Ram 1500 "Truck of the Year" back to back

[odcics2]

Good news for Chrysler!    

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2013/12/ram-1500-wins-motor-trend-truck-of-the-year-again/#more-68396

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2013/12/ram-motor-trend-truck-of-the-year

[War wagon]

 
As the owner of a 13 QQ 4X4 Sport I can tell you first hand the awards are well deserved.
No other truck on the road today has the same on road presence as the Ram and it appears the others can't compete mechanically.
The 8spd with the HEMI is an amazing combo of power and fuel economy

[DadsCharger00]

http://www.cornhuskerautocenter.com/used/Dodge/2010-Dodge-Ram+1500-Norfolk-NE-1294901f0a0a00de01c45950950dea3f.htm

Looking at this guy myself...any opinions? Never owned a Ram myself, but always liked the style and presence....

[War wagon]

http://www.cornhuskerautocenter.com/used/Dodge/2010-Dodge-Ram+1500-Norfolk-NE-1294901f0a0a00de01c45950950dea3f.htm

Looking at this guy myself...any opinions? Never owned a Ram myself, but always liked the style and presence....

Looks like a nice truck.
I had a 09 before my 13, just be sure too ask if the recall has been done for the pinion nut. 09-12 model years are effected. Pinion nut backs off and grenades the rear end. Complete redesign on 13-14's
Otherwise dam good trucks! Bought my 09 new and put 160,000kms on it before trading on the new one

[chargerboy69]

As a owner of a F350 who abuses it, and pushes it to the limits daily, the group at Motor Trend are smoking something.

Funny thing is 4 years ago I would have never considered a Ford. . Now, for a real, work, truck I will not consider anything except a Ford.

[Indygenerallee]

Your right Chargerboy, I have a old 1999 F250 Powerstroke 7.3 6 speed 398,000 miles and it runs better than some new trucks ive driven... I like Dodge but if I were to buy a brand new truck I would take the Ford..... wish they made a Cummins equipped F-250 350!!! That would be the truck that kills them all!!

[Magnumcharger]

I got the word about the "Truck of the year" accolades last night, directly from a friend who is a head honcho in Chrysler, that happens to be a 1971 Challenger owner as well!
Strangely, its the first time a vehicle has won two years in a row.
Makes me very happy about my recent purchase of a 2013 Ram 1500 Laramie. It is a fantastic rig!

[ACUDANUT]

 Motor Trend takes "donations", to help them decide.  Consumer reports shows them last out of the big three. 

[hatersaurusrex]

Isn't this the same Consumer Reports that completely killed the Suzuki Samurai's sales by rolling one over on purpose, then claiming they were unsafe?   

[6spd68]

Your right Chargerboy, I have a old 1999 F250 Powerstroke 7.3 6 speed 398,000 miles and it runs better than some new trucks ive driven... I like Dodge but if I were to buy a brand new truck I would take the Ford..... wish they made a Cummins equipped F-250 350!!! That would be the truck that kills them all!!

Completely agree with you sir 

[1974dodgecharger]

Isn't this the same Consumer Reports that completely killed the Suzuki Samurai's sales by rolling one over on purpose, then claiming they were unsafe?   

Yup

[1974dodgecharger]

Motor Trend takes "donations", to help them decide.  Consumer reports shows them last out of the big three. 

This to...

[twodko]

This thread convinced me to take a look at Ram 1500 trucks at one of the local dealerships. I'm interested in a four door gas 4wd.
The Ram comes in a lot of different configurations. What's the difference between a crew cab and a mega cab? They're both 4 door trucks so is it called a mega cab on ¾ ton or heavier pickups?

This is a great time of year to buy so I've also posted my 1999 Tahoe 2 door for sale.

I just walked the dealers lot today but I'm going to test drive one this weekend. Lots of rebates and incentives to buy during December. Dealers are also making it a point to mention 1999 or newer trade-ins on new truck buys. I'll sell my Tahoe outright before I'd trade it in....more cash to negotiate with.

I've always owned GM trucks so this will be a big step outside my comfort zone.

[hatersaurusrex]

This thread convinced me to take a look at Ram 1500 trucks at one of the local dealerships. I'm interested in a four door gas 4wd.
The Ram comes in a lot of different configurations. What's the difference between a crew cab and a mega cab? They're both 4 door trucks so is it called a mega cab on ¾ ton or heavier pickups?

The mega cab is actually a bit bigger than the crew.  There's some space behind the rear seat (allowing you to recline the seats a bit) whereas on my crew the rear seat sits right against the rear bulkhead of the truck.   The crew is plenty roomy and I wasn't sorry I didn't get the mega cab.  Not sure why, but a couple years ago Dodge/Ram decided Mega Cab was for the 3/4 and 1 ton truck, and replaced it in the 1/2 tons with the Crew cab option.   

It's a subtle difference until you know what you're lookign at, but if you look at pics of each side by side you can see the extra few inches the mega cab gives:

[twodko]

Thanks for the visual, much easier to understand. The crew cab version would suit me just fine......I won't be riding in the back.   

[ACUDANUT]

Now if they would just find another grill/front end...It's basically the same thing for what..20 years now. 

[Cooter]

I'd have to say if I needed a diesel, it damn sure wouldn't be that Ford. Navistar or whatever, completely screwed Ford when the 6.0 camr out. $10k to redesign/upgrade whole top end and the EGR cooler...heads cracking in injector bosses. What a turd.
Let's not forget the DPFE 'regen' cycles the new diesels have to endure.


Nope, gimme my old 360 in my 99 Ram with its 15mpg any day over the $50k Diesels.

[odcics2]

Allpar.com article: http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2013/12/ram-rocks-with-new-diesel

[1970Moparmann]

The diesel is going to be a hit for sure.   Can't wait to get some members opinion on it. 

[twodko]

I went on a Ram Recon yesterday and drove a 2014 crewcab 1500 hemi 2wd. Nice truck as are similar GM offerings.
My very first observation was that buying an aftermarket extended warranty is a must after the 3 year coverage for electronics expires. These trucks are heavily computer driven. I understand the OEM replacement cost for the main touch screen "controls everything" computer is $5000!

It comes down to what you've been raised driving which is most often what people buy. Chrysler and GM trucks similarly equipped are separated by price only with Chrysler offerings $3-5k more.

More tire kicking today.

[ACUDANUT]

I went on a Ram Recon yesterday and drove a 2014 crewcab 1500 hemi 2wd. Nice truck as are similar GM offerings.
My very first observation was that buying an aftermarket extended warranty is a must after the 3 year coverage for electronics expires. These trucks are heavily computer driven. I understand the OEM replacement cost for the main touch screen "controls everything" computer is $5000!

It comes down to what you've been raised driving which is most often what people buy. Chrysler and GM trucks similarly equipped are separated by price only with Chrysler offerings $3-5k more.

More tire kicking today.

Have you ever tried a F-150, or bigger !!

[1970Moparmann]

Today, I did a stop by at a Dodge and Ford dealership.   All I can say is wow..... My 2010 F150 XLT 4 x 4 crew had a sticker of $38k and I got it for $28 at the end of the year.  Now, the same truck has a sticker of $46k with the Ecoboost - WOW!   

The Dodge dealership I stopped by only had (1) 2014 with the regular V6.   They had a 2013 with the 6 speed trans for a sticker of $41k.

Looks like I'll be keeping my 2010 for 3+ more years.   

[twodko]

Yes indeed, sticker shock fo sho!

A local guy has a 2011 Chevy Silverado LT crewcab 4wd w/57k miles on it. Pictures I've seen look good and I'm going to check it out Wednesday morning. The sellers is a LEO and it's his next day off. He's asking $28k obo....NADA has it at $24k. The only concern I have is he's pulled an aluminum 2 horse trailer with it. To offset that it still has a couple years of transferable warranty left on it. Wednesday will tell the tale.

[DadsCharger00]

I went shoping this weekend.  ill show my new beast here when I can get some pics! The rebate was to good to pass up.....

[chargerboy69]

I'd have to say if I needed a diesel, it damn sure wouldn't be that Ford. Navistar or whatever, completely screwed Ford when the 6.0 camr out. $10k to redesign/upgrade whole top end and the EGR cooler...heads cracking in injector bosses. What a turd.
Let's not forget the DPFE 'regen' cycles the new diesels have to endure.

Ah. .this was 10 years ago . . . .  

Nope, gimme my old 360 in my 99 Ram with its 15mpg any day over the $50k Diesels.

Unfortunately I can not pull a 14000lb trailer with this set up. But with my 7.3 I can still hook up the trailer and fly by you pulling nothing.  

Oh, and I get 18 to 20 mpg. . . .

[Old Moparz]

I like the new Dodge / Ram trucks but won't be in the market for a long time. My 2004 Ram 1500 just turned the odometer to 70,000 miles & everything is still in decent shape.

As far as the "Car of the Year" or "Truck of the Year" awards from magazines that take advertising dollars from the vehicle manufacturers, I don't buy into it for the same reason I don't believe most newsertainment outlets that claim to be in the news business, it's too biased.

Don't forget that these automotive mags picked these turds as best vehicle, too.   

[DadsCharger00]

Heres the new toy

[Ghoste]

I spent a good portion of the last week riding and driving a 2014 Ram and the accolades are well deserved in my opinion. 

[twodko]

That's a gorgeous truck no doubt about it. Congrats!  Is it a '13 or '14? All the Rams I've looked at had the new dash dial tranny shifter not a console lever. What's the deal there?

[DadsCharger00]

Thanks! The dial feature if I'm not mistaken is a 14' option for the 8 speed tranny. This is a 13' model so 6 speed tranny. Incentives were to good to not buy it.  The used one I was looking at was close to my final price after dealer/dodge incentives plus trade.  Only thing we didn't get that we really wanted was the crew cab vs the quad.  But the crew cab was an extra 5200 $ for the 3.5 inches in rear leg space. I drive it anyway! Don't ride in the back lol!

[chargerboy69]

Mike. . .Sweat truck buddy, looks great.  I love the interior, very cool.  Is she a 4X4?

[War wagon]

Thanks! The dial feature if I'm not mistaken is a 14' option for the 8 speed tranny. This is a 13' model so 6 speed tranny. Incentives were to good to not buy it.  The used one I was looking at was close to my final price after dealer/dodge incentives plus trade.  Only thing we didn't get that we really wanted was the crew cab vs the quad.  But the crew cab was an extra 5200 $ for the 3.5 inches in rear leg space. I drive it anyway! Don't ride in the back lol!

The 8spd was optional on 13's and is standard equipment on 14's that gives you the rotary dial.
Beautiful truck, I think you'll like the QQ better than the crew anyway, you get a bigger box. I had a 09 CC and traded for a QQ this time. Found I didn't need the interior space as much as I needed the exterior bed room.
Nice colour choice, sharp looking truck

[Charger_Dart]

I bought my 09 1500 QC in 2008 when the model changed to the current style. 5 years later I still love my truck and have no regrets at all. It really is a well built truck that has a great ride to it.
The newer ones seem to come with an air ride suspension that raises and lowers the truck automatically or manually. I would be curious to hear what owners think of this feature.....

[DadsCharger00]

Mike. . .Sweat truck buddy, looks great.  I love the interior, very cool.  Is she a 4X4?

Thanks Tim. Pretty excited....still honestly kinda in shock. Wasn't going to buy a new one....actually the WIFE talked me into it! Guess you take it when you can get it right! LOL

She's a 4x4. Air ride suspension, heated fabric seats, and steering wheel. Need to upgrade for the navigation, but honestly I use my phone for that anyway.  Need to add the back up camera (little longer then my hummer was!) Suspension air ride is pretty nice. Adjustable ride heights per conditions, or when you want to get into the truck you can lower it so it's not so high. Button right on the remote to lower it down. (wife likes that part). So far I can' complain. Dodge has come a long way with design, and attention to detail. I love it....tell ya more when I can start adding up the gas mileage!

[moparjohn]

The only drawback to the 8 speed is the dial control.  Push button I would have liked better, but shifter is my first choice.  JMO, MPJ

[bill440rt]

I've posted before about my '11 1500 4x4 Laramie, LOVE my truck. I've owned one of each of the previous 3 generation Rams with them being 2500's, this is BY FAR the best Ram I've owned.
I went with the Crew Cab, my kids are getting bigger & I needed the room in the cab vs the bed, although at times I do wish the bed was longer. Pick-n-choose, I guess.
Pulls my enclosed car trailer as good as my old '07 2500, and WAY better than my first '98 2500. I'd only like the payload to be a little better, but now air assist suspension is an option. Some people I know have added airbags to assist with payload capacity.
Decent gas mileage, super comfy on long trips, nice ride, features, and is the best looking truck of the Big 3 IMHO.
IIRC the Mega cab is not an option on the 1500, only on the heavier duty trucks.

[hatersaurusrex]

Decent gas mileage, super comfy on long trips, nice ride, features, and is the best looking truck of the Big 3 IMHO.

GMC had a great looking truck until this year.   The new ones are horrible looking.   Ironically, GM appears to have taken a quantum leap forward in interior design.  Anything is better than the squeaky cheap plastic they've had since the 80's.   Ford screwed the pooch in 09 when they decided the F150 should look like a Focus in the front end.  Sad, because (not counting 04 - 08 when they had a great looking truck) Ford is almost always at the back of the pack in styling since the 70's.   I thought their 'new edge' design philosophy was really solid, but the current lineup - bleh.

Ram wins in looks hands down.   I agree with one of the above comments - replacing the crosshair grille is long overdue.  It's really gawdy in places where it doesn't fit and has ruined a few vehicles outright - like back when Pontiac used to put gross plastic cladding all over otherwise nice looking GM cars.  They're technically not even Dodges anymore, so no need to stick with the theme.

[twodko]

"GMC had a great looking truck until this year.   The new ones are horrible looking.   Ironically, GM appears to have taken a quantum leap forward in interior design.  Anything is better than the squeaky cheap plastic they've had since the 80's.   Ford screwed the pooch in 09 when they decided the F150 should look like a Focus in the front end.  Sad, because (not counting 04 - 08 when they had a great looking truck) Ford is almost always at the back of the pack in styling since the 70's.   I thought their 'new edge' design philosophy was really solid, but the current lineup - bleh"



Agreed, the new GM truck are blunt and square. hey look like big Volvos. The new interiors are really plush though and its a huge plus GM appears to have moved away....far away from all the plastic.

I'm going to checkout a pre-owned 2011 Ram 1500 this afternoon. Crewcab 2wd (I think) Brown w/beige, CPO truck.

[bill440rt]

I actually like the crosshair grille on the Ram, especially this generation. Very reminiscent of late-'50's 300's. Gives the truck an aggressive look to the front.
I hated the previous front end on the '07. 

[ACUDANUT]

Hater, you truly live up to your name.  Ram also has the same grill as a nitro, caliber and everything that else that Chrysler comes out with.
BTW Dodge does not makes trucks anymore.

[DC_1]

Love mine. Had it 3 weeks now. Ram has the best looking trucks on the road IMO

[hatersaurusrex]

Hater, you truly live up to your name and education. Ram also has the same grill as a nitro, caliber and everything that else that Chrysler comes out with.
BTW Dodge does not makes trucks anymore.

Lol Cuda, I know, that was my point really - no need to stick with it because it's no longer a Dodge.   Only the Dodges have carried the crosshair unless I'm wrong, the Plymouths (RIP) and Chrysler versions always had a different grille.

And to Bill's point - I do actually like the crosshair on the current Rams, and I also agree it was a bit round a bulbous looking on the previous version.   Since it's a 'Dodge' thing, I think they should create something new for the next version of RAM, since they're not really Dodges anymore.

[War wagon]

Dodge may not admit they make trucks anymore and insist its a new brand called Ram..
Well my Ministry of Transportation ownership in the province of Ontario calls it a Dodge Ram LMAO

[hatersaurusrex]

Mine was built after Ram spun off into it's own marque - yet the change holder up high on the dash still says DODGE.   I wasn't even aware that Ram was it's own thing until I got home and started looking for tires, and could only find models listed up to 2010 on the sizing guides.

[twodko]

http://4488.autowebshowcase.com/vslp/12474404/2/9287209

I looked at this truck today. It was a rental but it's in great shape. Not a Hemi though....bummer. 2012 SLT 16k miles listed for $24k+. Silver isn't my first choice and I know nothing about this smaller V8......I won't be towing anything.
It has most of the bells and whistles except a power drivers seat. The front seat is basically a bench seat with a fold down armrest/storage thingy.

Opinions?

In case this link doesn't work, the listing is in the SF bay area CL northbay all cars and trucks catagory.

[hatersaurusrex]

http://4488.autowebshowcase.com/vslp/12474404/2/9287209

I looked at this truck today. It was a rental but it's in great shape. Not a Hemi though....bummer. 2012 SLT 16k miles listed for $24k+. Silver isn't my first choice and I know nothing about this smaller V8......I won't be towing anything.
It has most of the bells and whistles except a power drivers seat. The front seat is basically a bench seat with a fold down armrest/storage thingy.

Opinions?

In case this link doesn't work, the listing is in the SF bay area CL northbay all cars and trucks catagory.

Nice truck.  Not sure what care prices are like on the west coast but I think you could probably get a bit more truck for 24K than that.   Then again, they may be negotiable.    There was a silver 4x4 crewcab Outdoorsman for sale at Carmax here for like 26K that had only 2K miles plust a hemi, and power everything, with navigation and some other stuff I can't seem to remember right now but I looked hard at it before I got the sport.

Might want to talk them down a bit, but def a nice truck.    I don't know much about the 4.7 either, never seen a vehicle with one in it.

[twodko]

Compared to the rest of the country the PRK is broken in many ways one of which is car prices. One reason for this is Kalijokia's ultra lib environmental laws.
I'm looking at other vehicles the next few days but I did like this truck. I would prefer a hemi and a club cab for the extra leg room. The mileage on this one is what I'm looking for.....lower the better and a couple more bells and whistles are on my list too. I'm thinking a Ram this time instead of a Chebbie.

Thank you for your response.

[gschmidt211]

I ordered a 4x2 Quad Cab Outdoorsman a week ago.  I have received 2 emails from the factory indicating the truck has been scheduled.  I can't wait until it gets here.

[twodko]

I'm still shopping. There's a '14 Ram 1500 Hemi QuadCab 2wd at the same dealership I may test drive tomorrow.
I saw a '14 Chrysler 300 today as well as a '14 Chevrolet Impala LT2 both of which I want to drive.
I'm actually beginning to be honest with myself. I don't really need a 4wd here or even a truck for that matter. It would be easier for me getting into/out of a full size sedan with my back issue.........I think.