GM's upscale twin to the Silverado wins on looks, even Ford loyalists admit it's the best-looking truck you can buy, but the engine choice matters more than the badge. The 5.3L V8 is the workhorse: proven across 200k-mile police fleets, boring in the best way. The 3.0L diesel hits 28 mpg when it works, but some batches grenaded early, and the 6.2L left 2020-2022 owners stranded with catastrophic failures. The infotainment skips and mutes itself on 2022+ trucks, a known bug GM has ignored for years. Pricing has crept into luxury territory, lawyers and soccer moms, not the working crowd. Buy a pre-2020 model for proven reliability, or spec a new one with the 5.3L and a strong warranty. Skip the 6.2L on anything 2020-2022, and roll the dice on the diesel only if fuel economy justifies the risk. It'll tow your world and turn heads, as long as you pick the right engine and forgive the screen's morning mood.
If you're shopping used Rams from 2019-2024, listen for the Hemi tick, that cold-start ticking noise signals lifter failure brewing, a repair that costs thousands and craters resale the moment it starts. Owners report oil pans corroding through at 55k miles, transmissions shuddering, and catastrophic engine failures on brand-new 2024s that didn't survive to their first oil change. One buyer found the parking brake held together with Vise-Grips. The 2025 redesign ditches the Hemi entirely for a Hurricane inline-six, and early expert reviews praise the smooth ride, strong power, and luxury-grade cabin in top trims. But it's too new to prove Stellantis fixed the underlying quality control issues or just swapped problems. Used Hemi-era trucks are a gamble unless you verify low idle hours and no tick. New buyers are beta-testing a clean-sheet powertrain from a company whose recent track record offers little reassurance. If you need a full-size truck now, the F-150 and Silverado have more predictable long-term costs.