Up until this year, I would always give the GMC Sierra the nod as my truck of choice should I happen to decide that my city-dwelling lifestyle needed a pickup. That’s changed after spending a week with the 2019 Ram 1500 Sport.
Granted, my reasons may differ from traditional pick-up buyers. I don’t need to tow anything, and I don’t work on a construction site. My commute is boulevards, avenues and highways, not country roads. In the winter, the street in front of my condo is plowed by 5 am.
I don’t go camping, I don’t own a boat and while I like horses as much as the next guy, I’ll never need to bring some with me somewhere. That said, you don’t need to do all of those things to like the 2019 Ram 1500 Sport. Should you want to tow a camper, horse trailer or boat, however, you’ll be more than fine.
Maybe that’s what makes the Ram 1500 Sport so appealing. It’s a very refined, very comfortable daily driver that doesn’t really feel like a pickup. On the other hand, it has the capability truck owners seek.
Why you should buy a 2019 Ram 1500 Sport
1. It’s a really good-looking truck. Those optional 22-inch wheels (only $995) are perfect and the bulging hood you see from the driver’s seat will put a smile on your face. It’s a mix of classy and rugged that gets noticed a lot. Rarely do trucks not called Raptor inspire any sort of reaction from others on the road, but the Ram 1500 Sport does just that.
They were fixing a neighbor’s roof during my week with the truck, and the gathering of workers around the truck every morning snapping pictures and pointing out design details makes me think they didn’t finish on time.
2. Despite being a “Sport” and despite the 22-inchers, the Ram 1500 Sport is very, very comfortable. You can barely hear what is happening outside thanks to plenty of insulation, robotic sealing, and active noise cancellation technologies. Ram wanted to make the new 1500 more comfortable and refined, and they certainly succeeded.
3. The 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is still as smooth as ever. With 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, it isn’t as quick as the Ford F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost, but it’s perfectly balanced and refined. Note that you can add Ram’s new eTorque technology which gives the V8 an extra 130 pound-feet of torque thanks to mild electrification coming from a 0.43 kWh. That will improve power while lowering fuel economy. Payload is set at 2,300 pounds with towing set at 12,750 pounds.
4. The interior is the best in the truck segment. The 2019 Ram 1500 Sport’s interior is very luxury-like. The Sport I was driving didn’t have the Tesla-ish 12-inch infotainment screen that comes with the Uconnect 12.0 system, but the one it did have still had an upscale look to it.
Why you shouldn’t buy the 2019 Ram 1500 Sport
1. The Ram 1500 Sport isn’t the only pickup that does this, but there are a ton of options that can bring the price up dramatically. It starts at $53,595 before fees and rebates which is already a hefty price tag.
Remote starter, leather seats (at least they are ventilated), front and rear parking, 4×4 drivetrain, crew cab and 6’4” box length are all optional. You’ll get to over $60,000 very quickly once you start adding stuff most pickup owners need.
2. If you don’t add the eTorque (another option), the V8 Hemi isn’t as torquey as the Ford F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost or the GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 6.2-liter V8.
Final Word
Pickups are such a difficult segment to rank. There are no bad trucks out there, and no standouts either. They are all relatively the same when it comes to performance, capability, and driving behavior.
Where the 2019 Ram 1500 Sport stands out is in the design and comfort departments. If you want to get noticed, drive something relatively unique (the Sport is Canada-only), and enjoy a quiet and upscale interior, it may just be the right truck for you if you have the budget for it.
2019 Ram 1500 Images
