Since its launch, we have received a ton of e-mail regarding Ram Trucks’ new multifunction tailgate. While some of our sister sites, 5thGenRams.com forum members already have the new tailgate offering, we wanted to compare it to the regular tailgate design. We did get to spend some time with the new tailgate design at its introduction at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year and again at the EcoDiesel media launch, but the MoparInsiders staff really haven’t gotten more than a few hours with it. So we asked Ram Trucks if they could send us one of their press vehicles over to evaluate it, and they did.
Now, we had also asked for a Ram 1500 similar to our long-term 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Sport Crew Cab 4×4 with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8, however, we requested a HEMI eTorque variant to compare on average fuel economy, everyday usage, or for some overall comparisons of the two HEMIs offerings. So much to our surprise, they sent us a very very late production 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Black Crew Cab 4×4 with the HEMI eTorque system and multifunction tailgate.
So what separates our long-term truck to the truck that Ram Trucks sent us for the week?
Laramie Sport VS Laramie Black:
- 5.7-liter HEMI V8 / 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with eTorque
- 3.21 axle ratio / 3.92 axle ratio
- Coil Springs / Four-Corner Air Suspension
- 26-Gallon Fuel Tank / 33-Gallon Fuel Tank
- Panoramic Sunroof / Not Equipped
- Not Equipped / Adaptive Cruise Control
- Not Equipped / 360-degree Surround Camera
Other than those differences, the trucks have the same features right down to the 22-inch Granite Crystal-colored aluminum wheels and Mopar power running boards. The trucks even feature identical GVWR of 7,100-lbs. so we can’t wait to see the real-world differences of the fuel economy and use of the new multifunction tailgate. So stay tuned as we plan on doing some in-depth comparisons of both trucks over the next week.
What are your predictions? What will be better on fuel economy? Which is your favorite truck out of the two? Leave your comments below.
2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Black Crew Cab 4×4 Image Gallery:
