The Dodge Ram has always seemed particularly well-named: if you can’t dodge out of the way, it’s going to ram you.
This big truck is a pickup of the old school, one that features a Hemi V-8 under the hood rather than some clever turbocharged powerplant, as you might find at your Ford dealership.
Except that this new 2019 Ram isn’t quite the roughneck that you’d expect. None of the lantern-jawed charisma has been lost, but the new Ram is more polished, easier to live with on the road, and surprisingly docile.
Well, sort of docile. It still comes with that available Hemi under the hood. Further, my tester arrived in fire engine red and equipped with the Rebel off-road package, which features huge knobby tires, dual exhaust, and an attitude that indicated it wasn’t about to dodge out of the way of any mountains.
It looks mean, as mean as any Raptor or Wrangler, but then you climb inside to find an interior that’s the equal of many a semi-luxury SUV. The days of the pickup truck coming equipped with a bench seat covered by an old blanket that smells strongly of hard work and Labrador retriever are long gone. This thing is fancy.
Fancy, but tough. That sort of thing will have the grizzled old cowboys in the saloon shifting uneasily, eyeing the newcomer with suspicion. They’re right to be nervous.
Design
If the modern car has become something of an angry-looking styling mess, then the modern pickup truck has all the visual subtlety of an uppercut. The new Dodge is big, brash, and comes with a front end dominated by a massive chrome grille. Which, just in case you forget what you’re looking at, comes with the word “Ram” written in letters big enough for Commander Hadfield to see from the International Space Station.
Even so, hidden behind all this posturing is some surprisingly decent aerodynamic trim. Models with air suspension lower themselves at speed to create a more slippery profile, and those with coil springs have an air dam that deploys at speeds above 50 kilometres per hour. The Ram is hardly a fuel-sipper, but every bit helps.
The Rebel variant gets 18-inch wheels with 33-inch off-road tires, and fancier trims like the Limited are positively dripping with chrome. Dodge calls their entry-level model the Tradesman, and even it comes with 18” steel wheels.
It’s a pretty handsome beast, overall, building on the strengths that have kept the Ram in the three-way fight for pickup truck dominance. Of course, how it looks is a lot less important than what it can do.
Environment
As big as your living room, and fitted out with as much storage as your garage, the new Ram’s interior is a much nicer place to be than you’d ever expect from a pickup truck. There’s a huge centre console, and a vast amount of room for rear seat passengers.
However, where the Ram really shines is not in its capacity, but in how nice everything is. The optional central touchscreen is large and easy to use, and in the higher grade trims is the size of a tablet, such as you might find in a Tesla. The materials used are upscale, and while there’s plenty of rugged plastic used, it’s confined to lower areas. Pretty much everything a driver or passenger touches feels high quality.
The knobs for most controls are satisfyingly chunky, but the controls in here wouldn’t look out of place on a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar – yes, the Ram is a proper 4x4 pickup, but it’s also been made more livable for every day.
Performance
Anyway, that Hemi. For those who are looking to tow, the Ram’s 5.7-litre V-8 cranks out 395 horsepower and 410 foot-pounds of torque. When equipped properly, it can tow up to 5,783 kilograms.
Unladen with a trailer, the Ram really moves: 0-100 km/h times should be under four seconds even for the four-doored crewcab version. The Ram easily shoots forward to join highway traffic, with a surfeit of torque, and a satisfying V-8 growl.
And it’s also smarter too. The eight-speed automatic transmission is the only option on most V-6 and V-8 models, but there’s also a 48V mild hybrid system available on both six- and eight-cylinder variants. The electric motor adds a little extra off-the-line shove, and should help calm the Ram’s thirst for fuel in more urban-focused driving.
With a new nearly all-steel construction, the Ram is stiff enough to be comfortable and even agile in the corners. Even the Rebel variant, which is again intended for more off-road pursuits, was perfectly well-behaved on highway sweepers, and didn’t require constant course correction like those older-generation pickups that have a tendency to wander.
It’s also very comfortable on the highway, and you can understand why so many rural folks turn to pickup truck ownership not so much for the practicality as the ease of driving. The Ram simply swallows up the miles, and gives the driver a sense of absolute security considering its mass. This is what big American sedans used to be like, poised and capable.
To make sure that all this city-slicker sure-footedness hadn’t blunted the Ram’s off-road edge, I took it deep into the Cascades on some forest service roads. Here, the adjustable air-suspension helped improve clearance over washouts, and the big 33-inch tires were able to scramble up rutted roads. The overall size and length of the Ram made it tricky to navigate some of the tighter turns – switchbacks turned into three-point turns up a particularly steep slope. However, the Ram is most certainly still a proper pickup capable of taking on the tough stuff.
Features
At $34,595 for the entry-level Tradesman, and closing in on $60K for a fully-loaded Rebel, the Ram is broadly priced, edging into luxury item territory. The $45,095 Sport model is unique to Canada, and is among the most popular, with 20-inch wheels and an 8.4-inch touchscreen.
Fuel economy is certainly a concern, as the Hemi-equipped Ram is acceptable on the highway but thirsty in town. The V-6 hybrid might be the smarter choice for North Shore living. Official figures are 10.5 litres/100 kilometres in the city, and 16.1 l/100 km on the highway, and with a 124-litre tank, it’s best to wait until the prices are at their weekly low before filling up.
Green light
Stable and quiet; excellent off-road capability; pickup truck functionality with nearly car-like behaviour.
Stop sign
Still a truck in terms of fuel consumption; costly when fitted with all the trimmings.
The Checkered Flag
All the big charisma of a real truck, with most of the edges polished for easier everyday use.
Competition
Chevrolet Silverado ($38,300)
Available with its own burly V-8 option, the Silverado is just as much of a brute as the Ram, but also surprisingly comfortable on long road trips. It’s another excellent option for towing.
However, between the two, it feels like the Ram has really stepped up its game on the interior equipment front. The Silverado is still quite truck-like inside. Mind you, pickup truck ownership lines are often drawn down on brand loyalty, and there are few drawbacks to sticking with the Chevrolet bowtie.
