Is a four-way tailgate better than a six-way tailgate? We’ll soon be able to find out, thanks to the new-for-2019 Ram 1500 multifunction tailgate. The new, optional setup adds the functionality of a 60-40 side-by-side split to that of a conventional tailgate. It can be operated with one or both doors open — the two doors each open a maximum of 88 degrees — and you can also fold it down normally.
In that latter case, Ram says it can support a load of 2,000 pounds, so you can still deploy your ramps and load up your snowmobile, or whatever you crazy truck people do, without fear of breaking the thing.
We’ve seen elements of the new Ram tailgate on other trucks: The Honda Ridgeline’s tailgate swings to the side as a single unit, in addition to conventional up-and-down functionality, for example, and the (in)famous Lincoln Blackwood’s tailgate had barn-door style operation, but didn’t fold down like a regular tailgate. The multifunction tailgate brings it all together in one obvious-in-retrospect package. Why didn’t somebody think of this sooner?
Is it a gimmick? Maybe partially. Ram needed to answer the GMC Multipro tailgate somehow. But even from our relatively limited experience doing Truck Stuff, it seems like a legitimately useful feature. With one or both doors open, you have unimpeded access to the bed, which is handy when you’re loading heavy cargo — you don’t have to awkwardly slide junk over the tailgate. You also get easier access to the bed with a trailer attached; just swing open the left door and use the available center step to hop up and in. A single-unit swing-aside tailgate (like the Ridgeline’s) might make contact with whatever you’re towing, depending on the trailer and what's loaded into it, but it shouldn’t be a problem here. And unlike the Multipro, which includes a step that drops down to hitch receiver-level, you lose no functionality if you have something hooked up to the truck.
Ram says the new tailgate will be offered on all 1500 models and will cost $995, plus $295 for the center step. It will be available beginning the second quarter of 2019.
Ram 1500
MSRP
$31,695
Tradesman
MPG
N/A
City / HWY
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