The role of heavy-duty pickups on the jobsite hasn’t changed much over the decades. They’re workhorses that get the task at hand done, but leave a lot to be desired in terms of refinement and comfort. But in the last few years, there has been a shift toward bringing in more high-end features, and this trend is clearly visible in the latest generation of Ram Heavy Duty pickups.

The 2019 Ram 2500 and 3500 models ENR recently spent the day driving around Las Vegas may well be the most advanced work trucks ever offered to commercial customers. From a remarkably smooth ride and confident handling to the long list of available amenities and cutting-edge safety features, calling this revamped heavy-duty pickup line state-of-the-art doesn’t seem like a stretch.

但是，首先重要的是商业皮卡买家的功能。卡车可以做什么？可以肯定地说，新车型也超出了这些期望。

有三台发动机可用，从汽油燃料的6.4升Hemi V8开始，可伸出410马力和429 lb-ft的扭矩。八速自动变速箱是一项标准功能，是一个方便的旋转旋钮，而买家可以选择后方或四轮驱动。

如果您需要一些固执的东西，还有一对新鲜的康明斯涡轮柴油机。标准输出发动机是一个6.7升的内联六缸，可产生更令人满意的370 hp和850 lb-ft。如果您要追求的最大动力，那么涡轮柴油机的高输出版本就会散发出健康的400 hp和令人jaw目结舌的1,000 lb-ft扭矩。

这两个发动机都与熟悉的列更换器配合使用六速自动变速器。3500型号也可以选择单个或双后轮。

Capable Carrier

当recounting the complete range of payload and towing capacities could take the rest of this space, here are the high points. The Ram 2500 can tote an impressive 4,520 lb of payload and tow trailers up to 19,780 lb when properly equipped. The 3500 model ups those numbers substantially, maxing out at 7,680 lb of payload or the ability to pull trailers up to 35,100 lb, making these trucks the most powerful Ram models ever introduced.

所有这些基础是在RAM的四轮线圈弹簧悬架上骑着坚固的轻巧，高强度的钢制框架。它使用进行性线圈，而不是传统的叶弹簧，再加上可变的震动，能够适应柔软和硬性撞击，这使RAM 2500型号即使没有负载，也没有任何刺耳的骑行，也没有任何刺耳的刺激新利18备用在大型拾音器中。

Steering and handling also excel, making the Ram HD feel noticeably more nimble on the road than its competitors. But make no mistake, it’s still a big vehicle. It just doesn’t feel like it in everyday driving.

The available rear air suspension is one of those options you might initially dismiss as unnecessary, but it does let the Ram HD pull off a few neat tricks. Besides its self-leveling ability that compensates for the weight of a full payload or heavy trailer, the air suspension also lets you lower the rear of the truck a whole 2 in. to make hooking up a trailer significantly easier—just drop the rear end, back up until you’re under the hitch and raise the rear suspension. By adding hitch-view cameras that make it easier to line things up, trailer hookups become a straightforward one-person job.

Fancier Features

The Ram Heavy Duty is offered in three body styles—a two-door regular cab, a four-door Crew Cab and a super-sized Mega Cab with an expansive rear seat that has reclining seatbacks and limousine-like legroom. If you’re regularly hauling a full crew of grown adults, the Mega Cab is highly recommended. Back seats on both the Crew Cab and Mega Cab models fold down to provide plenty of protected inside storage for valuable tools and equipment you’d rather not leave in the bed to tempt sticky fingers.

Mated to those cabs are two different beds. The regular cab and Crew Cab models are offered with the familiar 8-ft bed. The Crew Cab can also be had with the Mega Cab’s 6-ft, 4-in. bed.

When it comes to speccing your new Ram Heavy Duty, there are essentially six trim levels available, ranging from the familiar workaday Tradesman model up to the top-of-the-line Limited, a truck with materials and amenities that would put many luxury sedans to shame.

The Big Horn model (known as Lone Star in some markets) that we spent most of our test-drive time in seemed like a good compromise. Though just one step above the Tradesman, it came with enough creature comforts—standard keyless entry and start, an electric shift-on-the-fly transfer case, plus options like heated seats and steering wheel—to take the rough edges off a long day on the job, without the breaking the bank.

The Ram HD’s passenger cabin picks up where its recently introduced half-ton 1500 sibling lets off. Which is to say it distances itself from the competition by placing an emphasis on handsome design and higher-quality materials.

即使是入门级商人感觉不便宜,sporting standard features like a Bluetooth infotainment system with a 5-in. display and rear backup camera. Upper trim levels are truly over the top, with touches of genuine leather everywhere you lay your hands and open-pore wood trim that gives the cabin a rugged yet sophisticated look you wouldn’t expect in a commercial pickup.

在路上，您会立即注意到这些型号的另一件事是不存在的：噪音。通过应用额外的声调材料，声挡风玻璃玻璃以及上层装饰，就像从飞机上戴的耳机一样，在上层装饰上消除了主动噪音。它创造了您在皮卡中可能从未经历过的安静的内饰。即使是康明斯涡轮柴油机发动机的阴谋也似乎也柔和了。

Not all the new features are just for show. The available 12-in. vertically-oriented center touchscreen can be customized to show two different functions like audio and climate control, or used full-length to show map directions. Other nice-to-have gadgets include the 360° surround view cameras that make maneuvering in tight quarters of a congested jobsite a little less nerve-wracking.

高级安全功能包括针对卡车的轮胎压力监控和多达12个拖车轮胎，以及可用的自动紧急制动，如果传感器发现即将发生的碰撞，将使卡车和拖车安全停止。

Worth the Cost?

As has become the norm in recent years, the bottom-line numbers on Ram HD window stickers make it clear that all this capability and comfort comes at a price. Entry-level Tradesman models start at $35,090 (including a $1,695 destination fee) for a 2500 regular cab rear-wheel drive version powered by the standard 6.4-liter Hemi V8. A top of the line four-wheel drive, Limited Mega Cab 3500 Dually with the high-output Cummins turbo-diesel under the hood can easily set you back a cool $80,000, before you even start adding options.

除了数字外，说2019年RAM HD车型在重新定义工作卡车的方面大有帮助，这并不是一个夸大其词。花一些时间在方向盘上，您可以自己看到更新的拾音器的能力。

By Alan Rider in Las Vegas