[norfla71]

I love the new engine; however, one negative (which applies to the truck itself) is the manual gear selector. Since moving the shifter to the dash, you now have to push two small buttons at the top of the R/H side of the steering wheel; the buttons blend in with multitude of buttons already there and are nearly useless. This is one example of tech not always improving on things; they should have stuck with the console shifter or, at the very least, placed proper paddle shifters back there and redesigned the audio controls as needed.

 

[tugboat]

I agee. I prefer a console shifter still

 

[norfla71]

I like the why; it frees up otherwise wasted space. However, those buttons are really dumb, not really needed unless towing heavy, which is why the HD trucks still have the shifter on the colum.

 

[Accused]

column shift for the win indeed, none of the button clutter and the console area is still free... Why these people feel the need to feck with what already works is beyond my comprehension. (all of them, not just RAM)

 

[ronsram]

Agreed, not everyone drives around pretending they are flyinf a plane. Hate the knob shifter too.

 

[norfla71]

I read a thread on another site about someone picking up a new LH diesel and driving from ID to AK pulling farm equipment. He also didn't know about the shifter at first, but stated he didn't think about it after a week or so. Personally, I like it, just the dumb button thing I can't stand. These trucks aren't going to be pulling huge loads that require manual shifting, so it's not really needed. Just one of those things we have to get used to.

One other thing he did state; if you work the truck you probably will not make up the cost relative to a Hemi. He went through (IIRC) over 8 gallons of DEF in about 3,000 miles; along with the extra cost of the engine, it will take a long time to break even.

 

[norfla71]

Drove that same truck Monday; while impressive, not sure it's worth the nearly $59k admission. To put another way, that's nearly what a 3/4 Mega LH 6.7 retails for, and about $7k more than one with a 6.4. Not sure the value is there, but, ****, was it impressive! Just because you asked; yes, the air suspensions definetly makes a difference in every aspect (Cadillac DTS ride, CTS handling). The truck has Mercedes interior luxury and finishes and Volvo seat comfort. While the diesel is, indeed, impressive, I'm reserving further judgement until more long term data comes in. What I'm most worried about is how long sysems will last; my $3,000 turbo lasted 85,000 ($1,300 and counting for the rebuild, plus a huge amount of wasted time and cash outlay for special tools needed to get it out). Also concerned about all the emissions garbage they now require; main reason the turbo failed to begin with, and I've been deleted over 40,000. If there is a lifetime-type warranty available that covers all it's a no-brainer; however, I don't want to be towing 15 years down the road and have all that crap go out, as it would probably costs multiple thousands of dollars and a lot of down-time to fix (Italian diesels are not what I would call reliable; Lombardini, anyone?) Knowing me, I'll roll the dice, anyway, and find religion again (keep praying it doesn't brake). I specify longevity because I want to get what I want and have it paid off before retirement age; after that there may be no more chances to go this big again, so it has to last.

Otherwise, with a few options deletions and color changes, that is exactly what I want. And, oh, the smell of that leather!!!

As for the stupid shift buttons, didn't give them a first look this time and actually forgot about them most of the test.

 

[L.O.A.]

@norfla71 what other trucks have you driven in the past?

 

[norfla71]

OWNED: 94 Dakota LBRC work truck, 92 Isuzu work truck (no air or power steering), 97 S10 x-cab, 94 C1500 xcab, 04.5 2500 Laramie 5.9, 00 F250 Lariat 7.3. Counting cars, also, I've owned nearly 30 vehicles since high school (24 years now).

DRIVEN: you name it. Over the last 20 years I have driven every new model for that year, with every cab, bed and driveline you can imagine. Loved the older Chevys, hated the 100th AE Harley 150 back in 03 (seats sucked), several Dodges (starting with a new 93 250 12v 5 speed; absolute tank, and a lot of 2nd gen trucks when they first hit the street in 94) and, currently, each of the current crop of 1500-5500 offerings from all brands (in order from least favorite to most favorite: Titan, Tundra, F-anything, GM twins, Mega 2500 and 1500 Longhorn Hemi, 1500 Longhorn 3.0). All in I'd say I've driven close to 500 new vehicles over the past 20 years (about 20% trucks, 15% eurotrash 20% rice and the rest domestic).

 

[norfla71]

Update: took a Blue Streak 2 tone Laramie home for the night. 4x2 short box crew with most of the options. Some observations: love the ride, handling and NVH control; very smooth and quiet, even with the windows down. Fuel mileage is phenomenal, even for most cars I've driven, never mind this is a heavy brick. Seats are so-so, and I will be looking at a Longhorn when I make my decision. AV system is better than most luxury cars I've driven; more intuitive/easier to use. Sound quality could be better, though; way too much bass that I can't seem to adjust out. After driving and experiencing the tap shift buttons they're not so bad, just need to get used to them. Initially, I also wanted the standard bed, until I realized the short bed barely fits into the garage.


Overall, I'm impressed, and I just drove a new GM 6.2, Denali HD and 2500 Mega Longhorn. While the Mega is my dream rig, I can't see spending the extra $20k for the same leather. One thing I'm concerned with is the lack of fuel capacity and how I'm going to fit a tank in that short bed. Once purchased, I'm going to attempt a vent mod for the tank to see if I can get more capacity without having to spend a chunk of change.