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Consumer Reports magazine April Ram reports good

3K views 36 replies 17 participants last post by  Desert Ram 
#1 ·
I just picked up the latest Consumer Reports magazine, RAM too high & tailgate too heavy.

They say that the Ram needs steps & a lighter tailgate
Everything else is good
That sure is a change from earlier reports :)
 
#6 ·
Uh I'm sorry, if I wanted a wannabe truck, I would have sought a Ridgeline.
A tailgate having an assistant mechanism, ok. But to lighten it.....no way. I want heavy duty and solid latches. I don't want my cargo to be comprised because some femme-guy can't hoist more than 5lbs.
 
#9 ·
I had some very nasty unrepairable issues with a '14 Silverado
and took a closer look at the Ram :smileup:

Now being an owner, just the sound of the doors closing and the
fit & finish of my Ram is light years ahead of the Silverado :smileup:

The best part is that I now have a far more equipped Ram for
a lot less then the W/T Silverado :wow:

The saying " everything happens for a reason " is very true in my case :cool:

Value, Dependability, Quality & Fantastic Looks, that's what keeps truck people happy !
 
#11 ·
I am surprised that many people find the tailgate "heavy". I guess I come from an age when tailgates were actually made from much thicker and heavier metal. I find the one on my 2014 Ram quite light by comparison. I think the prissy boys at Consumer Reports need to waddle over to the gym more frequently (sarcasm alert...).
 
#18 ·
I am surprised that many people find the tailgate "heavy". I guess I come from an age when tailgates were actually made from much thicker and heavier metal. I find the one on my 2014 Ram quite light by comparison. .
:hah:I actually just had a flashback of my 1969 C-20 !
 
#12 ·
Yeah I always figured the tailgate was just a normal weight tailgate. I don't need no nancy-boy tailgate shock to open it slowly like a minivan hatch, and I don't need no stripper pole on my tailgate (Ford) to help me get into the bed.

I guess its good that their complaints were so nitpicky, means there's not really any significant bad things to say.
 
#14 ·
Something like the deezee tailgate shock should come standard. It's nice when you actually work out of your truck and have something in your hand.to open without it dropping.
 
#19 ·
the article starts off ...

It's right if:
your looking for a rugged workhorse that also offers a car like ride with a spacious cabin.

further points they made were that the 5.7l is a popular engine, they are more impressed with the eco diesel

They really like the 8 speed transmissions

They mention the coil spring suspension that produces the calmest ride of all of the pickups & that a person really has to crank the steering wheel before the body leans over

One of the few gripes is the hamstring stretching step up it takes to get inside, making running boards a must.

then they appreciate the Uconnect system & layout & then that the rear view camera is a godsend for reversing & backing up to a trailer.

They also appreciate the rear seats folding up & that there is storage room for keep stuff out of the elements.

They then report that the towing & hauling rates are a bit low

I have not read all of it, but the say something about reliability being low with the gas engines
I have not read just what they call reliability ??
 
#20 ·
After owning a truck with the assisted tailgate I have to say, its the one feature that's missing. The first time I opened the Ram tailgate it slammed down as I was not used to it and you can't close it with one finger. I know you can buy a DZ for the opening part of it but it should be standard plain and simple especially since they offer everything else. Steps on any vehicle I find get in the way more then anything I have them for looks and protection but I don't step on them except to clean the roof.
 
#21 ·
Yes, the Rams need a better way to get up into the bed and an easier lift/drop on the tailgate. Both Ford and Chewy have addressed this. It's time Ram did too. They are factors where Ram is behind the times.
 
#26 ·
It's a tail gate, I mean it's nice if its light but damn, it's not 200 lbs, we didn't have them for 75 years with the easy lift...it's easily fixed and a corner step can be mounted for $200. And a deezee assist for $20....Not that big of a deal, surely was not a deal breaker to me.
 
#27 ·
I have the DeeZee assist for the fact that if anyone ""kids" mainly should open it for any reason.. It's not going to hurt them, and it's a cool feature to add .. I think. Mines an 02.. Probably has more metal than new ones!
I think most trucks are too low for 4x4 with too small of tires.
 
#32 ·
Its definitely not a deal breaker and not that I can't handle the weight of the tailgate, its just not as user friendly as it would be with a torsion bar. You can have your hands full and use one finger to let the tailgate drop without setting the stuff in your hands down to open the tailgate without it slamming. Same goes for closing it
 
#33 ·
To remain competitive one needs to keep up with the competition. Are these two items currently critical? Maybe nit to most, but sales increases do not occur because of the majority. They occur because of the margin. Discourage the picky people and you lose sales.
 
#35 ·
I can definitely see how the tailgate feature is nice, that's probably the only thing I liked about the Silverado over the Ram, but it's not a deal breaker. The tailgate does seem heavier than the 84 and 94 Silverados I'm used to though. I guess my only issue at this point is that my truck is still new, and I grab it to shut on the upper plastic trim... I don't want to grab it on the paint too much. That will change with time.

The height, I can see too. I'm 6'4" and I can barely step up in to sit down on the center of the seat, as opposed to sliding across the bolster... I don't want to excessively wear the leather down with my 260 lbs. I'll do AMP steps later, but once again, not a deal breaker with me, especially since I'll lift it in the next year or two probably.

But the details do matter. It was a list of other "little" details that swayed me over to Ram, since mechanically I think they're pretty comparable trucks. Pricing, styling, and attention to details and features is where Ram won me over.
 
#37 ·
But the details do matter. It was a list of other "little" details that swayed me over to Ram, since mechanically I think they're pretty comparable trucks. Pricing, styling, and attention to details and features is where Ram won me over.
Here, Here :smileup:

Coming out of a 2014 Silverado, for me there were three 'Mechanical'
issues, Vibration between 62 & 75 mph, Excessive injector noise and
Unacceptable delay's ( up to 300 rpm's ) on the up shift of the 6spd transmission :i_rolleyes:

I hope the factory boy's pay attention to your comments " Pricing, styling, and attention to details and features is where Ram won me over " ;)
 
#36 ·
Notgrownup

When i bought that sliding step at the tailgate, it was called the DEBO STEP
The DeboStep is now the DoMore Truck Slide Step

http://www.domoretruck.com/

they are made for several brands of vehicles, each brand is mounted differently

this video shows more about the tailgate slide step

http://www.debostep.com/about.html

during the video, when the guy is handling it, it makes noise, i have not heard it moving around at all while i am driving

mine came by UPS
don't pay attention to the beer cans :)









 
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