i don't know if there is a difference or not.....BUT my buddy has a 1500 SLT with a hemi same year as mine, and it does seem that his is a little tighter in the rear. mine is a big horn. i wouldn't think there is much diffence in the models, i always figured it was just the little things, powered windows and such, and that the bodys and beds were the same. if you are going to deal with a dealership, they could prolly let you borrow the truck for a couple of days, and try it out. i did that with a blazer once. and about the kids, well we all say that we are going to keep our trucks till they die and put hundreds of thousands miles on them.........but usually most end up trading them in before the loan is up. so it would prolly suit your needs for the time being. also check this one out, someone threw it on here a little bit ago..
https://www.dieselbombers.com/bomb-s...-ebay-lol.html

I have an 05 dodge diesel with 115k miles and tow a 30 foot travel trailer about 2 hours out a nasty dirt road almost every other weekend during the summer for years now and have never had any problems with the front end the only time it has been in the shop is from a stupid deer

Ive got a 06 3500 now but have had an 05 1500, and an 05 2500 and as far as room for kids you are fine i have two kids and one is in a car seat and no problems with room. i'm also 6'4" so my is back. the new ones yes have more room but nothing we can't deal with. you can get an 07 5.9 that does not have dpf but once you go to the 07.5 it will have the dpf. As for front ends i'm a contractor and every one of my three trucks at 80,000 has had the front end redone. it costs me for heavy duty brakes,rotors,ball joints u-joints,etc.. right at $1,000 but if you aren't really gonna use it hard you should be fine but every truck i have seen that pulls or works really hard has had front end issues ford,dodge,gmc.....i like the dodge and have owned fords before and i keep going back to dodge. hope this helps you

I've had an 05 ford crew cab and I currently own an 07 5.9 cummins quad cab. I never had one complaint about leg room in my ford but had tons with my dodge. In 93k miles my dodge has NEVER been to the dealer (one u-joint I fixed myself) and my ford was in the dealer at least 6 times I could remember off the top of my head in 73k miles. My experience MAY have been non-typical but it still was enough for me. As for kids, my opinion is there is plenty of room in the dodge for kids till they hit mid teens. Hope this helps.