Still, I became familiar with the Ram in 2006 filming a documentary on global supply chains. We ended up featuring the Ram because Dodge granted us access to the assembly plant in Warren MI. It was very interesting to see and film the truck be assembled. I guess I also gained an affinity for the vehicle itself, drawn to its style compared with Ford and Chevy trucks.

I guess time will tell if the purchase was a good one. Your review isn’t very optimistic, but while my father swears by his Fords 150 and 350, my brother-in-law and father-in-law both have Ram’s and the brother-in-law’s 1500 has gone 112,000 miles with no maintenance issues. I’ll keep you posted.

A final comment regarding the interior review, yes, it is all plastic, but I bought a truck for truck reasons. I have a luxury car, with all leather this and that, heated seats, and steering wheel control for nearly everything. I just wasn’t looking for that this time around. I am happy to live with the two tone grey plastic.

It almost seems like the author of the review was sitting in a different truck than I had. I found the seats as comfortable as anything I have ever sat in, and easily equal to my last truck, a 2000 Sierra. I was very happy with it too, but it was never the same after a serious wreck.

As far as the cockpit instrumentation and its fit and finish, both seemed fine to me, especially for “being a truck” but it was definitely a tick behind the Tundra and F150, and a good deal behind the Chevy. This wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but I could definitely see the reviewer’s point on that.

On the engine, I knew better than to even test drive the 4.8. A co-worker had that engine in another vehicle and it felt anemic (for a V8) then, let alone in a big truck. I really dug the Hemi’s performance and my fishing buddy has the 5.7MDS Hemi in his truck and has gotten great service along with better mileage than the 4.8, which I can’t really believe they even sell.

I was a huge fan of the famous “Freightliner” redesign and still like the look of the Ram but I would agree it’s gotten slightly bubblier and cartoonier over the years. I live in the Mid South and you see those things all over the place which leads me to one of the major reasons I didn’t purchase the Ram. I guess those things sell themselves because trying to get a response out of the dealer was nigh impossible when it came down to “buy” time. They were extremely unresponsive to my initial requests for quotes and to start working on a deal and by the time they did get back with me, they had sold the one I was interested in and were trying to bait and switch with another, down-spec’d one. I suppose maybe Ram’s are so popular here they sell easy, but I’m a stickler for service and just wasn’t going to start playing that game. You’d think with all the incentives and supposed overstock out there, they’d be a little more desparate to move those things.

If you want a truck this size (whether you need it is another thread), go with the Silverado or the Tundra. The writer omitted the latter, and I can’t imagine why.

P.S. The pick of Nardelli over Wolfgang is a very worrisome sign for Dodge.

Typically lots of cab-window stickers to associate the owner with trendy brands, too. “DC Shoes,” “Fox Racing,” “Spy” sunglasses, and so on. Pose more than that and your name’s Derek Zoolander.

Yes, I have to agree. I recently rented a Chevy Aveo while my wife’s car and mine were in the shop. It was the cheapest thing they had so I thought I would “tough it out” for a day. I am 6 ft. 4 in. and 300 pounds and surprisingly I had enough room in it. And I’ve ridden in a Xb and had even more room. If I can fit then most people can.

lol ok algore! Some of us weren’t born average height and might want to drive with the comfort a modern truck provides.

Dodge has had and continues to have problems with this. My 2000 Dakota with the 4 spd is a pain in the ass. Slight inclines and it has to downshift, bringing the rpm up by 1000. I would state however that in my experience upshifts are often late as well, especially when going into overdrive.

Wasn’t the “hill-holder” feature something they brought out in the 50’s? [/sarcasm]

Methinks Chrysler should’ve been in on the Ford/GM 6 speed auto.

I’d say it was just mine, but my colleague was so impressed by it that he bought a lightly used 2006 model identical in spec (for chump change) and it drives the same way.

But it’s a lot of truck for the money (if you really NEED a truck). But if it were me, I’d still pick the Silverado. The interior alone is worth it.

At the local office level, both of our Ram’s (’96 and ‘98) ate their own transmissions within 50,000 miles. Radio quit working on one, windshield started leaking on the other in the same two-year period, and front disks shot on both.
No thanks, glad they weren’t mine.

re michaelfrankie:
I think the 5.9 Cummins is the best pickup engine you can get. I just wish they put it in a Tundra.

Yup. Too bad Chryslerberus couldn’t put the 5.9 Cummins in the Dodge 1500 with a Ford-like IRS and a good tranny…

There’s a reason I still see plenty of 80s GM trucks and (to a lesser extent) the Ford F150 on the road. Months go by before I see a pre-94 Ram, even the newer ones are hard to come by. And this is in Texas of all places!

I’ll echo that with my experiences in the Cowboy State (Wyoming) where pickup trucks are right up there next to God, apple pie and the flag. Fords and Chevy/GM trucks are all over the place, Dodges are much more rare. And it may be only anecdotal but in my observation it’s much more likely that Dodge will be a fleet vehicle. From that one can surmise that the bean counters in the fleet department are willing to take the risk on a less-than-reliable truck if it means a cost savings.

But when the roughnecks and ranchers of Wyoming choose their own vehicle, it’s almost invariably a Ford or Chevy/GMC.

One thing is clear though: with the pickup market contracting, and the segment getting more competitive than ever before, Dodge will definitely have to do more than just add macho styling and heavy incentives to sell it’s truck.

The Dodge boys have always been a distant third in trucks, bargain basement prices (guess which 1 ton diesel is the cheapest?) and mediocre quality (esp. crap transmissions) won’t cut it anymore. Slapping a Cummins (1993?) and giving it macho styling (1994) won’t save the Ram from obscurity like before.