Big Horn 4x4 1500 vs 2500 in the comfort category?

[JimKIII]

(I posted this in the RAM 5th-gen forum also)

I'm debating whether to order a 1500 or 2500 (either one with the front bench seat, not buckets), and at this point it all comes down to ride-ability and comfort. I'm leaning toward the 2500 for it's better towing and hauling specs. But, I'm almost 70yrs young and comfort is definitely a factor too.

For those who have owned both both trucks, is the 2500 light years behind the 1500 when it comes to road vibration, noise, and just plain old comfort? Or is the difference between the two negligible?

If the 1500 is so much more comfortable, it will handle my towing needs just fine. However, with the 2500 I'd never have to worry about mountains and other factors when towing.

 

[suber81083]

The 2500 will just be stiffer suspension and ride a little rougher. What are you towing? The 2500 can be very nice just depends on how much you wanna spend


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[bamorris2]

Not an exact answer to your question, but I went from a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 to a 2021 RAM 2500. To my surprise, the RAM rides better/smoother and more comfortable than the half ton GMC. The only exception is on extremely rough roads, in which case the heavier duty suspension gets a bit more bumpy. But in my normal every day (unloaded) driving, the 2500 is an improvement.

 

[JimKIII]

The 2500 will just be stiffer suspension and ride a little rougher. What are you towing? The 2500 can be very nice just depends on how much you wanna spend


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I haven't decided yet. But in the camper area I'm looking at something like the Arctic Fox 811 (2,800 dry weight). In the TT realm I've been considering the Outdoor RV Backcountry 21RWS (6,745 dry weight).

 

[lgarrison34]

I have a 2021 2500 Ram as my personal vehicle and a 2021 1500 from my employer. Being that the 2500 is still on rear coils and shocks the trucks are similar in ride quality. The 2500 is only a little more stiff. If you go with the 21RWS you will want the 2500. A well optioned 1500 is going to put you in the price range of a 2500 6.4L Bighorn anyhow.

 

[NC Rebel]

I went from a 2020 Ram 1500 to a 2500 . The 1500 wasn't adequate for towing my TT but it definitely had a better smoother ride. That's the nature of the beast though.

 

[snayte]

I came from a 17 1500 Longhorn to a 22 2500 Longhorn. The 2500 is much stiffer, the only thing that bothers me is that some of the concrete interstates here in WI have expansion joints spaced in such a way that you feel like you are riding a horse with the 2500. I find it as annoying as heck. I have not gone over these roads with a load yet but I am assuming that will reduce the bouncing a lot. I needed the additional payload for towing so I am not surprised it is a little bouncy when empty.

Overall though I am fine with the ride other than these few stretches of highway. I do like the handling of the stiffer suspension.

 

[suber81083]

I haven't decided yet. But in the camper area I'm looking at something like the Arctic Fox 811 (2,800 dry weight). In the TT realm I've been considering the Outdoor RV Backcountry 21RWS (6,745 dry weight).

Yeah I would definitely go with the 2500 if you get the TT. I got the level 2 bighorn 2019 2500 and it is very comfortable when towing compared to the 09 1500 I had


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[gimmie11s]

The 2500 will be a COMPLETELY different experience (worse) than the 5th gen 1500. The 1500 is an AMAZING riding and driving truck. I would daily drive one in a heartbeat--and did for work for almost 2 years. At the same time, i owned a 2016 Ram 2500 (4th gen) which was AWFUL to daily drive in SoCal traffic. Ride was worse, the truck felt 3x as heavy as the 1500, the brakes were soft, the steering was terrible compared to the 1500, the interior rattled, and the tech was not on par with the 5th gen.

 

[Thedaran]

I haven't decided yet. But in the camper area I'm looking at something like the Arctic Fox 811 (2,800 dry weight). In the TT realm I've been considering the Outdoor RV Backcountry 21RWS (6,745 dry weight).

Keep in mind when considering what truck to purchase when pulling a TT, payload weight is often exceeded before you get even close to how much you can actually pull. Much better to consider the tongue weight of a TT than the dry weight. And nothing you do realistically increases your payload limit. Air bags can improve squat, but do not increase the actual payload. A concept that is often misunderstood.

 

[LateToTheParty]

Since a front bench seat was mentioned, I assume that means we're talking Crew Cabs across the board. If so, in my opinion the 5th gen 1500 is far more comfortable than the 2500. The classic 1500 is slightly more comfortable than the 2500.

If we're throwing regular cab or mega cab into the comparison, that adds a new dimension.

But as already well covered above, the capability of the 2500 will far outweigh the 1500.

 

[Bearman95]

I went from a 2020 1500 Laramie 4 x 4 crew cab sport Hemi to a 2021 Limited Longhorn 2500 4 x 4 off-road Crew cab with a Cummins. The Laramie has the Longhorn beat in every category except for towing. The Laramie was much more comfortable and roomy and also got better fuel mileage on the highway. The Laramie had a 392 rear end and the Longhorn has a 373. I changed out tires on both vehicles, I have a problem with the long horn alignment, too much toe which is wearing the outside tread of my tires, Only 1100 miles on my new tires. Have to worry about The longhorn catching on fire until the parts come in. All in all I wish I had my Laramie back. I will add that I’ve had no problems mechanically out of either vehicle.

 

[farmallboy]

The tow capabilities is insane with such a stout truck. I have towed more over the years jumping truck to truck and the 6.4 8sp is a great combo. Super strong and planted.

However driving my backroads I live around, it’s grandpa driving for me. Cause it will toss you around like nothing else. City driving is a trade off on dealing with small spaces but quality roads make it a comfortable ride.
It’s going to be situational. How much unloaded will you drive and what’s your territory like. I also feel like my 2003 Silverado 2500 would turn shorter. I have no experience with newer ram 1500 but they are liable to have better turn radius and ease.

 

[aaronedmonton]

The 2500 is definitely stiff. I sold my 2018 Nissan Titan for my new 2021 2500 truck and the Titan felt like driving on a cloud. I am used to the stiff ride though since I drove my dads 2015 Ram 2500 quite a bit and loved it.

Now if you really want to feel bone breaking stiffness, go ride in a F250

 

[MtnRider]

1500's ride like a car to me, 2500/3500 ride like trucks. I know that is not very descriptive but that's about as easy as I can explain it. If you need the towing capability go with the 2500+ and realize you are going to sacrifice a little ride quality, if not stick with the 1500 and enjoy the smoother ride.


.

 

[Riddick]

You really need to go and drive each and form your own opinion. To me there is a drastic ride difference between a 1500 and 2500, with the 1500 being significantly smoother. If I were in your shoes I would only consider a 2500 if the 1500 could not haul your camper. From the two examples you listed I do not think a 1500 will have any issues pulling. You mentioned you are in your 70s so I am also assuming it will be you and your wife at most and no kiddos tagging along. Someone mentioned payload earlier and that is something to consider but if you trailer weight is in 6k-7k range a 1500 will handle it with no issues.

However, in my opinion if you go over 7500 lbs towing I would strongly consider the 2500. Sure the 1500 is rated to tow more than that but it will not be a comfortable ride. I currently have a 17 F-150 and moved across country back in May. I had the bed loaded with random crap and I was towing my car behind it. I think total I had roughly 6500 pounds. The truck pulled it just fine from a power stand point but I could definitely feel the load behind me even with trailer brakes, also over bumpy roads the truck moved around quite a bit. This is where a 2500 will shine, it will stop with no issued and will take the rough roads with ease.

 

[Papa_smurf]

You really need to go and drive each and form your own opinion. To me there is a drastic ride difference between a 1500 and 2500, with the 1500 being significantly smoother. If I were in your shoes I would only consider a 2500 if the 1500 could not haul your camper. From the two examples you listed I do not think a 1500 will have any issues pulling. You mentioned you are in your 70s so I am also assuming it will be you and your wife at most and no kiddos tagging along. Someone mentioned payload earlier and that is something to consider but if you trailer weight is in 6k-7k range a 1500 will handle it with no issues.

However, in my opinion if you go over 7500 lbs towing I would strongly consider the 2500. Sure the 1500 is rated to tow more than that but it will not be a comfortable ride. I currently have a 17 F-150 and moved across country back in May. I had the bed loaded with random crap and I was towing my car behind it. I think total I had roughly 6500 pounds. The truck pulled it just fine from a power stand point but I could definitely feel the load behind me even with trailer brakes, also over bumpy roads the truck moved around quite a bit. This is where a 2500 will shine, it will stop with no issued and will take the rough roads with ease.

I'll echo this. A 1500 series truck is typically rated to tow over 10,000# these days, but it's not enjoyable. Just because it can doesn't mean I want to do it all the time. Short and infrequent trips sure, but pulling that much of your rated capacity all the time will have you wanting more truck. This is where the 2500 will shine.

 

[g00fy]

I haven't decided yet. But in the camper area I'm looking at something like the Arctic Fox 811 (2,800 dry weight). In the TT realm I've been considering the Outdoor RV Backcountry 21RWS (6,745 dry weight).

I'm pretty confident with either of those TT's you'd be alright with a 1500. I can't really comment on comfort of a 5th Gen 1500 vs our 4.5 gen HD's. My last truck was a 4th Gen 1500 Bighorn ecodiesel, and I'd say my 2500 tradesman Diesel is right on par with that in terms of comfort especially after i put some big soft 35" tires on it (the stock Trashforce at factory filled 75-80 PSI ride like pogo sticks).

Something else to take into a account, the 2500 is gonna be considerably higher than a 1500, making it noticeably more challenging to get into, even with side steps. It may not be an issue for you or your spouse now, and I don't know how long you plan on keeping the truck, but that could become an issue in the future. I'm 35 and 6'4", and my 1500 was perfect for me to slide in and out of, when i got my 2500, before I put the side steps on I had to jump up into it, and even with the side steps it's still a little climb.

 

[dm6]

I figured I will chime in since the forums steered me towards a 2500. With that trailer he mentioned, I don't know what the loaded weight is but say you add another 1,000 pounds so it's in the 7,500-8,000 range. Isn't the tongue weight going to be pushing 1,000 pounds? Leaving only 700 pounds or so of payload remaining on a 1500. With that advice, I just went looking at 2500s because I got one for not much more than a 1500 and since I didn't really test drive any 1500s, I don't know how much smoother they ride . That said, if I knew there was no chance I would ever tow, I'd probably want a 1500 for better mileage and for it not being so high (I am pretty short so there is no way I can access anything over the sides of the bed). Actually though, the 1500s seem almost as high off the ground too so maybe it's not that big of a difference. Anyways, back to the point which someone else mentioned, pay attention to the payload.

 

[SL1]

I had a 2020 bighorn 1500 4x4 and it rode like a Cadillac compared to my 2021 lonestar 4x4. That said I have the same travel trailer I started with that is around 6500 pounds loaded and the 1500 towed it but it was never a fun pull. That trailer would jerk the 1500 around and was always getting tossed around(yes I had a WDH). I bought the 2500 and set the hitch up and it is a night and day difference in pulling and controlling the load. For me, I would never go back to a 1500.