have diesels run a 7.3 king ranch , 6.0 king ranch , 6.4 lariat , hard to say no to a diesel / btw lots of options to clean up , let your motor purr - no kittys allowed

I have posted on this topic a fair bit over the past year or so. I debated all three brands (Ram, Ford, GMC), albeit I only considered Diesel.

Here's something that they don't write down ANYWHERE about the Ram. The Ram 2500 Gasser rides TERRIBLE compared to the Ram 2500 Cummins. Why? They put different springs in the Gasser which are WAAYYYYY stiffer. I can't tell you why, but I believe that it has to do with the fact that that level of truck is often a fleet vehicle.

I test drove dozens of different trucks, all new and a few slightly used; and a couple of them I took overnight and put 100-ish miles on them. I ended up ordering a 2018 Ram 3500 Cummins/AISIN CC LB 4x4 SRW, at the Laramie Longhorn Southfork trim level. I can't WAIT to take delivery of it in March.
Here's the kicker: factory warranty on the Ram is 5 years/100,000 miles on the powertrain.
My local dealer attaches an additional aftermarket warranty (nationally serviceable, do not have to go to dealer for normal maintenance) to all of their new vehicle sales that DOUBLES this; so my new truck is coming with a total of 10 years/200,000 miles of powertrain warranty.
My truck is immediately getting some suspension "upgrades" of which my dealer is excited to participate in as well; including making sure my warranty stays intact. They have stated they will even let me change the gear ratios if needed pending my wheel/tire size changes.

I was debating the high end trim level trucks. I like the GMC Denali HD 3500 and the Ford Platinum/Limited F-350. But both had shortcomings that I personally could not overcome.
Ford: I want a CC LB truck, and their lengthened wheelbase has completely ruined their close quarters drive-ability in parking lots and also maneuvering trailers. I specifically tested several trucks in close quarters. I made several sales people quite nervous when doing so. But the Ford is just a PITFA in this scenario in the CC LB config. The seats of the 2017 Platinum also hurt my back. Such was not the case in any 2000-2016 Ford that I have driven.
GMC(Chevy too): The interior is boring and aged, and if you look at the 2019 1500 which is indicative of the 2020 2500/3500; it's not much better. I don't find the seats as comfortable, and the cab of the truck is the smallest of the big three. And my biggest pet peave: $70K truck, and it doesn't have keyless/pushbutton start. Ridiculous.

Seems you really did a lot of research, don't blame you considering the cost so I have a couple questions.

Not that I am in the market (Don't put enough miles on to justify the cost, new at least) but I was wondering, Dodge always seemed to have issues with the transmissions, even my diesel mechanic that loves them drives a manual. Have they addressed that?

Second, as for ride, if you are changing springs to put a lift on (I assume shocks as well), why would the stock ride matter?

I bought a new 2016 Chevy 2500 Duramax last January. Absolutely love it. The power is amazing. Pulling almost 9K lbs is like nothing. I now have 21K miles on it and it's amazing. So quiet, comfortable and I get up to 21 mpg in the summer. That's combined hwy/country roads. While driving, you don't even know it's a diesel cause the cab is so quiet. I test drove the Ram 2500 Cummins and found the power very disappointing. My favorite feature of the new diesel is the exhaust brake. I hardly have to touch the brakes while towing in the hills. I seriously considered going with the gasser because I really don't tow much anymore. But the torque of the diesel is so amazing that I couldn't bring myself to give it up

I'm actually not a fan of keyless, push button start. My wifes SUV has it and I hate it. I prefer a key and I glad my Chevy has it. I have to disagree on the GM interior being boring. Not sure what you're looking for but it has the big info. touch screen, nice brushed aluminum inserts, etc (faux alum.). The back seat is as roomy as anything I've ever been in

I really wanted the ride of the 2500 Ram diesel. I want to drive this truck a fair amount, not ogle it, and curse it for it's deficiencies.
I am going with a Carli full Pintop suspension which also replaces the entire rear spring pack of the 3500, with softer springs so it's not so egregious to drive unloaded. I will also be adding a full supplemental air compressor, tank, fill, and train horns AND rear air bags; so I can basically set the truck up on the fly for whatever I want it do to, tow heavy, or drive smoothly. I will be able to adjust air pressure in just a couple minutes anywhere.

So why did I go with a 3500 vs. a 2500? Well, that's FCA/Rams fault.
They only put the AISIN (which is a medium duty caliber) transmission in the 3500 with the Cummins and IF you pay for the upgrade over the 68RFE. (Think of the AISIN as an Allison equivalent.)

On the 2500, they ONLY come with the 68RFE transmission, which is designed and built by FCA (legacy Dodge, and yes the transmission that has the aura of the transmission issues).

AND, when you choose the 2500, with only the 68RFE, Ram DETUNES the Cummins by ~50HP and 100 lb/ft. of Torque. They do that because IMHO they are "admitting inferiority" of their 68RFE platform. Now, thousands of punks on the internet will tell you to delete/tune/etc. the truck, and get that power back. But I want to retain my warranty.

BTW, Ram ALSO DRASTICALLY detunes the Cummins in their G56 Manual Transmission trucks. I think they detune the Torque output to 650ish or something, so you don't rip stock clutches apart.

Again, hence the AISIN is THE package to go with IMHO. I'm pretty excited about the path I've chosen. And so is my dealer. They are going to let a renowned local OffRoad/4x4 shop www.davisoffroad.com (jwstoys here on OSO, also a Sunsation and high end truck dealer) do the lift install. I have been speaking with the President and also the Chief Engineer at Carli suspension. I'm setting my truck up EXACTLY how I want it; and can't wait to roll it this summer. It should be on the ground in March, and will back in the air on a lift within hours. My dealer is going to allow me to change my gear ratio, as long as I use FCA/Ram parts; and keep my warranty; if I so choose once I go with the lift and 35 or 37 OD tires. This way, if I feel I need "extra grunt" for towing, I can get it without having to tune/delete/etc. and jeopardizing my warranty.

I'm not poo-pooing the entirety of the GM/Chevrolet HD lineup. I was FAR down the path of buying a Denali. So much so that friend who works for GM gave me the Executive Discount code so I could order one at a sweet price. However, as soon as I spent time IN the Ford and the Ram; it was clearly evident that they crush the GM offerings in the plush and appearance department. Stock for stock though across the 1-ton SRW options; the GM ride for just daily driving wins hands down.

The other thing about the GMs: As of 2017, their operating systems are encrypted. That means NO tuning, no deleting, nothing, ever. And you are also stuck with that stupid DEF tank hanging under the front passenger floorboard (unless you buy the relo-kit to the bed which could also void your warranty). While deleting/tuning is not in my plan, it could be one day.
Ford and FCA/Ram WILL BE encrypting their operating systems too. But they have yet to do so. I feel like we might be right at the peak of the golden years of diesel tuning. The 2019 Ford and the 2020 Ram (big diesel trucks) will all likely be encrypted too.

And I like the keyless start; and want it in my next truck. Also, now that I've seen the 2019 GM interior, and they didn't turn any major corners in redesign; I'm good with the Ram decision I've made.

Also, while the Ford has a significant "high tech" advantage at the moment with cameras, adaptive cruise, blind spot detection, etc. etc. Their interface is still a bit of a PITA to navigate IMHO. FCA Uconnect has won awards for it's user friendliness. My company also happens to help FCA with their development & security protection of these systems; so I know a bit how they are designed; and like what I see.

The interior on the Ram is going to be very similar to this. (I custom ordered mine without the Filigree etching on the leather.) It's the Laramie Longhorn Southfork edition.
I'm actually worried I may go throw rocks at my Mercedes sedan (current DD) when the Ram shows up.
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I definitely agree with you about the awful DEF tank on the GM! Hideous. The only thing to do is put the step bars on which hides it pretty well. And it also has the fill under the hood vs. on the side which I don't like. I tuned my previous 08 Duramax and I had a 6" Fabtech lift. My 16 feels slightly more powerful in stock format than my tuned 08. I never drove a Ford but I'm not at all crazy about the new body style.

For me I couldn't justify the $10,000 extra cost for diesel v/s the gasser. I still have my old f250 7.3 so that will pull everything and the new 17 f250 gasser I got will pull it as well. Gas mileage isn't as good on the gasser as it would be for a diesel but doing the math over 100,000 miles its only $2,000 difference in fuel and then you have all the additional cost with diesel maintenance. I just don't like the ride of the seats in the dodges and I personally think the f250 looks the best. All 3 brands have good looking trucks but that's my opinion. The chevy crew cab is a small back seat and in standard form the f250 crew is bigger than all 3 brands until you get into a megacab. The f250 gasser has more hp and torque than the other brands but a guy I work with has a 3500 dodge dually gasser and claims it tows just as good as his diesel and gas mileage towing is about the same.