Faults:

Haven't driven much for things to break yet. Don't plan to keep it for much longer. Plan to get rid of it ASAP

General Comments:

I own a 2012 Ram 1500 4.7L 4x4 Crew cab truck and this is my advice to whoever wants to consider one; don’t buy it. Run away. The RAM has flaws that you can’t oversee when shopping for a truck.

First, the 4.7L engine is weak, WEAK. When driving it, I feel like I am in a four cylinder engine car. There is no comparison to the Hemi engine or the 5.0L engine from the Ford F150. Not only that, but the 4.7L is a HUGE gas guzzler. I rented Hemi RAMs and Ford F150 trucks of the same year, and they were better on gas mileage, and of course a LOT more power. The Ford 5.0 was better than the Hemi in that area.

Second, do not get any truck with 3.55 gear ratio. If you have a strong engine, it will make it feel weak, and if you are unfortunate like me to have the 4.7L engine, then you are screwed. The worst combination is the 4.7L engine with the 3.55 gears. You will feel you are driving a four cylinder slow car.

Third, for some reason, Chrysler put some kind of an evil traction control on this vehicle, where you cannot fully turn it off. There is a button for traction off, but that doesn't seem to accomplish much. There is no way in hell you can squeal the tires. Absolutely zero chance of that happening on paved road, even with traction control off. Heck, even on gravel it will barely spin a tire or two. I drove a Hemi 1500, and when I turn the traction control off, it smokes the tires; not sure why the big difference between the two. It is only 70lb-ft torque difference, so it must be some software that limits the engine power/engine throttle that cannot be fully turned off in the 4.7L engine truck models. Also, on snow/ice, even with traction control off, when you hit the brakes while driving slow or turning, the traction control will kick in and start pulsing the wheels as if it is anticipating the car to go out of control. I am only driving 5mph, why the heck is the traction control SO darn annoying?

Fourth, all RAMs have big annoying humps in the interior floor space that are very frustrating. There is a big transmission hump in the front passenger side, which limits the space for your passenger's feet considerably, to make it very uncomfortable. In the back, there is a hump from the drive axle shaft that limits the space in the back, and another annoying hump there for the compartments under the seats. Compare that with the Ford F150, and boy what a big difference; the front passenger side foot area space in the F150 is HUGE. And in the back, the F150 floor is fully flat, which is amazing. Not sure why other truck manufacturers don't follow the design of the Ford F150

Fifth, in the front passenger side, there is a big transmission hump in the foot rest area. It is GIANT. This hump is present in all RAMs. Compare the same area with the Ford F150 and you will be amazed at how much room the Ford gives you. You can almost camp in there. I was blown away with the front space and the back space of the Ford F150.

Sixth, the transmission (65RFE). They say it is a six speed transmission, but guess what, only 5 gears are used. So for example, going from 0 to 90mph, the transmission will go through only 5 forward gears. The truck will go for example like this (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th). Going from 90mph to 0, again the transmission will go through only 5 forward gears (6, 5, 4, 2, 1). The 2nd and 3rd gears are never used in succession automatically. You have to use the shifter buttons to manually select all the gears. So advertising it as a 6 speed transmission is a scam, because only 5 forward gears are being used. The gear selection might be different than what I showed, but it remains true that only 5 forward gears are used in normal driving conditions.

Other things to consider, is that the 4.7L will tow much less compared to Hemi or the F150; another reason to avoid it if you intend to tow.

The RAM is not a good off-road vehicle at all. Don't be fooled by the fact that it is a truck, then it should be good off-road, no sir, it is not. Even if you have 4x4 and you lock the center diff, there is no option to lock the rear differential or a manufacturer option for a locking rear differential. You have to upgrade to the 2500 Super Wagon to get locking rear differentials. In the Ford F150, that option is available and I highly recommend it, because if one back wheel slips, say on ice, that's it, you have no traction from the other back wheel. They have an option for an LSD, but a locking diff is much better for these kinds of situations.

When driving in cold weather, I can feel cold wind coming from the cup holder area underneath, even with the heater turned ON. Somehow the design is very poor; they did not seal things properly, so if you like your ankles and feet warm, you will have to crank the heater all the way up, where your feet will be comfortable, but your upper body will be sweating.

The RAM forces you to change the oil either every 8000Km or every 6 months, whichever comes first. So if you drive in those 6 months just 1000km, you still have to throw away all that new oil and pay more money for an oil change. I would consider other brands that don't force you to change oil every short duration like 6 months.

In short, I REALLY REALLY REALLY regret buying this 2012 Ram 1500 4x4 crew cab truck. Yes, it was much cheaper compared to the Ford, but I wish I had bought an F150 for the following reasons:

- The 5.0 liter engine of the F150 is AMAZING, powerful and sounds great compared to mine.

- The F150 front and back space in the Supercrew F150 is amazing compared to mine.

- Towing capacity is much higher in the F150 compared to mine.

- Resale value of the F150 is much higher, for good reason, compared to mine.

- One small thing that may annoy you in the Ford, is that silly chime sound.

- Love the display of the Ford F150 that shows the MPG and other features. The RAM display is old and low tech.

2013 RAMs have I think a nicer optional information display, but again, all the annoying things that I mentioned in the 2012 RAM, they would still apply in the 2013 RAMs. The same weak 4.7L engine is there (you have to pay a lot more for a Hemi engine upgrade), the same transmission hump is there in the front passenger side, same two humps in the back seating areas.

I am not a die hard fan of Ford, but I think you have to look very carefully at the Ford F150 before choosing any RAM. I am sure people will think here that I am a Ford guy, but the fact is that my RAM sucks. The F150 seems like a better truck to have, so do your research and find out if it is better or not.

I plan to get rid of this truck ASAP. I hate it and I never want to buy any Chrysler or RAM product again, and urge you to do your research very well, test drive it for hours, then go test drive an F150, then make up your mind

Faults:

There have been no problems with this vehicle since buying it.

General Comments:

This Hemi has the 390 horse power 5.7L engine, which you can notice. It is great fun to drive. This is my 3rd Hemi Ram 1500, and I have loved them all.

It has the MDS engine, which some do not like. I have no problems with the MDS engine, and enjoy driving the truck. The power is very responsive.

The new suspension design works well. The truck rides and handles very smoothly. I use it as a daily commuter.

Gas mileage averages 16.5 MPG with my commute. My 2006 Ram Hemi averaged 17.2 MPG, so the extra ponies cost a little bit more.

The seats are comfortable.

I tow a small enclosed trailer with the Harley, and it has no problems.