Wanna ride shotgun with the GRM crew?
Welcome to this week’s test vehicle, the 2023 Ram 1500 Limited Elite Crew 4x4. It’s very fancy.
Total price for our test truck is $79,165.
Keep reading for more about the Ram 1500 Limited Elite Crew Cab 4x4, and let us know what you’d …
My father-in-law has a Limited. I can confirm that it is fancy–like heated and cooled front and rear seats kind of fancy.
I'm also happy to report that he definitely uses it for truck stuff. My wife and I recently added to our front patio, and he brought over the filler sand and dirt.
He even managed to score a heck of a deal when he bought it during the pandemic.
I’ll weigh in on driving impressions once I have put a few more miles on it, but for something that takes up so much real estate, it doesn’t drive big, if you know what I mean. It almost feels narrower than you’d expect.
Around town and even through the rather narrow streets of our neighborhood, it didn’t feel out of place despite the long wheelbase.
But one thing that’s smaller than you’d expect: the backup camera. Okay, technically, it’s the view provided by the backup camera that seems rather small.
As backup cameras have become a thing, we have watched the screens grow ever larger every year. Some have gotten way, way wide.
The Ram, though, gets a vertical screen. Add in the width of the cockpit, and the backing-up view is a little smaller than expected.
Deal breaker? Probably not but, considering how big the truck is, it’s just something that stood out.
But speaking of backing up, I do dig the shift knob–not like the shift knobs from the ’60s but today’s version. It’s out of the way and, like everything else I have touched so far in the Ram, has a quality feel to it.
More to come as it just arrived yesterday.
My brain still doesn't process the fact that a pickup truck and a Corvette can cost the same money. How is real-world gas mileage?
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:My brain still doesn't process the fact that a pickup truck and a Corvette can cost the same money. How is real-world gas mileage?
Good question about fuel mileage, and too early to say. I have only put a few miles on it.
How much does the new Uconnect make you want to claw your eyes out?
I cringe that most new trucks cost more than my house. Where people come up with this kind of money I'll never understand, but clearly they do.....
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:I cringe that most new trucks cost more than my house. Where people come up with this kind of money I'll never understand, but clearly they do.....
Thats an unfair comparison given that its half way through 2023 and a house that's less than $80k and liveable is nearly impossible in the USA. Where I am homes are easily 10x the cost of this truck and thats a cookie cutter suburb home with 15 feet between the next home. Some condos are even in the $800k range.
RacetruckRon said:How much does the new Uconnect make you want to claw your eyes out?
Uggh, uconnect.
I have the predecessor - a 2018 Laramie. Great truck, tows well, quiet, comfy, and does around 23 mpg on the highway unladen, and around 15mpg with my C5 and Trailex on the back.
No issues connecting to Uconnect this evening.
So what's fuel mileage look like? Or do I not even want to know?
2017 Laramie crew dually here. They are really nice trucks...
It's a very comfortable place to spend time on the road. Yes, it's big. But it will tow anything and get you there relaxed.
Mileage isn't as good as some of the new light trucks, but I was surprised to see this deadheading home after dropping a 12000lb trailer/load across the state other day... not bad for running 70+ in a 9000lb truck.
And I've never had any complaints about the Uconnect? The factory Nav on the other hand is terrible.
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:I cringe that most new trucks cost more than my house. Where people come up with this kind of money I'll never understand, but clearly they do.....
This old codger at my church told me that when he asked what I paid for a brand new 1994 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4X4. ($19,500 OTD)
Convinced I'm old... my first house was a three bedroom split level with2 car garage on a big lot... $17,000.
Of course I had just gotten a raise to $7,000 per year.
How soon before the Hurricane inline six becomes an option in the truck?
Just put some more miles on it. I like it. A lot.
On the road, it feels smaller than it is. Dare we call it nimble?
Parking isn’t so bad, but you can’t hide the length.
Very comfortable seats–both backs and bottoms.
The leather on the steering wheel has an uncanny softness to it. And the knobs–especially the all-important radio volume–click with authority. Plus they’re big and right where they should be.
Uconnect is still behaving although, oddly, the satellite radio served up some country before making the connection.
A touch of wind noise on the highway but, considering its size and shape, cannot complain. The very slight wind noise isn’t offensive but, so far, it’s my one nit to pick. The truck tracks straight and true down the interstate.
TL;DR: I could drive this thing coast to coast tomorrow.
And I need to check mpg. More to come.
But while out and about this evening, I stopped where everything seems a bit bigger. 
I liked driving my fathers '21 1500 QC Ram, and the rental I had in FL with the crew cab was nice too. I've found the crew cab trucks, especially 6 and 8 foot versions are much easier to park by backing into the space, especially when the lots are crowded or have narrow spacing between rows.
Do they still have the storage compartments under the rear seat floor? The CC 1500 classic I rented had some nice storage bin hiding under the floor mat in the back seat, but the QC trucks didn't get them
David S. Wallens said:Uconnect is still behaving although, oddly, the satellite radio served up some country before making the connection.
That was my biggest issue with the Uconnect in the 2018 Grand Cherokee my wife had. You could have your phone connected playing spotify, get out to pump gas and when you get back in it would default back to radio and potentially blow your eardrums out if you had a quiet podcast on. The 2014 GC we had before that would hold bluetooth connection as the input between key cycles but would freeze up for other tasks sometimes. Plus having to beep boop through menus to darken the mirrors while doing 80mph on the interstate is a really dumb thing you shouldn't have to do but Uconnect makes you do it.
Keeping with the Stellantis family.
I just had a Grand Wagoneer for a week as a rental in the PNW. For the price of one of those, I was not all that impressed. It just felt like a big Jeep Compass.
The massaging seats were the biggest highlight. The UConnect infotainment was slow, laggy, and having the HVAC and other controls integrated into it was a frustrating experience.
The brakes were meh for such a big car. The power delivery from the V8 was nice and smooth. The transmission was OK.
My kids didn't like the backseats and constantly felt nauseous.
Space with the 3rd row down was awesome and were able to fit a ton of our hiking gear and essentials back there. With the 3rd row up there isn't any room for more than groceries.
No Time said:
Do they still have the storage compartments under the rear seat floor? The CC 1500 classic I rented had some nice storage bin hiding under the floor mat in the back seat, but the QC trucks didn't get them
“I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in ’em.”
So both last night and then again today, the DIC has kind of rebooted while I was driving: screen went black and this appeared. iTunes music never stopped playing, though.
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