Ace of Base: 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Express 4×2

A couple of liberties are taken with this one, as the Ram 1500 Classic technically has a trim one step below the Express model. With pricing, rates, and residuals being what they are though – well, it’s safe to say this version of the new old Ram pickup embodies a great deal of appeal to buyers in the Ace of Base wheelhouse.

In fact, this heartily equipped pickup is cheaper than a good many milquetoast crossovers. It’s almost as if Reid Bigland himself wants you to exercise your patriotism and park a truck in your driveway.

It will not have escaped your notice that Ram really (really!) wants to grab silver medal in the Great Truck Sales Race. By continuing to crank out copies of the last-generation Ram 1500, the company can increase its sales numbers by offering options that placate those who want the latest and greatest truck and customers who are budget conscious.

Here’s where the Express trim comes into play. Wearing a natty set of color-keyed clothes once reserved for more expensive models, this is a sharp-looking truck. It also retains the traditional gunsight grille, a styling cue that showed up prominently in the new-for-’94 models, just in case one is not enamored with the new R A M billboards.

Priced at just $31,140 for a Quad Cab 4×2, this Ram is equipped with much of the gear that used to show up on costlier trucks. It can be argued that FCA needs to use up all the parts and pieces which only fit the last-gen Ram 1500 before the thing goes out of production for good. Don’t be surprised to see the company introduce even more “special edition” trims made up of never-before combined trim pieces until the stuff is all gone.

Power accessories, cruise control, air conditioning – all those features are expected at thirty grand and are indeed present and accounted for. Power heated mirrors are a surprise as standard equipment, as are front fog lamps and 7-pin trailering electrics. The lone concession – and it can be argued that it’s a big one – is that there is a 305 hp 3.6-liter Pentastar under the hood instead of a Hemi. If you can live without that V8 rumble, and aren’t towing the Enterprise-D, this mill and its attendant 3.21 rear axle ratio are dead simple to maintain and cheap to operate.

Only a pair of colors are free gratis, including Bright White and the Flame Red shown here. In fact, sprayed in the latter hue, this bargain basement Express looks not unlike the big-buck Sport-trimmed models of not long ago. Seventeen-inch aluminium wheels wear 265/70 P tires. The 18-inch option has vanished. Guess they’ve used those up already.

Rebates and incentives aren’t usually noted in this series but are worth a mention this time around. The sticker price shown above can be easily pushed south of $30,000 in most markets and, thanks to the wizardry of rates and residuals, lease payments can be shockingly cheap. The 1500 Classic Express might not be the base model on Ram’s totem pole – but it sure is in terms of price.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments and feel free to eviscerate our selections.

The model above is shown with American options and priced in American Dollars. Your dealer may sell for less.