Dodge Ram 1500 2010: Laying down the law

In the mid 1990s, Dodge introduced a Ram with spectacular lines that highlighted an enormous front grille. Almost two decades later, the Ram is no less superb...and even more impressive! Last year, Dodge completely remodelled the Ram and took advantage of its recent fall into the financial abyss to rechristen its truck division in Ram’s name. From this point forward, there’s no more Dodge Ram. Now, we buy a Ram or a Ram Dakota. To get a Dodge, you’ll have to get yourself a car or an SUV. Moreover, the Dodge website includes a different section for the Ram models.

Okay, enough with the marketing mumbo-jumbo. Let’s get to the test drive! For starters, our black and grey Ram Laramie 4x4 Quad Cab was a real looker. Its massive tires (P275/60R20) will probably cost the equivalent of an annual mortgage when the time comes to change them, but they sure do add some punch visually. The Sport 4x2 model even comes with P285/45R22 tires! Our Ram didn’t have running-boards, which is excellent news for people who have to take on trails or construction sites in poor condition. Indeed, this accessory improves the look and makes getting into the cab much easier, but it reduces the breakover angle, which is so handy in a 4x4.

Luxurious passenger compartment

In the passenger compartment, the Ram, just like its sworn enemies the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, puts a lot of importance on luxury. Our vehicle even came with a heated steering wheel as well as heated AND ventilated comfortable leather seats. Moreover, the quality of the finish in the passenger compartment is excellent. It’s not yet perfect, but it’s miles ahead of what Chrysler had us sitting in. Even the quality of the materials has been improved over time. While the front seats received high marks, the back seats did not fare so well. The Ram has three cabins: regular, Quad and Crew. The first has only two doors and, behind the front seats, there’s only a small storage space.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Crew Cab offers enough space to seat five people very comfortably. Our Ram was a Quad version, which means a three-seat bench that is tough to get to and not terribly comfortable, mostly because of a seatback that is too straight. The bottom part of the seats can be lifted, a little like the Honda Fit, to be able put cumbersome items like a bike or a television in its box. However, we’d be remiss not to mention the fact that this bench seats three people but there are only two headrests. There’s a law for everything, so I don’t understand why there isn’t one governing the number of headrests. My cat, sleeping peacefully near my computer, just lifted his head, yawned, and fell back to sleep. Two or three headrests, he couldn’t care less...

With respect to the passenger compartment, I would have but two negative and relatively minor comments. Firstly, the buckle of the seatbelt on the front passenger side, when it’s not in use, constantly banged against the B-Pillar every time I turned the steering wheel to the left. Secondly, the pedal for the hand (or should I say foot) brake is very high and it’s hard to push it wearing large work boots without getting caught on the dashboard.

Small, medium, large

A pick-up is now and always will be about its engine, and the Ram offers three. The first, a 4.7-litre V6 with 210 hp and 235 lbs-ft of torque, is for small jobs. The other two are a 4.7-litre V8 (310 hp and 330 lbs-ft) or a 5.7-litre V8 that features no less than 390 hp and 407 lbs-ft of torque. We suspect that the latter of the two will be the apple of buyers’ eyes. In addition to being able to tow up to 9,100 pounds (4,128 kg) depending on the version, it offers very respectable performance. It goes 0-100 km/hr in 7.4 seconds and the sound of this engine in full acceleration is worth every penny spent on it. While the V6 comes only with a four-speed automatic transmission, the two V8 engines have a five speed transmission with well-selected gear ratios that help the 5.7 rev at only 1,700 rpm at 100 km/hr and at 2,050 rpm at 120 km/hr. However, a six-speed transmission would seem to me even better adapted and would help save on gas while taking better advantage of the higher torque when towing. During our test drive, we maintained an average of 15.4 litres/100 km, which isn’t bad considering the vehicle type.

The Ram has a 4x4 system that is far from being as sophisticated as recent all-wheel drives but it helps, thanks to its lower range and to the possibility of locking the rear differential, to take on the worst situations. Note that the lower range of gears is reasonably reduced and should help overcome very tough obstacles.

New rear suspension

Last year, there was a lot of talk about the new multilink coil spring rear suspension that replaced the elliptical springs that American pick-up trucks have used for the last eight hundred years. (Apparently, GM used this type of suspension in the 70s, which means that I drastically overshot the number of years in my previous comment). This new way of doing things doesn’t change much in terms of payload, but it greatly improves comfort on rough roads, an almost permanent state on Quebec’s thoroughfares. We were able to drive reasonably fast on a bumpy back road and we were impressed by the stability of the tailend, although the handling is nothing like that of an automobile. However, and definitely thanks to the suspension, the Ram’s bed can handle the least weight of any American pick-up, up to 1,640 pounds (744 kg) depending on the equipment. 

For decades, the Chrysler Corporation, God bless its soul, made it its duty to satisfy performance enthusiasts.

And you can tell that the engineers put a lot of work into the new Ram, even though the company has changed a great deal. The steering is precise (for a pick-up, of course) and offers good feedback. The handling is also quite impressive – although it’s no Ram SRT10, God bless its soul... and God knows that it had soul! Sure, the Ram 1500’s body tips in turns, but unless you’re prone to exaggeration, it’s not dramatic. The brakes are very precise and the weight transfer is under control. However, you should note that we couldn’t test drive the vehicle with a full trailer, which would have given the brakes a much more demanding job. As always with Chrysler, the brake pedal has a long way to go and you feel very, very little.

There’s no denying that the new Ram is an excellent pick-up, albeit different on a visual level and in terms of its rear suspension. Difference, however, can be a bad thing in this segment where conservatism, or rather ultra-conservatism, is king. If Dodge had to do even a single recall because of this suspension, the outcry could be so significant that the new Fiat subsidiary would have no choice but to turn back to a more conventional system, despite the fact that it is far and away the best feature of the Ram 1500.