RAM 1500 (DT, 2019–) review: the comfortable choice among Bahrain's full-size pickups
3.7/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the 5.7-litre HEMI Crew Cab if you actually tow or haul regularly and want the most car-like ride in the full-size pickup class; the coil-spring rear end and quiet cabin are real advantages over the F-150 and Tundra on Bahrain's roads. If your truck life is mostly unloaded commuting, the 3.6-litre V6 saves real money on fuel and insurance without giving up much you will notice day to day.
Pros
- Coil-spring rear axle gives the most car-like ride in the full-size pickup class
- 5.7L HEMI V8 tows and hauls confidently with eTorque mild-hybrid smoothing
- 3.6L V6 eTorque is a genuinely cheaper, sensible everyday alternative
- Laramie/Limited cabin quality rivals a luxury SUV
- Coil rear end and ground clearance make it a capable soft-sand truck
Cons
- Crew Cab footprint is a real challenge in Manama's older car parks and streets
- Lower maximum payload than some leaf-sprung rivals at the truck's limits
- eTorque 48-volt hardware is newer tech with less of a Bahrain repair track record
- Dealer and parts network is smaller than Toyota's Hilux/Land Cruiser network
The DT-generation RAM 1500 replaced the previous truck's leaf-spring rear axle with coil springs, and the difference is immediately obvious from the driver's seat: unloaded, it rides more like a large SUV than a work truck, soaking up expansion joints and patched tarmac in a way the leaf-sprung F-150 and Tundra simply do not. The trade-off is a slightly lower maximum payload than some rivals, which matters if you tow or haul at the truck's limits and matters much less if you do not.
Two engines cover most of what is sold in Bahrain. The 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 with eTorque mild-hybrid assistance makes 305 hp and is the sensible everyday choice — cheaper to insure and to fuel, and the eTorque system's stop-start is smooth enough that most owners stop noticing it within a week. The 5.7-litre HEMI V8, also with eTorque assistance, makes 395 hp and 556 Nm and is the one to have if you tow a boat to the marina or haul equipment regularly.
Living with it in Bahrain
Cabin quality in Laramie and Limited trims is genuinely close to a luxury SUV — soft-touch materials, a large portrait touchscreen, and a quietness at highway speed that undercuts the truck's size. The compromise is footprint: a Crew Cab RAM is wide and long enough that Manama's older multi-storey car parks and tighter residential streets are a real daily negotiation, and U-turns need planning ahead.
Ground clearance and the coil-spring rear axle make it a genuinely capable soft-sand truck for a weekend at the beach or a desert camp, though it lacks the low-range gearing sophistication of a dedicated off-roader like a Wrangler or a Land Cruiser 79 pickup. Parts and service are handled through a smaller dealer footprint than Toyota's Hilux network, which matters if a warranty repair is time-sensitive.
What to check before you buy
Confirm the eTorque battery and 48-volt system have no fault codes on a diagnostic scan — this is a newer piece of hardware than the rest of the drivetrain and the one most likely to surprise an unprepared buyer. Ask whether the truck has towed regularly and inspect the transmission fluid condition if so; heavy, hot-climate towing is the hardest use case this drivetrain sees.