Review QuickTakes:
A full-size, light-duty pickup truck, the 2022 Ram 1500 comes in standard and Classic format. The Ram 1500 Classic is the previous-generation Ram truck, kept in production to give customers a budget-friendly, low-tech alternative to the most recently redesigned Ram 1500. Therefore, we have not included the Classic in this 2022 Ram 1500 review.
What’s New for the 2022 Ram 1500?
Every 2022 Ram 1500 adds a Clean Air System to filter 95 percent of the truck’s interior air particulates. In addition, all versions of the Ram 1500 (except for the Tradesman) are available with a new Uconnect 5 infotainment system with improved response speed, more memory, and a broader array of features.
Ram also adds several new special-edition versions of the 1500 model. They include the following:
- Big Horn BackCountry Edition
- Lone Star BackCountry Edition
- Laramie G/T
- Rebel G/T
- Longhorn Southfork
- Limited 10th Anniversary Edition
- Limited Ram Red Edition
- TRX Ignition Edition
2022 Ram 1500 Price and Configurations
Ram offers the 1500 in Quad Cab (extended cab) and Crew Cab styles, with your choice between a gasoline 3.6L V6 with standard eTorque mild-hybrid system, a gasoline 5.7L V8 (without or without eTorque), and a turbocharged 3.0L diesel V6. In addition, a four-wheel-drive (4WD) system is an option on all Ram 1500 models except for the TRX, which is an off-road performance variant and includes it as standard equipment, along with an exclusive supercharged 6.2L V8 engine.
Prices range from $36,995 to $77,475, including the $1,795 destination charge. In total, eight trim levels are available:
Ram 1500 Tradesman — Though the Tradesman is a workhorse made for commercial buyers, it includes air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, power heated side mirrors, cruise control, and Bluetooth connectivity. Vinyl covers the floor and seats, and the Tradesman has a Clean Air interior filtration system
Ram 1500 Big Horn — One step up from the base trim, the Big Horn features carpeting, cloth seats, aluminum wheels, and chrome bumpers. It also provides more options, making this trim a good foundation for personal-use buyers on a budget
Ram 1500 Lone Star — The Lone Star is the same truck as the Big Horn but made for Texans
Ram 1500 Laramie — Laramie trim adds numerous little luxuries to the Ram 1500, including leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and remote engine starting. In addition, Uconnect 5 is standard (optional on Big Horn and Lone Star versions) along with better stereo speakers and Ram Connect services, including a Wi-Fi hotspot
Ram 1500 Rebel — The Ram Rebel is based on the Big Horn but adds numerous off-roading features, including a reworked suspension, all-terrain tires, skid plates, tow hooks, and more. Rubber floor mats protect the carpeting, and the Rebel has unique design details to set it apart from other models
Ram 1500 Longhorn — This Western-themed trim adds exclusive exterior detailing, 20-inch wheels, side steps, a spray-in bedliner, and a locking tailgate. Premium leather lines the interior, and the Longhorn also comes with standard navigation, heated rear seats, and parking sensors
Ram 1500 Limited — The Limited is the luxury version of the Ram 1500, equipped with upscale exterior and interior detailing, an air suspension, a larger infotainment system display screen, and more safety technology
Ram 1500 TRX — Equipped with a 702-hp, supercharged V8 engine, and completely reworked mechanicals to support high-speed off-road driving, the Ram TRX is ready to run the length of Baja California without putting a single one of its 35-inch all-terrain tires on pavement. But given its 12-mpg fuel economy rating, you should bring extra gas
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2022 Ram 1500 Review and Test Drive
Ram last redesigned its full-size pickup truck for the 2019 model year. At the time, the new Ram 1500 earned critical acclaim for its appealing design, quality interior, technologically advanced infotainment system, and its overall towing and hauling capabilities. The Ram’s unique rear suspension configuration and available air suspension also garnered praise for giving the truck an uncommonly smooth ride and capable handling.
On the strength of the latest Ram 1500, the truckmaker is chipping away at the sales success of its primary rivals: the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the Ford F-150. In 2021, Ram successfully grabbed the number-two slot on the sales charts, dethroning the Chevy. Ram has also put the popular 1500 pickup on a continuous improvement program, adding powertrains, new features, next-generation technologies, and special-edition models since the 2019 redesign.
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The most significant update for the 2022 model year is a switch to a new Uconnect 5 infotainment platform. Ram’s parent company, Stellantis, claims that Uconnect 5 is five times more powerful than the technology it replaces. That means it offers a faster response to inputs, the ability to customize the user experience to personal preferences, sharper graphics, and much more. Additionally, all 2022 Ram 1500 models add a new air filtration system that can remove a claimed 95% of all particulates from the truck’s interior air.
For this 2022 Ram 1500 review, I test-drove the Limited trim level in Southern California. It came with a long list of options and a price of $77,260, including the $1,795 destination charge. Highlights from its optional equipment list included a turbocharged EcoDiesel engine, 4WD, the Limited Level 1 Group, the Limited 10th Anniversary Package, the Technology Group, trailer-towing equipment, a tonneau cover, and more. Ram provided the vehicle for this Ram 1500 Crew Cab review.
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2022 Ram 1500 Review: The Design
The Ram 1500’s clean, balanced styling isn’t trying too hard, unlike that of some full-size light-duty pickup trucks. As a result, it has classic good looks and proper proportions. Since the Limited trim level is luxurious, the test model’s added chrome trim and polished aluminum wheels were appropriate and added some extra class without going overboard.
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Inside, by layering on the luxury, the Ram 1500 Limited’s cabin looks busier to the eye. The numerous patterns and textures can sharply contrast with one another, and the test truck’s two-tone interior treatment amplifies the discordance to some degree. However, the materials are high in quality, and I particularly liked the fabric trim on the seats and door panels. In terms of interior materials, there isn’t much physical evidence connecting the Ram 1500 Limited to the base Tradesman model.
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Comfort is king in the Ram 1500 Limited crew cab. The test truck’s heated and ventilated front and rear seats provide exceptional support, and there is plenty of room for five people to stretch out and enjoy the ride. Power deploying running boards make getting into and out of the truck easier, and the interior is hushed on the highway. All the truck is missing is a set of massaging front seats.
Ram logically arranges the dashboard controls in a symmetrical layout, except for the transmission knob and 4WD system buttons. Primary controls for the stereo and climate systems, and those for the available trailer-towing technology, are large enough to use when you’re wearing gloves. Storage is generous, too, with dual glove compartments, a large configurable center console, a tray under the rear seat cushion, and Ram Bins beneath the rear cab floor.
RamBox offers similar hidden storage in the form of locking storage bins built into the sides of the cargo bed, but the test truck did not have this option. However, it did come with the multi-function rear tailgate design, which lowers in the traditional way but also features a 60/40-split design with each portion swinging to the sides to allow you to stand closer to the cargo bed when loading and unloading the truck. In addition, an available assist step deploys from under the bumper to help make it easier to get into the bed when necessary.
With good looks, a high-quality cabin, hidden storage, plenty of secure in-cab cargo space, and a trick tailgate, the Ram 1500’s design is appealing. It might lack some of the flashier features found on some competitors, but the details here are undeniably useful.
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2022 Ram 1500 Review: The Technology
Ram’s new Uconnect 5 infotainment system is standard in all 1500 light-duty trucks except for the Tradesman. In most instances, it includes an 8.4-inch touchscreen display. However, the Ram 1500 Limited test truck had a larger 12-inch touchscreen display mounted portrait-style in the center of the dashboard. Buttons for the dual-zone automatic climate control system and traditional knobs for power/volume and radio tuning flanked the screen, while a strip of virtual menu tiles lived at the bottom of the display.
Uconnect 5 is a complex piece of technology that offers myriad settings for various vehicle features and functions. You can pair two devices to the Bluetooth connection simultaneously, and Uconnect 5 features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An Alexa-based virtual assistant is also aboard, along with a premium version of satellite radio and connected services, including a Wi-Fi hotspot. Keep in mind that you’ll need a paid subscription to use the connected services after a short complimentary trial period. Naturally, you can also get navigation with Uconnect 5.
If you buy a Ram 1500 with this 12-inch infotainment system, it is worth your time to go through everything and set the truck up to your personal preferences sooner than later. Also, be sure to check every menu and sub-menu to see what’s available. You might be surprised to discover some features and settings in locations you wouldn’t expect.
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I enjoyed a mostly trouble-free experience using Uconnect 5. The voice recognition system isn’t entirely natural but improves the previous Uconnect technology Ram used in the 1500. Also, in response to one of my standard test prompts, it was clear the navigation data set could use some extra parsing. For example, asking for directions to the nearest hospital produced irrelevant results that had nothing to do with finding a way to help, and fast.
The test vehicle also came with an outstanding 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system that puts to shame what most other truckmakers offer in their models. Additional tech included a sizable head-up display, a digital rearview camera mirror, and a semi-autonomous parking assist system that steers the Ram into parallel and perpendicular spaces while the driver operates the transmission, brake, and accelerator.
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Ram’s Trailer Reverse Steering Control is another helpful technology. Drivers use a knob on the dashboard to aim a trailer in the desired direction, and the truck autonomously steers to execute those instructions. In combination with the Ram’s numerous surround- and trailer-view cameras, this helps to make towing easier.
Ram offers numerous driving assistance and collision avoidance systems for the 1500 pickup, but they’re optional instead of standard equipment. The truckmaker also restricts many of them to higher trim levels. This practice is not uncommon in pickup trucks, but considering how effective (if irritating) these technologies are at preventing or lessening the impact of accidents, making them more broadly available would be nice.
Aside from the occasional irritation the overeager lane-keeping assist system aroused, the only problem I had with the Ram’s safety features was related to the rear automatic braking system. Despite the truck’s towering height, this feature did not play nice with my angled driveway and crowned suburban street, slamming the Ram to a halt the first few times I reversed out of my driveway. Turning this feature off resolved the problem. But, of course, doing that could’ve also caused a new one.
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2022 Ram 1500 Review: The Drive
Truck buyers love the rumble of a good, old-fashioned "Hemi" V8 engine. But they don’t like the fuel economy those engines return. At Ram, the answer to the efficiency issue is the optional turbocharged 3.0L diesel V6, also known as the EcoDiesel.
As far as fuel economy is concerned, and depending on which version of the Ram 1500 it’s bolted into, this turbodiesel V6 is estimated to return 24 to 26 mpg in combined driving. I averaged 24.8 mpg on my evaluation route, running the truck in automatic 4WD with the air suspension in its middle position. Remember, though, that the test vehicle’s hard tonneau cover likely helped to reduce aerodynamic drag on the highway.
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While this real-world result is undeniably appealing, the engine upgrade cost $3,200. In other words, it’s going to take some time before the EcoDiesel pays for itself and starts to save you money. Ultimately, though, it will. But you can achieve those gains faster with the more affordable Duramax turbodiesel engine option that Chevy and GMC offer in their trucks.
The EcoDiesel generates 260 hp at 3,600 rpm and 480 lb.-ft. of torque starting at 1,600 rpm. That torque, coupled with the engine’s faint characteristic clatter, makes the drivetrain appealing beyond its fuel economy figures. Ram says the engine can tow up to 12,560 lbs, but as installed in the Limited 4WD Crew Cab, the rating amounted to 9,600 lbs of trailer and 1,780 lbs of payload.
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There is enough grunt here to make the Ram EcoDiesel satisfying to drive. Punch it at highway speeds, such as when passing slower vehicles, and the engine can seem a little gutless. Otherwise, you can easily ride the engine’s substantial swell of torque like a surfer at Waimea Bay.
Ram’s five-link, solid-axle rear suspension design uses progressive rate coil springs instead of traditional leaf springs, contributing to the 1500’s laudable ride and handling qualities. The optional four-corner air suspension replaces the coil springs and offers five height settings. It gives the Ram 1500 an even smoother ride and planted handling unlike most pickup trucks we’ve ever driven.
When you combine the EcoDiesel’s torque, the optional air suspension, and the Limited trim’s upscale and quiet cabin, you get a full-size truck that drives like a luxury sedan and returns better fuel economy than a typical three-row crossover SUV. If you’ve never experienced it before, it’s downright miraculous.
Is the 2022 Ram 1500 a Good Truck?
The Ram 1500 is deserving of its second-place sales finish behind the Ford F-150 in 2021. However, the competition isn’t sitting still, so the Ram is under constant threat.
Ford, for example, just introduced a redesigned F-150 Raptor and is coming for the Ram TRX with a V8-powered Raptor R. Chevrolet and GMC are giving their full-size light-duty models a thorough refresh at the halfway point of the 2022 model year, along with more capable off-road versions of each. Plus, diesel power is more affordable in the Chevy and GMC. Toyota is out with a new 2022 Tundra, too, complete with an available high-powered and high-efficiency hybrid powertrain.
And then there is the coming wave of electric trucks to consider. Ford is about to roll out its first electric F-150, the Lightning. Chevrolet has revealed its own electric pickup, the unimaginatively named Silverado EV, which goes on sale in 2023. Finally, startup Rivian is slowly beginning to deliver examples of its R1T.
Where’s Ram in all of this? It has an electric truck coming, but no details are available just yet. If you ask me, it should be called the Ramcharger.
Ram 1500 Competitors for 2022
The Ram 1500 butts heads with the expected rivals in the large light-duty pickup truck segment. They include the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the Ford F-150, the GMC Sierra 1500, the Nissan Titan, and the Toyota Tundra. However, only the Titan’s design and engineering pre-dates that of the Ram 1500.
Ram 1500 Features
Highlights
Ford and General Motors (Chevrolet and GMC combined) dominate full-size truck sales. Still, the 2022 Ram 1500 holds its own with up to 2,300 lbs of maximum payload capacity and 12,750 lbs of maximum towing capacity, depending on the truck’s configuration and powertrain.
2022 Ram 1500 Safety Features
- Forward Collision Warning — Available feature warns the driver when a collision may occur*
- Active Braking — Available automatic emergency braking system, including for pedestrians*
- Blind Spot Monitoring — Available feature that warns the driver when other vehicles are in the Ram 1500’s blind spot. Includes trailer coverage*
- Rear Cross Path Detection — Available feature that warns the driver when other vehicles are approaching from the sides as the Ram 1500 reverses. Includes trailer coverage*
- LaneSense — Available lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assistance system*
2022 Ram 1500 Technology
- Uconnect 5 — Standard infotainment technology with an 8.4-inch or 12-inch touchscreen display
- Digital Rearview Mirror — Turn this available feature on, and the rearview mirror shows an unobstructed camera view of what’s behind the Ram 1500
- Surround-view camera — Available feature provides a 360-degree camera view around the Ram 1500. May include trailer coverage*
- Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist — Available semi-autonomous parking system helps to steer the Ram 1500 into a parking space*
- Trailer Reverse Steering Control — Available feature allows the driver to guide a trailer using a knob on the dashboard while the Ram 1500 autonomously steers to create the desired movement*
2022 Ram 1500 Specs
- 3.0L turbocharged diesel V6, 260 hp and 480 lb.-ft. of torque, EPA fuel economy rating of 24-26 mpg in combined driving*
- 3.6L gas V6 with eTorque mild-hybrid electrification, 305 hp and 269 lb.-ft., 21-22 mpg combined
- 5.7L gas V8 with or without eTorque, 395 hp and 410 lb.-ft., 17-20 mpg combined*
- 6.2L supercharged gas V8, 702 hp and 650 lb.-ft., 12 mpg combined (TRX only)*
- Eight-speed automatic transmission powering the rear wheels, 4WD is optional (4WD standard in TRX)
2022 Ram 1500 Interior
- Clean Air Filtration — Standard feature filters 95 percent of air particulates from the truck’s interior
- Leather seats — Available feature*
- Heated and ventilated front seats — Available feature*
- Dual-pane Panoramic Sunroof — Available feature*
- Premium sound system — Available feature with 19 speakers*
*Availability is subject to specific trim level selections
