Figured id give another review now winter seems to be over! just a touch over 12,000km on the truck now. All in all, i am still incredibly happy with the rig so far it serves as a great welding platform for me, nice to get into a truck with heated seats when working in -35 temps... first world problems i know. So i know i mentioned it before but i can say enough about the "offroad tire" option. They are the michelin xds2 and they performed VERY VERY well this winter. Ive been pushing snow with the bumper and they still grip and go, as well as there ice performance is top notch. Last week at a customers mine spring thaw allowed for some mud exposure as well, and they performed well..... definatly needed 4x4 though. I would dare say they may be better than my duratracs. They also track extremely well. I highly recommend this option if your ordering a 45/5500 and encounter any adverse weather conditions!
Def.... well i wont get into my def issues i suppose its a moot point as i am sure all 3 brands encounter the same issues. But the most brief description i can give, is this truck was collectively down for a month this winter with intermittent def issues/not being able to get into the dealer right away due to back log. Frankly cost me alot of money in down time. Ram Care is nothing short of the worlds biggest joke, and will do anything they can to NOT help you. The dealer however was excellent getting me in as soon as they can. But if your looking for support from Ram, good luck.
Fuel consumption.... again a moot point on a truck this size but thought id share. So fully outfitted with my welding deck and equipment im just a touch over 13,000lbs This winter i saw an average of about 11.8 mpg, so that would be my 50km round trip daily commute to the shop, idling, and our small city driving. I found this to be reasonable. Now that the temperatures have increased, and winter diesel has been replaced it seems i have jumped up to about 13.4 mpg with the same style of driving... minus idling. Again quite reasonable. Even with my previous 19 denali 3500 drw the best i saw with it empty was 15 mpg with the same driving. Now best case scenerio highway driving, i can squeeze 16.5 mpg which i think is also acceptable, the denali was about 18mpg. SO fuel mileage is of course a touch worse with this 5500, but i think would only be comparable if you put on alot of miles. For me i run about 20,000 KM a year so while sure i am losing SOME money, i would say the difference of 3-4 MPG difference between a typical 3500 drw is negligible for my situation i feel. If i was a hot shotter i think my tone would change! Now id be curious to see what a set of 4:10s would do on a 5500 for mpg increase "empty" would you gain back that 3mpg? id bet if you gained anything it may be 1-2 max. I am actually not even sure if 4:10s can be ordered on a 5500. For me i just dont understand the bogus ratings on these 45/5500s. The trucks are identical except for gearing and extra leaves.
Family vehicle, so this is my daily driver/work truck/family vehicle. I have two young boys 5 and 3, and so far i have no complaints from them riding in the back, but i suppose its too soon to know. My wife quite likes the truck, shes always been partial to our Rams vs Gm's. Sorry to the GM guys.... but the interiors are just so night and day..... comparing 22 gm to 22 ram. My father inlaws at4 is a nice truck but the interior is awful, seats feel like plywood benches. Anyway wife says she does notice a touch rougher ride, but says she has to look for it. But on a flat highway, it rides just like a half ton. One thing to also note for those with kids etc is height! this 5500 was easily 6" taller than my 19 denali drw, this thing is tall ! which i love for job sites. But keep in mind throwing kids into car seats in the back is a reach, but certainly not a game changer.
I love this truck and its technology, and was an excellent purchase i feel. Although i am a jack fish and like shiney things, when we were buying my wifes 23 grand cherokee L the salesmen questioned me about my 5500 as they just dont really exist around here, they said mind if we appraise it? and i said go ahead everything's for sale for the right price. Anyway, they came back with almost 6000$ more than i paid brand new for it. So while its not 100%, there currently building me an identical truck in a 23, except in the black cyrstal pearl..... except loaded up with everything this time, 12" screen, heated rear seats, blah blah. Gotta say i really liked the digital guage cluster in my wifes grand cherokee. Well see what they come back with number wise but said if they could match or be a bit lower monthly payment wise id consider ordering the 23.
Id be curious to know when rams refresh is coming out, ive heard 2025.