Almost two years ago, I bought a brand-new truck – a 2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4×4 – and it has been absolutely fantastic. After owning a long line of V8-powered pickups over the past 25 years, I opted for a half-ton powered by the new twin turbocharged Hurricane I6 engine and I don’t have a single complaint. However, people still ask me why I didn’t buy something more fuel efficient, citing the high cost of fuel and the high price of new pickups. In response, I offer the five key reasons why I bought a truck.
Towing and Hauling Capabilities Are a Must
The number one reason that I bought a truck, and the reason why most people buy a truck, is for towing and hauling. My wife and I own a horse farm, so hauling hay and towing our two-horse trailer are weekly tasks. An SUV could pull my horse trailer and I have hauled hay in the back of an SUV, but it makes quite a mess. Also, the roofline of even a large SUV limits the ability to haul large cargo (or stack bales of hay), making the pickup truck the better choice.
Even if I didn’t have the horses in my life, my truck is used as a truck often. When our water heater recently failed I had to return it to the hardware store for a warranty replacement. That would have been a soggy nightmare with an SUV, but the task was a breeze with my Ram 1500. As for towing, anyone who has a race car, a boat, a jet ski, a motorcycle, or anything else that spends time on a trailer will understand the convenience of having a truck that can tow that trailer. And when someone is moving, do they call a friend with an SUV? No, they call a friend with a truck because they are just plain better at hauling and towing.
Interior Technology and Comfort Rivals Luxury Sedans
The next reason that I bought a truck is the level of interior technology and comfort that comes standard with most new pickups. My first truck was a 1979 Dodge D150. It had an AM radio, a heater, manual windows, and a bench seat. My second truck was a 1984 Dodge Ramcharger, which by comparison was very luxurious, coming with an AM/FM radio, power windows and bucket seats, but through the 80s and even into the 90s, trucks did not come with many premium interior comforts.
However, today’s trucks come with every amenity that come in premium luxury sedans. My Ram 1500 Big Horn is a relative low-line model, but it has a heated steering wheel, heated seats, power everything, dual-zone climate control, a 12-inch touchscreen running UConnect 5 with AM/FM/Satellite/Bluetooth access and a booming Alpine sound system. The only real premium feature that did not come with my Big Horn is leather seats, but my cloth seats get warm quickly in the winter and in the summer, the cloth seating surfaces won’t burn anyone’s legs. In short, my Ram 1500 Big Horn interior offered every interior feature that we wanted and to get things like the 12-inch screen and Alpine sound system, we didn’t have to also get leather and other expensive features that we didn’t want.
A Great Balance of Performance and Efficiency
Many people ask why I didn’t buy a heavy-duty truck, seeing as how hard I work my trucks around the farm. While a heavy-duty truck would pull my two-horse trailer and enclosed car trailer a bit easier, the heavy-duty trucks cost more to buy and to feed. My Hurricane-powered Ram averages around 20 MPG over the course of a tank of fuel when I am not towing, which makes it the most fuel-friendly vehicle that I own.
In addition to offering pretty solid fuel economy for a truck that can do the work that I do, the new Hurricane-powered Ram trucks are quick, and I like to go fast. My Ram shares a driveway with a 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, and while the standard output Hurricane obviously isn’t “Hellcat quick,” my stock truck can cover the quarter-mile in the mid-to-low 13-second range. That makes it quicker than quite a few of the performance-oriented SUVs and compact cars on the street, so it has surprised some people on Woodward Avenue when leaving a stoplight side-by-side.
The fact that my Ram 1500 Big Horn can tow my horse trailer, haul hay, average 20mpg, and still run the quarter mile in the lower 13s all combined to be a key reason why I bought a truck.
It Can Go Pretty Much Anywhere, Anytime
I live in Michigan, so I face pretty extreme winters. There are times that vehicles without four-wheel-drive can’t get out of my driveway due to layers of packed ice and snow. My Ram 1500 Big Horn makes short work of slick surfaces, allowing me to safety and comfortably pull the horse trailer in emergencies, even in the worst winter storms. While SUVs with 4WD or AWD can also handle slippery roads, the ride height of the pickup allows it to cover deep snow more easily.
Once the snow melts, the dirt roads in my area turn into rivers of mud, punctuated with monstrous ruts and pot holes that I have seen break wheels and axles of smaller cars. Having a four-wheel-drive truck means that I can take these roads without worry of getting stuck because my vehicle is too low to the ground or because the terrain was too rough for the suspension system.
I Love the Exterior Styling
The last top reason I bought a truck is that I love the way that it looks. There is a saying that “if you don’t look back at your car after you park it, you bought the wrong car,” and that applies to trucks, too. The newest Ram 1500 design is sleek and sporty, and for 2025, the Big Horn received an upgrade to the similar, thinner headlights that was previously not available with this trim level. The new headlights alone make the 2025 Big Horn a whole lot sportier. When coupled with the black trim and black wheels of the Night package, my Ram 1500 is one of the more aggressive-looking trucks on the market, even though it is not a sport or performance package.
Every time I park my truck somewhere and look back, I think “damn, that truck is sharp,” so while styling was not as crucial as performance, it was one of the reasons that I bought my new truck.
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