Introduction: The Dodge Ram is the youngest of the full sized pickup trucks but it started back in 1981. While pretty similar to both GM and Ford's trucks in size and power, Dodge had a very clever deal with Cummins. Cummins makes diesel engines for mostly heavy duty vehicles like buses and trucks and somehow allowed Dodge to use their diesel engines. Unlike petroleum powered vehicles, diesels have smaller power bands thus while not being particularly great at acceleration when they get going they produce very high amount of torque despite the engine not running nearly as fast as an equivalent petroleum engine producing such power. This also gives it a fuel economy advantage since diesel fuel does not burn as quickly.
When I saw the Dodge Ram, the vehicle was so massive in size I really wondered how I could get up into the thing. I couldn't tell what's wrong in the engine bay since all I see is a radiator with my height. Still I was excited since this thing is a massive beast and I was hoping it would be better than the Dakota.
Performance: This version of the Dodge Ram has a staggering amount of engines to choose from, 8 to be exact. Two of these are the Cummins diesels, 1 V6 and the remaining are all V8s including the Hemi V8 which is the engine I had in this Ram. This Hemi is the 5.7L V8 producing 345 hp and 375 lb.ft of torque. Considering all of the cars I've so far reviewed this is clearly the most powerful. It doesn't accelerate the quickest however since it posts a 0-60 time of about 9.5 seconds since the one I drove had the 4WD. It sounds great though.
My Score: 7/10 - For so much power, its been defeated by weight and 4WD. Still it does sound nice.
Handling: Like the Canyon I do treat the trucks a bit differently, they don't quite have the same advantages that cars get since trucks are supposed to be very long, wide and strong. As a result they're heavy and as a consequence do not handle very well despite being RWD based. As for the Ram the handling is more sluggish than I expected even for a pick up truck. First thing is despite the giant sized wheel the power steering overpowers it and the feel you'd expect is missing making it seemed detached. Secondly I do understand its a full size truck but its ability to corner is pretty disappointing. So this truck doesn't do too well.
My Score: 3/10 - Sluggish and feels very detached from what your doing
Interior: Like before I don't expect much from the interior it should be pretty basic after all. The Ram's interior is pretty basic as well. That said the materials are the same very cheap materials used in all Chryslers at this time and this does not make it look very good. With an uninviting interior to go along with the basic nature of pick up trucks it doesn't look very good. Entry into this truck is very bad, I literally need to jump in this one since there's no step into it, you have to hope you can reach the handle near the door to get in. These trucks are built in either the United States or Mexico, minor build quality issues so far from the US vehicles.
My Score: 4/10 - Poor entry, cheap materials but otherwise basic interior.
Value for Money: The Ram competes against 3 true rivals, the Silverado, the F-series and the Toyota Tundra. Unless you want your pickup truck have a Hemi engine or you want it to have a Cummins diesel...I really don't see why the Ram will be on the top of your list. I guess it does look better than the rest as well.
My Score: 5/10 - Not a great value all things considered unless you want a good diesel.
Styling: The Dodge Ram in this version didn't change all that much from the previous generation. What it did change was the perception of how big it is. In the pictures it does look big enough already, the thing is...its even more enormous once you've seen it. It does look pretty handsome for a truck and with its size looks very strong too.
My Score: 8/10 - A good looking truck.
Overall: 27/50 - Not a particularly great truck all things considered.
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