2024 Ram 1500 Limited

Market share in the full-size pickup truck segment has always been a three-way battle between the Big Three American carmakers, especially in the Middle East where the Japanese brands chose to sit it out. The Ram 1500 received a major redesign back in 2019 after a decade, and continues to be available in only one crew-cab body style. But 2024 marks the final year that it will be offered with a traditional V8, so we figured we’ll give it a spin before they all switch to a range of 6-cylinder motors for 2025.

Amazingly, the previous-gen Ram 1500 continues to be on sale in many markets globally, in various body styles. But the newer 1500 is now only available in Limited and Rebel crew-cab trims for its final year with the V8.

The top-dog Limited features a chrome-heavy exterior look, and also comes with 22-inch wheels, air suspension and electric-folding side-steps. In contrast, the lower-spec Rebel gets a black plastic-cladded look with 18-inch wheels, slightly lifted ride height and fixed side steps.

Inside our 1500 Limited test vehicle, the abundantly-spacious cabin features stitched-leatherette on the dash, doors and sides of the centre-console as well as a huge 12-inch touchscreen. The screen is fairly responsive, and there are still physical buttons for the main a/c controls along the sides. The Rebel gets a smaller 8.4-inch touchscreen.

The overall ambience is premium, even if hard plastic panels exist in below-the-belt areas. And space is a non-concern. Like all its crew-cab rivals, the Ram 1500 has limo-like rear legroom and immense headroom, aside from acres of elbow room.

Aside from the wonderfully-configurable centre-console storage and two glove-boxes, there are also underfloor and underseat storage compartments in the rear-seat area. The useful lockable RamBox feature in the bed is carried over from the previous model and remains a unique option not offered by any other truck brand. The bed itself has LED lights and the tailgate is damped so it doesn’t slam open.

The Limited comes with a 19-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo, wireless charging pad, panoramic sunroof, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, heads-up display, adaptive cruise control, 360-degree cameras with parking sensors and a full set of airbags as well as active safety nannies.

Powered by the long-running 5.7-litre “Hemi” V8 making 395 hp at 5600 rpm with 556 Nm of torque at 3950 rpm, the big engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic that’s controlled via a knob on the dash and gear-limiter buttons on the steering wheel.

The Ram is adequately powerful for daily driving, with linear and predictable power delivery, but it never feels particularly quick. We timed the 0-100 kph run at 8.1 seconds during our Dubai summer afternoon test.

The V8 has cylinder-deactivation tech, but fuel economy still hovers around 17 litres/100 km (5.9 km/litre).

Underneath, the Ram’s ladder frame is held up by coil-spring rear suspension in contrast to rivals’ rear leaf springs. Height-adjustable air suspension is standard on the Limited.

The Ram 1500 Limited is softly sprung and reasonably smooth on the highway, and fairly quiet as well. Some harshness can occasionally be felt on rougher roads. The 1500 Rebel we drove previously suffered from road noise due to its aggressive tyres.

We drove the Limited on rocks and gravel, where it went over minor obstacles without issues, although the ride is harsh with the 22-inch rims on pointy-stoned surfaces. On the dunes, you have to watch out for the long front and rear overhangs, but other than that, it can manage soft sand pretty decently if you stay on the throttle. Otherwise, if you plan to offroad your truck regularly, the Rebel with fatter-profile tyres is a better option.

Handling is respectable, and it can take long corners at good speeds with minimal body roll, but the steering is rubbery and lacks feedback, so it’s not very confidence-inspiring when hustling it. The brakes are pretty decent.

The Ram 1500 remains a strong contender in the closely-fought lifestyle pickup segment, but the Limited trim is very expensive nowadays, even with the outgoing model that sports the about-to-be-replaced V8. For the money, you do get a premium truck that isn’t lacking in features, and looks the part as well.

Photos by Marouf Hussain Chowdhury.