Classic-er: With No Midsize in Sight, Ram's 1500 Holdover Stands to Live On

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

For those of you who value, um, value in your pickup purchase, there’s good news. Ram’s 1500 Classic, the name given to the previous-generation half-ton that soldiers on alongside the new-for-2019 1500, shows no signs of impending death.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley made that point abundantly clear during an earnings call last week. Debuting for the 2009 model year, the Classic earns its moniker, yet the advancements and refinements showered on its successor hasn’t diminished demand for the old model — the new-gen 1500’s higher price point assures FCA of a steady stream of buyers.

Amazingly, a refresh may be in the works.

Manley’s comments come via Motor Trend, which reports that the automaker still has no end date to etch on the 1500 Classic’s tombstone. In February’s multi-billion-dollar plant investment announcement, the Classic’s Warren Truck birthplace earned a stack of its own, earmarked, in part, for a production extension of the Classic. The automaker said the cash was needed “to meet market demand.”

Now comes word that the Classic, besides just seeing its lifespan extended, may see an update before eventually biting the dust. Manley didn’t commit to the refresh, but the fact he mentioned it makes it a strong possibility. Without a midsize pickup to lure buyers of lesser means into the brand, Ram’s decision to keep the old, long-since-paid-off 1500 in production was a wise one. Once the new generation came fully online, Ram sales soared, pushing the brand ahead of the Chevrolet Silverado nameplate in terms of volume.

The gap between old and new isn’t an insignificant one. Starting at $29,340 (after destination) for a stripped-down, regular cab Tradesman, the Classic line’s entry point is nearly six grand lower than that of the new generation — and there’s cash on hand for lessees. Tradesman buyers who prefer the next-gen model’s swankier looks can expect to pay $35,135 for a base quad cab.

This year also brought the introduction of the Warlock model to the 1500 Classic line, ostensibly to placate fans of the departed old-gen Rebel.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Dal20402 Dal20402 on Aug 05, 2019

    I just noticed the red Classic in the picture above. I wish more full-size trucks were trimmed like that. It's like the descendant of the simple, clean trucks of the '90s. Plain body-color bumpers and grille, no chrome, no moldings, no giant garish wheels. On the more modern trucks, even the "subtle" appearance options tend to have giant blocky black or chrome grilles and big chrome or black wheels.

  • DenverMike DenverMike on Aug 06, 2019

    Not offering a midsize pickup is a mistake (Ford found out about) as most midsize pickup buyers aren't cross shopping fullsize pickups, no matter how much greater the value proposition is. Just ask Vulpine... For most Americans, "midsize" is the biggest pickups they care to take on (and they're even pushing it), and wouldn't own a fullsize pickup in a million years, thanks to their size, not even '70s, '80s "fullsize" pickups.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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