2009 Dodge Ram 1500

2009 Dodge Ram 1500

When the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 was finally unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, it made its appearance herding four-dozen steer (yes, we mean cattle) — on Detroit's Washington Boulevard. For everyone watching — and everyone was watching — it was immediately obvious that the new Ram 1500 is a very big deal for Dodge.

And it should be. It'll be jumping into a segment that sees between 1.5 and 2.2 million sales per year. Thanks to obscene brand loyalty among pickup truck owners, Dodge has a lot of potential customers to impress.

Our first spy shots of the truck being tested in Death Valley, California, revealed no clues. But when we caught it during more hot-weather testing, it was easy to spot Dodge's signature crosshair grille, this time canted forward, and a new flat hood.

But as we pointed out in our in-depth look at the new Ram in February, ultimately it's not styling that sells these things, it's utility. And the Ram doesn't come up short in the features department. Dodge's new RamBox cargo management system puts storage bins in the sidewalls of the bed that hold 4.3 cubic feet of stuff each (read: five cases of beer for Talladega). If you're still running out of room, there are 38 interior storage cubbyholes and another two "store in the floor" bins, which can hold another 10 beers a pop for your buddies in the infield.

Under the hood you can still get a stonkin' 5.7-liter V8, this time around with 380 horsepower and 404 pound-feet of torque. Dodge says that'll push the short bed to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds — that's Porsche Cayman quick.

If you're not into railing Porsches at the stoplights, there's a smaller, 4.7-liter V8 with 310 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. And if you're buying Rams by the dozen for the park authority, there's the familiar 3.7-liter V6 with 215 hp and 225 lb-ft of torque.

That's not to mention the fuel-efficient engines that Dodge actually does have coming. In 2009, a Cummins turbodiesel will make the range, and later in 2010 there will even be a two-mode hybrid-electric option.

We also shot some exclusive spy video last October. But the best part of the 2009 Ram may be the length of its options list, which sounds like it belongs on a Mercedes S-Class. Available are things like heated and cooled seats up front, a heated steering wheel and heated seats in the rear. The rear occupants will also have the option of new Sirius Backseat TV, which can be watched up front when the Ram is in Park.

Sumber : http://www.edmunds.com/