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2019 Ram Laramie Longhorn Edition belts out country blues
It will cost consumers $250 more to buy some FCA cars, trucks, and SUVs, even if the advertised price looks the same. The Italian-American automaker discretely raised its mandatory destination charges across all its brands.
The destination charge is a number not normally included in a vehicle's advertised price, but rather tacked onto the federally mandated window sticker affixed to every new car. It represents essentially the shipping cost to get the car from the factory to the dealership and into the consumer's hands.
MORE: Destination charges, explained
For most automakers, that price hovers just below the $1,000 mark, but CarsDirect found that FCA quietly raised that figure by 25 percent on most of its models, a $250 increase. They’ve crunched the numbers and discovered that destination charges affect all brands.
For the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Fiat 500X, destination charges have been been bumped from $995 to $1,245, while those for the Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Challenger have gone up from $1,095 to $1,345. The Jeep Renegade goes from $1,195 to $1,445, and the Ram 1500 sees a jump from $1,395 to $1,645.
The increase at the same time as a $500 line-wide price bump for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler.
For comparison, a Lexus LS costs only $995 to ship all the way from Japan, as does a Mercedes-Benz G-Class from Germany. For cars built in the U.S., a Ford Explorer tacks on $945 and a Toyota Camry $895.
Pickup truck-builder Ram has announced a Laramie Longhorn Edition of its 2019 Ram 1500 pickup that's dripping with western kitsch.
The 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn builds on the rest of the Ram 1500 lineup unveiled less than a month ago at the 2018 Detroit auto show. Though it boasts no mechanical changes, the equipment that sets it apart from its 2019 Ram stablemates reads like verses to a country song.
MORE: Read our preview of the 2019 Ram 1500
On the outside, Laramie Longhorns feature a two-tone RV Match Brown lower trim, a special chrome billet grille unique to the model, and the option of redesigned 20- or 22-inch wheels. Of course, Laramie Longhorn Edition “belt-buckle” badging can be found on both front doors, as well as the tailgate. LED head- and taillights, tow hooks, side steps, and fender flares come standard.
Cabin-wise, the country-luxury theme continues with a leather dashboard that has an actual “Longhorn” branded—in the very original sense of the word, as in the style of a hot iron — on the wooden glove box door. Panels for the actual doors rock a southwest motif and “embossed alligator skin pattern” leather that seems at odds with the ranch-style decor found eslewhere. The reptile-inspired hide continues onto the seats, instrument panel, and center console too.
DON'T MISS: Five things to know about the 2019 Ram 1500
Mechanically, the same powertrains available on other 2019 Ram models hold true here — either a 3.6-liter V6 churning out 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, or 5.7-liter V8 making 395 horses and 410 pound-feet, both available with a mild-hybrid system. Towing capacity maxes out at 12,750 pounds.
Snazzying up the interior is accent trim made of satin chrome and something Ram calls “real barn-wood.” There’s a brushed-nickel belt-buckle on the console lid. Even the color choices evoke the romance of Lonesome Dove, with two-tone names like Black and Cattle Tan, or Mountain Brown with Light Mountain Brown. Both have contrast piping, natch, and ambient lighting. Heated and air-conditioned, leather-wrapped rear seats are optional.
