hump. The indented center portion of the rear bench seems pointless. There are no reading lights in the rear of the RAM. The Ford also has a bit more legroom in the front, and on the RAM the passenger footwell is cut in pretty deeply by the transmission tunnel. On the Ford the passenger footwell is equal to the drivers.

All in all, that’s a good comparison. As far as reading lights in the back, are you talking about a light above each passenger window, or the one that is there, the one that’s above the split window? I guess that would apply to some people but nowadays more people look at smartphones or tablets more than a they do books. lol.

That said, this truck has the front center flip seat / console...and still has rear seat A/C vents. Ford does not give you this if you have the center flip seat. (GM doesn't give you rear A/C vents at all, lol).

I take it you have to have the buckets with the full middle console in order to have that luxury? I was kinda surprised that in the Rams that if you wanted the heated rear seats, you have to spring for the front buckets as well. Figured they coulda just have easily put the switches in the door panels.

I also absolutely love the two under-floor storage bins near the door edges. Very cool.

Those are cool, and I’ve even heard of an aftermarket, locking steel door upgrade for those where you can turn those floor bins into locking safes but I forgot mine where even there. Lol. I put a molded plastic Weathertech door to door floormat down so mine really aren’t all that accessible anymore.

The UConnect 5.0...well, the voice controls are horrible. I had the Ford Sync 3 system which worked great. I get the 5.0 is a more basic setup...screen graphics are pretty bad... the backup cam on the 5" display is one step above useless.

So far I’m not impressed with the voice commands on the 8.4 but that could be that I haven’t messed with it a whole lot and don’t know how to work it. Lol. But the graphics and the backup camera on the 8.4 are pretty badass.

But I like the button to shut the screen off...on the Ford, it is buried 3 menus deep. That said, the sound system has better sound quality than the Ford 7-speaker XLT Premium system I came from. You'd think steering wheel audio controls would be standard, but they are not present on my truck.

You would think they would by now but I guess they figure on a tradesman that it’s something not needed since most people by that low of a trim packaged for work, and to save money or they want a base package to add the amenities they want. It is kind of a safety feature promoting keeping the hands on the wheel and the eyes on the road.

One of my single biggest complaints with the interior...is the instrument cluster. On a heavy-duty work truck, why would RAM omit very important gauges like engine coolant temp and oil pressure? Yes, I realize this info can be had in the small info display, but that's just dumb. Instead, they provide a goofy DEF gauge...nice to have, but silly since DEF only needs to be refilled every 5-7k miles or so. I would have much preferred a coolant temp gauge.

There’s no oil pressure gauge or water temp gauge?? Wow.

The small info screen has low resolution but is functional. It provides a lot of info, but can't show much of it at the same time. I appreciate the lowest segment of this info screen being able to display a couple of colors.

Again this must be because mine’s a Limited but the dash screen is just as clear and badass as the big 8.4 screen is. I’ve got my home screen set to show me my tranny temp, engine oil temp, mph, current mpg’s, average mpg, direction, miles to empty, and status of my air suspension. I don’t see what more you could ask for.

Fuel economy leaves something to be desired, though. I expected better with the de-rated Cummins and manual transmission. I've had a 2017 Ford F-350 dually as well and know what that truck got. This truck only seems to get good fuel economy by really short-shifting. I find the 2-3 gear change to be the most difficult to do smoothly. The transmission is fine but certainly doesn't change gears quickly. The hill-holder feature makes driving this thing a piece of cake.

As others have basically said, you’ve only by now got less than 1500 miles on the truck. Your rings and such ain’t no where near broke in. You’ll probably have to get up towards 15,000 before the mpg’s start to amaze you.

As far as that 6.7 Powerstroke, I don’t know much about that one but as far as the 7.3, the 6.0 and the 6.4: Powerstroke and good fuel economy never went together in the same sentence. Or at least from all the people I’ve known over the years that’s had them and just from what I’ve heard.

All in all, I really like this truck. I like the styling, love the engine, and really enjoy shifting gears myself. The second day after I picked it up, we got 5" of snow...so I tried out 4x4 too. Works as expected. No auto-locking hubs like the Ford; I believe this truck has a center axle disconnect? The rear "anti-spin" diff seems to work better than expected as well.

The fact that the front end is locked together all the time has kinda caused some speculation on affecting fuel economy, especially on the gassers. With the exception of hers being a SLT and mine being a Laramie, they were still the same basic truck but a girl I know was supposedly getting about two to three more miles per gallon out of her 08 Ram but hers was a two wheel drive and my 08 was four.

It is nice though if you get stuck in two wheel drive. You can shift into 4 wheel and go. I’m assuming with the ford, the front wheels have to be turning in order to spin the hubs.

But I’m not attacking your post, bud. I’m just pointing on a few things and giving what I believe are my best explanations as to why they did something and why they didn’t do something. Congrats on the new ride and hopefully she doesn’t let you down!...[emoji41]



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[troverman]

All in all, that’s a good comparison. As far as reading lights in the back, are you talking about a light above each passenger window, or the one that is there, the one that’s above the split window? I guess that would apply to some people but nowadays more people look at smartphones or tablets more than a they do books. lol.

Yeah, more or less talking about the light above each window. On Fords with the panoramic sunroof, there is an LED light above each window with a lit switch. Without the panoramic roof, there is a single round dome light with left and right illuminated switches...there are two lenses inside with LED lights so one shines left and one shines right. Kind of cool. I realize people aren't reading anymore, but what if you were eating something, or dropped something at night? Kind of nice to be able to switch on a light without having to ask the driver to turn on all the lights.

I take it you have to have the buckets with the full middle console in order to have that luxury? I was kinda surprised that in the Rams that if you wanted the heated rear seats, you have to spring for the front buckets as well. Figured they coulda just have easily put the switches in the door panels.

On the Ford, to get rear A/C vents you have to have the full center console. My RAM is both a Tradesman and a manual transmission, both of which preclude having the full center console. Nevertheless, there are two full-size A/C vents in the base which can be angled in any direction.

Those are cool, and I’ve even heard of an aftermarket, locking steel door upgrade for those where you can turn those floor bins into locking safes but I forgot mine where even there. Lol. I put a molded plastic Weathertech door to door floormat down so mine really aren’t all that accessible anymore.

Yeah, I'm getting rubber mats for mine too...but I still plan to use them for something. Very cool.

So far I’m not impressed with the voice commands on the 8.4 but that could be that I haven’t messed with it a whole lot and don’t know how to work it. Lol. But the graphics and the backup camera on the 8.4 are pretty badass.

Yes, the 8.4 is a much nicer unit than the 5.0.

You would think they would by now but I guess they figure on a tradesman that it’s something not needed since most people by that low of a trim packaged for work, and to save money or they want a base package to add the amenities they want. It is kind of a safety feature promoting keeping the hands on the wheel and the eyes on the road.

Yep, I'm thinking they are absent simply because the Tradesman is a base truck. But like you say, it is a safety feature of sorts and only costs pennies to add. I think it might be standard on the Ford XL work truck.

There’s no oil pressure gauge or water temp gauge?? Wow.

No actual gauge, but you can pull up a "vehicle summary" screen on the EVIC which shows water temp, oil temp, and oil pressure. But if you do that, you can't see your fuel mileage, lol. Bad design, in my opinion. Standard on a Ford XL work truck are 6 analog gauges plus the basic info center. Come on RAM, it's a work truck and those gauges are probably more important to a Tradesman than to a Limited.

Again this must be because mine’s a Limited but the dash screen is just as clear and badass as the big 8.4 screen is. I’ve got my home screen set to show me my tranny temp, engine oil temp, mph, current mpg’s, average mpg, direction, miles to empty, and status of my air suspension. I don’t see what more you could ask for.

Yep, Big Horn and higher have the 7" info display. It's a nice screen, plus you also get an analog water temp and oil pressure gauge. These should not have been omitted from the Tradesman.

As others have basically said, you’ve only by now got less than 1500 miles on the truck. Your rings and such ain’t no where near broke in. You’ll probably have to get up towards 15,000 before the mpg’s start to amaze you.

As far as that 6.7 Powerstroke, I don’t know much about that one but as far as the 7.3, the 6.0 and the 6.4: Powerstroke and good fuel economy never went together in the same sentence. Or at least from all the people I’ve known over the years that’s had them and just from what I’ve heard.

We'll see...on my Fords fuel economy never really changed much from new. I've owned four 6.7L Powerstrokes and they all pulled pretty good fuel economy. My 2016 F-350 King Ranch was the best. In 2017 when they increased torque to 925lb-ft the fuel economy went down a bit.

The fact that the front end is locked together all the time has kinda caused some speculation on affecting fuel economy, especially on the gassers. With the exception of hers being a SLT and mine being a Laramie, they were still the same basic truck but a girl I know was supposedly getting about two to three more miles per gallon out of her 08 Ram but hers was a two wheel drive and my 08 was four.

It is nice though if you get stuck in two wheel drive. You can shift into 4 wheel and go. I’m assuming with the ford, the front wheels have to be turning in order to spin the hubs.

But I’m not attacking your post, bud. I’m just pointing on a few things and giving what I believe are my best explanations as to why they did something and why they didn’t do something. Congrats on the new ride and hopefully she doesn’t let you down!...[emoji41]

No, it's all good and I appreciate the response. On the Ford, you can also just click the dash knob into 4x4 and go. Never had an issue with that. Ford just lets you manually lock the hubs if you prefer, or if the auto hubs ever fail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro[/QUOTE]

 

[corneileous]

Yeah, more or less talking about the light above each window. On Fords with the panoramic sunroof, there is an LED light above each window with a lit switch. Without the panoramic roof, there is a single round dome light with left and right illuminated switches...there are two lenses inside with LED lights so one shines left and one shines right. Kind of cool. I realize people aren't reading anymore, but what if you were eating something, or dropped something at night? Kind of nice to be able to switch on a light without having to ask the driver to turn on all the lights.

I hear ya, but the little light in the headliner above the split window back there is practically the same kind of push button lense like on your front map lights that works independently from the switch up front.

Yeah, I'm getting rubber mats for mine too...but I still plan to use them for something. Very cool.

Before I got my tonneau cover and by storage boxes in the bed, I was using them to store ratchet straps. I don’t have much use for them anymore.

No actual gauge, but you can pull up a "vehicle summary" screen on the EVIC which shows water temp, oil temp, and oil pressure. But if you do that, you can't see your fuel mileage, lol. Bad design, in my opinion. Standard on a Ford XL work truck are 6 analog gauges plus the basic info center. Come on RAM, it's a work truck and those gauges are probably more important to a Tradesman than to a Limited.

Yeah could’ve at least added the analog gauges. That doesn’t make any sense.

We'll see...on my Fords fuel economy never really changed much from new. I've owned four 6.7L Powerstrokes and they all pulled pretty good fuel economy. My 2016 F-350 King Ranch was the best. In 2017 when they increased torque to 925lb-ft the fuel economy went down a bit.

It should. Again I can’t really speak on the newer 6.7 fords but on the ones that came before that one, the fuel mileage never really seemed to get better the higher up in mileage they went.

No, it's all good and I appreciate the response. On the Ford, you can also just click the dash knob into 4x4 and go. Never had an issue with that. Ford just lets you manually lock the hubs if you prefer, or if the auto hubs ever fail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

One thing about it though with the Rams is that your front end will stay lubed up as all that turns.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[JimGregory]

I guess you are in New Hampshire? I can cure the audio controls missing on the wheel for a hundred bucks plus shipping from CT. Probably 30 bucks or so.
Black wheel from a 2016 Express with NEW audio controls added.
Now this is kind of a half an upgrade. I did it. I liked it. But then I wanted a leather wheel. Those seem to always have the audio controls already. They are from 200 to 300 give or take.
So if you want to go half a step let me know. Full step check ebay or the classified's here.
PS. The leather wheel is real nice.
PSS.. Congrats on the new truck!
Ooops.. Bam!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ram-Steeri...4:g:rxEAAOSwgNFb436R:rk:2:pf:1&frcectupt=true

 

[Abell34]

I dint know much about the manual or dually options is it possible your lower mpg is a result of even lower gearing for the dually or manual options? My 2500 srw auto 4x4 is 3.42. Im very happy with the stock mpg im getting at 1900 miles. 18-21 highway 14-17 in town and rural county roads.

 

[troverman]

I guess you are in New Hampshire? I can cure the audio controls missing on the wheel for a hundred bucks plus shipping from CT. Probably 30 bucks or so.
Black wheel from a 2016 Express with NEW audio controls added.
Now this is kind of a half an upgrade. I did it. I liked it. But then I wanted a leather wheel. Those seem to always have the audio controls already. They are from 200 to 300 give or take.
So if you want to go half a step let me know. Full step check ebay or the classified's here.
PS. The leather wheel is real nice.
PSS.. Congrats on the new truck!
Ooops.. Bam!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ram-Steeri...4:g:rxEAAOSwgNFb436R:rk:2:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Thanks for the offer and the link. My truck is a manual and that wheel on eBay has gear +/- buttons which wouldn't function on mine.

Looking for the cheapest, NEW leather wheel with audio controls I can find on eBay. Can anyone help?

 

[crazy jerry]

have the '17 powerwagon and couldnt be happier. has the full instrument gauges , 8.4 screen , remote start, drives smooth as silk with 35" . cant think of one thing i would change.

i wouldnt worry about cab or drivetrain rattles. have a few tradesman at work with 25k that go down wasboard potholes dirt roads everyday and still quiet as a mouse. was suprised to be honest

 

[crazy jerry]

forgot to mention earlier but youll love your new bumsteer/deathwobble free truck
once in a while be sure to stop in those ford forums and poke some fun at all those poor guys dealing with that stuff lol

 

[troverman]

forgot to mention earlier but youll love your new bumsteer/deathwobble free truck
once in a while be sure to stop in those ford forums and poke some fun at all those poor guys dealing with that stuff lol

I never had the so-called death wobble on any of my Fords. Frankly, I don't see how it would be any less likely on the RAM...their front-end setup is nearly identical to Ford's.