Skip to main content

2011 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Mega Cab Review

dodge-ram-2500-laramie-longhorn-mega-cab-front-angle
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Say what you will about Gov. Rick Perry – the guy has guts. Not many politicians will question evolution in an open forum and claim that Texas should be its own country. When you drive the 2011 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Mega Cab, you might start to understand why this state of 24 million people tends to think outside the box. Decked out in rawhide leather, with huge buckled compartments on the back seats where you can stow your slab of chewing tobacco, the Longhorn is a mean machine. The growl from the Turbo Diesel engine alone causes fissures to develop on newly paved roads.

Recommended Videos

Of course, whether it stacks up well against the Ford Super-Duty F250, GMC Sierra Denali, or the Chevy Silverado 2500 HD is partly a matter of taste and partly an exercise in brand marketing.

The Ram does not claim to be best-in-class in every category. The main advantage with the Longhorn Mega Cab we tested, which costs $49,120, lies in the powerful Cummins Turbo Diesel engine. Now, other HD trucks offer both turbo and diesel, but the Longhorn uses a new technology that removes harmful emissions before spewing the exhaust. The Ram has not only met existing EPA guidelines for diesel emissions, it meets the regulations until 2013. Other HD trucks require that you add a “diesel exhaust fluid” treatment about every 3,000 miles.

dodge-ram-2500-laramie-longhorn-mega-cab-dash
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Longhorn also has powerful brakes that actually benefit from the engine compression. Essentially, the truck engine helps slow you down, which can be a major aid when you are pulling a massive camper or maybe a modular house. In our tests, braking was smooth and gentle, never touchy like some HD trucks. You can feel the engine slowing down when you brake.

This truck is also available in a manual transmission, which is one of its most unique features. Ford, Chevy, and GMC do not offer a manual, although most trucks use an electronic selector for down-shifting. (The automatic we tested had plus and minus buttons on the gear select.) The manual is for people who need to control shifting based on the RPMs of the engine, which is most useful on hilly terrain. By the way, this is one of the only trucks we have tested that has a hill assist that holds you in place when you are driving up a hill and need to stop, and also has a heated steering wheel.

Inside the cab, you’ll find a roomy interior that feels more like a Suburban than a crew-cab truck. The rear seats can actually recline about 9-inches, and there’s an extra storage area behind the seats. (You do have to move the seat forward to stick gear back there.)

For tech features, the Longhorn has some interesting add-ons. One is that there’s a pop-down TV screen for rear passengers. Ram told us that the provider for the TV signal, Sirius, is not going to be providing that service anymore, but it worked fine in our test truck for several cartoon stations. Like many Chrysler minivans, the Longhorn offers the UConnect system for connecting your phone. In our tests, music would sometimes play on fast forward for no reason over Bluetooth. Connected by USB, an iPhone 4 would sometimes drop the connection for no reason (most automakers blame Apple).

dodge-ram-2500-laramie-longhorn-mega-cab-dash
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Alpine audio system sounded good, not great. The interior is not well-suited to stunning audio replication, since it is so spacious and the music tended to bounce around. A few test songs, mostly country hits, boomed fine but had a slight distorted effect compared to our favorite in-car audio systems in the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the top-of-the-line Audi A8 system.

Driving the Longhorn is quite an experience. This is a massive truck that weighs 6,669 pounds, so it doesn’t really roll over a highway – it seems to push it out of the way. There’s an odd sense in this vehicle compared to the Ford F150 (which we tested recently) in that the Longhorn is tank-like and yet feels weightless at the same time. That’s not because the ride is smooth – it is a bit bumpy – but due to the large size of the cab and the height (about 78 inches tall). Going 75 felt like 55. The heavy and powerful truck comes at the price of fuel economy – about 14 mpg on average in our tests.

While the ride is not smooth, we found that the vehicle responded smoothly to large bumps and divots in the road, gliding over like the truck was not even going to blink. Cornering also felt smooth. In a thick mud pile on a farm road, the Longhorn pushed through with exceptional ease and never even considered slipping. On a rough gravel road freshly “paved” with dirt, we had no slippage at all, even though the Ford F150 actually did have a bit of tail swagger on the same road at times.

The 6.7-liter engine has 800-ft-lbs of torque and a towing capacity up to almost 23,000 pounds. That’s over 8 tons, or more than enough for most drivers. The Ram 2500 is also available with the Power Wagon option that adds rear-wheel differential locks (they spin at the same time) and a winch.

The truck has a 6-foot 4-inch box, which was not quite big enough for a Polaris RZR XP 900 racing UTV (utility terrain vehicle) but was big enough for an older Polaris ATV.

dodge-ram-2500-laramie-longhorn-mega-cab-rear
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Is there anything the 2011 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn Mega Cab can’t do? Well, a few things. The Ford F150 had automatic running boards that slide out when you unlock the truck. (When we first started testing the Longhorn, we put a foot up and waited to the running boards to slide out. We would have waited a long time – they do not move, and are recessed back a bit more.) The F250 also comes with an included fifth-wheel trailer hitch. With the 2500, you have to install one.

The F250 also has a few extras to think about. There is an option that uses RFID tags to keep track of your gear (similar to what Ford does with their Transit Connect), and there’s a built-in steel cable you can use for securing your gear. The Silverado HD has a higher horsepower of 397 compared to 355 for the Longhorn. The Silverado also has a front independent suspension as standard.

What prospective truck buyers want to know is: Which truck is the best? In the end, that depends on what you need. The turbo diesel engine exceeds EPA regs better than other trucks. The interior is top-of-the-line and wins hands-down for styling. We liked the drop-down TV and the rear seating area, which is cavernous. The ride on the F150 was smoother, and the specs on the Silverado for engine size and standard HD offerings for towing capacity are better – which is why it won truck of the year. For those who want the most luxury around in a truck, with some turbo diesel perks and a lot of room to stretch out, the Longhorn is a step up from the competition. A big step up.

John Brandon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more
Electric Muscle Misfire? Dodge Pulls Charger Daytona R/T from 2026 Lineup
electric muscle misfire dodge pulls charger daytona r t from 2026 lineup all new

The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, once hailed as the vanguard of Dodge’s electric muscle car future, is being dropped for the 2026 model year.
According to a report from MoparInsiders, the Scat Pack variant will now lead the Daytona lineup, marking a significant pivot in Stellantis’ EV strategy.
Originally introduced with bold ambitions, the Charger Daytona R/T was designed to offer an accessible gateway into electric performance. With its 456-horsepower dual-motor setup and optional 509-horsepower Direct Connection stage kit, it seemed poised to excite both muscle car fans and EV newcomers. However, market realities have painted a different picture.
Industry and media reports highlight the core issue: buyers just weren’t biting. Despite its impressive specs and nostalgic design cues, the R/T struggled to justify its price tag, starting near $60,000. At that level, buyers expected either more performance or more premium features. Without strong sales traction, Dodge made the tough call to shelve the R/T variant for 2026, opting instead to focus on trims that resonate better with customers.
As we reported in December, the Charger EV was launched with an off-beat marketing message to “save the planet from self-driving sleep pods.” The goal was to retain Dodge’s brand identity—muscle, aggression, and driver engagement—even in the electric era. The Charger Daytona R/T was supposed to be the perfect balance of price and performance, but it seems the target audience wasn’t ready to make that leap at that price.
Importantly, this doesn’t spell the end of the Charger Daytona altogether. Higher-performance models like the Scat Pack and Banshee are still in the pipeline and, interestingly, are being adjusted for price competitiveness. Several trims are reportedly seeing price cuts, suggesting Stellantis is serious about making these vehicles more appealing and accessible.
For enthusiasts, the takeaway is clear: the electric muscle car isn’t going anywhere, but automakers are still figuring out how to sell it. The demise of the R/T is less a failure and more a recalibration—proof that even the boldest plans need to stay flexible in the face of consumer demand.

Read more
The all-electric Cadillac Vistiq makes the Escalade redundant
2026 Cadillac Vistiq front-quarter view.

Cadillac wants a full lineup of electric vehicles, and it’s nearly there. It has a standard crossover SUV (the Lyriq), an entry-level model (the Optiq), an electric version of its flagship Escalade (the Escalade IQ), and even a baroque showpiece (the Celestiq). But something’s missing.

For a modern luxury brand, a midsize three-row crossover is key. Customers for whom a Toyota Highlander is too déclassé need something to take their kids to lacrosse practice, but may not want something as big as an Escalade. This isn’t the most exciting design brief, and that’s reflected in the gasoline Cadillac XT6, which has always felt like nothing more than a placeholder. Its new electric counterpart, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, is anything but.

Read more