The new Ram Laramie Limited->ke220 is the kind of gargantuan truck that gets attention wherever it goes. Certainly, it doesn't hurt that it's got plenty of new digs to back up its claim as one of the best pick-ups on the market today.

At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Ram officially pulled the covers off of the Laramie Limited, giving us a good look at a pick-up that not only offers unmatched performance credentials, but also comes with plenty of plush amenities you rarely see in a pick-up truck like this one.

Should you have any interest in scooping up the Ram Laramie Limited - and really, if you had the purpose for it, why wouldn't you? - Ram has pegged the pick-up's arrival in dealerships later this year. The cost of the pick-up is still undetermined, but expect it to catch plenty of interest from a lot of people looking for a comprehensive cocktail of style and power.

UPDATE 03/22/12: Ram has officially announced pricing for the Laramie Limited. Here's a hint: it's the most expensive Ram trim yet. Check out the price of the limited edition pick-up after the jump!

Find out more about the Ram Laramie Limited after the jump.

2012 Ram Laramie Limited

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Ram Laramie Limited
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 390
  • Torque: 650
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

Befitting of its stature as one of the meanest and most imposing pick-ups on the market today, the Ram Laramie Limited receives a number of aesthetic improvements, including a body-color front fascia with fog lamps to go with a painted rear bumper. A chrome grille is also part of the offering, where it surrounds billet inserts that have been prominently featured on Ram Sport models. For the Laramie Limited 2500 and 3500 models, Dodge decked those babies in a white and silver exterior, in addition to the chrome front and rear bumpers. For all the other trims, chrome plays an equally important part in the design dynamics of the pick-up with plenty of accents on the body-side molding, mirrors, door handles, and tubular side steps.

Rounding out the exterior features of the Ram Laramie Limited are new tailgate badges and a new set of 20" forged aluminum wheels with the Ram Laramie Longhorn wrapped in 17" fully polished aluminum wheels.

As far as color options are concerned, Dodge is offering a total of six color choices for the Ram Laramie Limited, including Black, Bright Silver Metallic, Bright White, Deep Cherry Red Pearl, Mineral Gray Metallic, and True Blue.

Interior

Despite being a pick-up, the Ram Laramie Limited has a plush and luxurious interior that belies its nature as a torque-twisting mastodon pick-up.

One of the most prominent features of the interior is the full-leather cockpit with dark slate Natura Plus leather seats and engraved details, providing some sense of style and pizazz to a vehicle that doesn't often have one. These colors are then contrasted by medium graystone leather piping while additional accents run along either side of the piping by medium graystone deck-seam stitching. Even the pick-up's double-stacked center console comes with a soft, double French-stitched full-leather lid, further driving home Dodge's intention of turning the interior of this pick-up into a contrast to the pick-up's overall purpose. Oh, did we mention that the steering wheel and the shifter have also been wrapped in leather? So are the door trim, the armrest - which by the way comes with the same dual French stitch used on the center console lid - and the instrument panel.

Moving away from the leather overload, the Ram Laramie Limited also comes with LED lighting at the inside door handles and a full-length light that illuminates the truck's multi-function lower map pockets. As for the dashboard, that comes with a center stack trimmed in high-gloss piano-black with liquid graphite side bezels and bright chrome vent rings completing the center stack's detailing. A liquid graphite glovebox spear with pinstriped details and black and chrome "Limited" badge complete the dash.

Even the solid dark slate premium berber carpet floor mats with medium graystone accent stitching are pictures of high-end luxury, as are the Rear flap-closure seatback map pockets with modern chrome Ram-lettered detailed metal buckles and the brushed-silver Ram-branded door sill plates.

Performance

Powering the Ram Laramie Limited is a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine that produces 390 horsepower and 650 lb/ft of torque with a maximum towing capacity of 10,450 lbs.

Pricing

Ram has officially announced the price tag for the Laramie Limited. If you've got the pockets to shell out a base price of $45,700, then go ahead and splurge on this powerful pick-up. Otherwise, better opt for something cheaper, yes?

Competition

A lot of things have been said about the Ram Laramie, some of it good and some of it, well, not so.

In terms of overall girth, the Ram Laramie can hold its own against anybody, possessing dimensions that are slightly larger than the competition. Power and torque-ability aren't problems either, compared to what the Nissan Titan or the Toyota Tundra.

The problem with the Laramie, at least as far as consumer reviews are concerned, is that it has one of the poorest fuel economy ratings in the market relative to its competition. That and the sheer volume of worthy competitors makes this market such a crapshoot in terms of which direction you'd want to go with your full-sized pick-up.

Make no mistake, the Ram Laramie is as good a choice as any other pick-up. The problem is, there are others that offer the same things too.