Battered Ram

In a bid to revive its full-size pickup, Dodge piles 'tremendous trifles' into the first crew cab

Jim Mateja

October 19, 2008

15,538 sold in October, down 36.5%
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Chrysler has a knack for coming up with what a former colleague called "tremendous trifles," innovations that don't make vehicles one iota faster, safer or cleaner but have such charm they are reason enough to buy.

Chrysler has effectively used such trifles to keep people coming back to its aging minivans: power side doors, seats that hide in the floor, seats that turn and face each other with an optional table for snacks and satellite TV so the kids can watch Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network or the Disney Channel before they are there yet.

Dodge borrowed the tactic in redesigning its full-size Ram pickup for 2009—if you can call a forward-leaning grille and a bulging hood a redesign. Since sales have gone south as gas prices have gone north, what better time for tremendous trifles?

Consider the RamBox, locking and lighted bins built into both sides of the bed rails to hold work tools, fishing gear or 120 pop cans plus ice on each side.

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There's also hidden bins in both sides of the rear floor for tools or more pop, 10 cans in each bin—plus ice—for a total of 260 cans of pop in a truck with nine cupholders (three in the dash, two on the rear floor, two in the rear-seat armrest and two in the driver's side door) for six passengers. No portable potty even as an option, however.

Then there's the stowage compartment in the folding center front seat backrest, a computer/purse compartment under the center seat, a compartment for tools or valuables under the rear seat and a plastic bed divider that fits in slots along the siderails to keep items from sliding or rolling around or attaches to the tailgate to extend the bed by 2 feet and rear seat bottoms that lift and store against the backs to open the cabin for more cargo.

Ram offers regular, extended (quad) and crew cabs and a trio of engines, a 3.7-liter V-6; 4.7-liter V-8 that can run on E85, the ethanol/gasoline blend; and a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with shuts off 4 cylinders when not needed to conserve fuel.

Mike Accavitti, director of Dodge brand marketing, said the crew cab is in response to requests for four traditional doors and a large rear cabin to hold kids or adults in comfort. And though crew cabs in general have lost some luster, they still account for 50 percent of the truck market.

To ensure massive rear seat space, the crew's bed is 5 feet 7 inches, down from 8 feet with a regular cab.

We tested the crew cab 4x4 with its potent Hemi that can tow up to 9,100 pounds. It's never short on power, and you don't feel the switch from 8 to 4 cylinders. A "fuel saver" readout in the instrument panel is the only tell-tale.

And though the cylinder deactivation is good for only 13 m.p.g. city/18 highway in Ram 4x4, humility doesn't sell trucks. Saving fuel is a national priority, so why does Dodge keep this technology a secret–especially considering rivals such as Ford and Toyota don't offer cylinder shutoff? A large green light in the dash or an m.p.g. display—or both—would better spread the word.

More higher-mileage offerings are on the way: a turbodiesel is coming in 2010 along with a dual-mode hybrid using the system in the Durango SUV.

For a big truck, the suspension assures you don't get bounced and banged around the cabin.

Of course, approach a sharp curve in a truck that stands so tall, and you'll feel the body lean even when backing off the accelerator.

You also learn just how big Ram is when trying to step in without running boards—a $440 option—or trying to find a parking space that will give you room to exit–and enter when you come back.

In addition to the convenience of RamBox, Ram offers such safety essentials as side-curtain air bags front and rear; stability control with traction control plus anti-lock brakes to keep the pickup planted on straight, winding or wet roads; hill-start assist to keep from rolling when starting on an incline; and trailer sway control that uses the ABS and engine controls to keep whatever you're towing from dancing behind you.

Other goodies include remote start, power pedals, heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats/steering wheel, rear-seat satellite TV, navigation system with backup camera, power sunroof and dial-up four-wheel-drive with high or low.

Base price of the Laramie 4x4 tested is $43,240.

Accavitti says despite being new and loaded with novelties, gas prices are going to affect Ram sales, which are down 29 prcent through September, to 196,058 from 276,978 a year earlier. As recently as 2005, Ram sales topped 400,000, but Dodge says the redesign hasn't been out long enough to tell what effect it's having.

"We aren't talking about production, but it's down from what it was a year ago," Accavitti admits. It also should be noted that the crew cab was in the works long before pickup sales tanked. "The casual and recreational trucker who drives one because those around him do or who has a truck to haul a boat, but can no longer afford the boat or the gas for it, are the greatest risks for lost sales. They account for about 20 percent of the market."

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Rides. Contact him at rides@tribune.com.