Overview & Reviews

Ram is a recently formed subdivision of Chrysler. Its lineup consists chiefly of full-size pickups that were formerly called Dodge Rams. This offshoot brand was created in 2009 as part of a reorganization by Fiat, Chrysler's new owner, to increase awareness for the company's trucks. It all became official for the 2011 model year. The slightly renamed vehicles didn't change, and as such Ram trucks and vehicles are well suited for both work and play.

The Ram name itself was first used back in 1981 on Dodge's then-redesigned pickup trucks. Previously, Dodge pickups had more typical (and mundane) naming conventions, with a letter indicating drivetrain, and numbers indicating capacity. For example, a Dodge D150 was a two-wheel-drive ("D"), half-ton ("150") pickup, whereas a Dodge W150 was a four-wheel-drive ("W") half-ton pickup.

Though the Dodge Ram offered cab styles (standard and extended), powertrain options (inline-6,, V8, turbodiesel) and features similar to its Ford and Chevy competitors, it always trailed them in the sales race. A complete redesign for 1994 gave the Ram pickup line a huge boost in image and popularity. The aggressive styling -- featuring a big-rig-style grille and flared fenders -- was a huge factor in the Ram's increased appeal. Highlights for this generation included the debut of the popular Quad Cab with its reverse-opening rear doors that eased the loading of passengers and cargo. The Quad Cab (along with more luxury features) also signified the ever increasing use of pickup trucks as daily drivers and family vehicles.

Another redesign of the Ram pickup took place for 2002 (2003 for the heavy-duty models), giving sharper edges to the truck's already macho styling, which was backed up with the debut of the burly 5.7-liter Hemi V8. The current version of the Ram 1500 was introduced for 2009, boasting a much-improved interior as well as a unique coil-spring rear suspension. The latter offers notably more refined handling and ride characteristics compared to the more traditional leaf-spring setup used on the Ram's rivals.

In addition to the popular full-size Ram pickup lineup detailed above, the Ram brand also incorporates the midsize Dakota pickup as well as the Dodge Grand Caravan-based Ram C/V (Cargo Van).

User Reviews:

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  Excellent Truck! - 2012 RAM 1500
  By bsalberts - October 6 - 1:56 am

  I purchased the Ram 1500 ST Quad Cab 4x4 (Black). Ive had the truck for 3 months now. No complaints. I love it. I owned a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 before this and I must admit there is no comparison. The Ram is better in ride, comfort and in my opinion, performance. I love the sound of the 5.7 Hemi (390 hp) engine. Very aggressive. The outside of the vehicle looks great as well. I got the 20" chrome wheels, dual rear exhaust with bright tips and I also added a tonneau hard cover for the bed. Looks absolutely fantastic. Its perfect for commuting to the office or hauling toys on the weekend. Take one for a test drive. You will not be disappointed.

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  Love it, Hate it - 2011 RAM 1500
  By mmacht - August 15 - 8:26 am

  The performance, comfort, and looks of the truck are amazing. The coil springs and small bed limit real hauling if your truck is actually a truck. Service departments are horrible. A defective tire turned into a battle. Since I bought it water has leaked into the cab and Im being told thats normal. Over 7 efforts have been made to repair it and Im now filing a lemon claim on it. Apparently, the water issue is a problem for Ram with people all over the internet trying to band-aid the issue. My dealership has told me to stop washing my truck. Im not sure how theyll handle a response to the rain.

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  2016 Laramie quad cab 3.0 L Motori V6 diesel - 2016 RAM 1500
  By Chris - July 22 - 12:56 am

  On 9 September 2015 I ordered a 2016 DS1P41 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x2 140" WB, 64" box... 28H customer preferred package, a Laramie.. EXF 3.0L VM Motori V-6 diesel, DMD 3.55 Rear end, DSA Anti spin rear end, WFJ 17" wheels, AHC Trailer tow, XHC Trailer brake control, and a few other options... MSRP 46,860 / Invoice 42,670 / Net, Net, (less Holdback $1,370) $41,300... purchased for $41,900 less $2000 rebates, $39,900...( I personally feel the manufacturers have gone nuts on their pricing... their excuse is that they are competitive, bad argument on their part.) Ok, in my 63 years of life, about 20 of those years, I sold rolling stock to Federal, State, county, and municipal political entities and large and small commercial accounts. These vehicles included Chrysler, Ford, cars and trucks, and Sterling class 4 through 8 trucks... So as writer of this review, I am no nut case... I have driven them all... As for the dealer, they came in on the weak side... little or no product knowledge, customer satisfaction rating will get hit with an average rating, maybe... but, after saving a ton of money, I acquired my new ride on the 3rd of November 2015...had the dealer not had screwed up, I might have had the truck a week or two earlier... As of this writing Sunday 22 November 2015, the truck now has 1587 miles... My first 100 miles, at 65 mph, she clocked in at 33.1 MPG. way better than advertised... The following weekend of 6 Nov. 2015, I logged a good 580 miles at 80 mph, a lot of low rolling hills, some flat plains, good weather, a bit of wind, low humidity, normal temps, and she got a whopping 28.9 MPG... the majority of this ride consisted of more road miles with probably 50 miles of urban driving, this is way better than advertised... as for performance, if you lay that foot on the accelerator, you will be bounced into the back seat... for an itty bitty V-6, shes got some guts and power... As for the power source, the VM Motori diesel, shes not like any diesel that is out on the road... Most power sources that you find in domestically built trucks, ie, cummins, cat., detroit, powerstroke, and GMs Isuzu motor all have or have had an excessive valve knock... this was always standard issue with diesel motors... The Motori, its so quiet, you can hear yourself think... this little power box is actually quieter than some gas engines... If you are into quiet engine operations, this is a good choice... In the cabin, you can actually hold a normal conversation with other occupants. Fuel expense, even though the price of diesel is a bit higher than gas, with this truck and power source you can expect at least a 30% improvement in miles per gallon compared to gas... My first 1500 miles, I have spent less money on diesel fuel than my old gas truck... substantially less... As for handling and ride, this truck is nothing compared to what Chrysler or Ford built back in the 80s or 90s... An option was available for an air ride suspension, I couldnt justify the added expense, or future maintenance costs 80,000 miles down the rode... but, she is smooth, little or no road noise, no road harmonics... Power steering, its electric, no more steering juice to feed to it, no more steering gear leaks... and as for precise handling, its up there... handles like some low profile road cars.. without the stiff rides... As high as the truck stands, you would think that in the curves the G forces would be against you, they are not... you would think that you might have some pitch and awe to contend with when attacking curves, she stays straight and goes where you point her... little or no over or under steer...as for wind noise, Nada... none... The Sterling Acttera, a class 6 truck had a 65 degree cut in her cornering, it could out corner any F-350 to 550 on the road... the Ram 1500, shes there, I do not need a football field to turn her around... but, historically, Dodge trucks were always known to out maneuver Chevys or Fords... If you are still reading this review, and youre and ole guy like myself, something of note, the back up camera, make sure you get it... the Uconnect radio system has this huge interior screen, when you turn the knob selector to reverse, that camera lights up everything behind you... I ordered the front and rear sensors, its well worth the expense... Parallel parking is a breeze, and backing up to a trailer, is so much easier now. I am not having to get in and out a half dozen times to see where the trailer tongue and hitch is... One other thing that you will need to get used to, transmission selector, its a knob, electrically controlled, no more column shift. It seems and feels weird at first, but youll get used to it...

• 

  Great Heavy Duty Truck - 2011 RAM 2500
  By johnh506 - July 12 - 9:28 am

  The drop down menu does not offer the correct trim i have. I have a 2011 Ram 2500 HD 6.7L Cummins Diesel Engine, 6 speed automatic 4x4, Crew Cab 6.4ft short bed, Laramie Fully loaded Edition, Mono Rugged Brown Pearl. I did 4-5months of research on big 3 3/4 ton diesel trucks. I would be upgrading from a 07 Tacoma. Out of the big 3 I test drove 6 including the Ram 2500 Laramie I currently own and i have to say that im glad i bought this truck. The cummins is a great engine, the new 68re asian transmission is good and doesnt fish for gears like the 05 f-250 and 11 f-250 i test drove. exterior and interior design is wonderfull, functional and great quality. More truck for my buck was awesome

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  Cross-Shopped with Ford, Loved the Ram - 2012 RAM 1500
  By notafraid11 - July 11 - 3:52 am

  After extensive shopping for a full-sized truck - mainly comparing it with the Ford F-150 XLT, I chose the Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 Big Horn. It had the perfect mix of features I wanted (back-up camera, navigation) without having to have features I didnt necessarily want to pay for (leather, two-tone paint) that are available in the higher trim lines. Had to jump up to higher trim lines to get these features in the Ford. I also like the look of the Ram better than the Ford (as most seem to), and like its power delivery versus the Ford as well - EcoBoost in the Ford was not very smooth. This is an excellent truck - very high quality, great power, and a great mix of useful mid-line features.

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  Great Truck, Horrible Air Conditioning - 2011 RAM 1500
  By cbonomo - June 26 - 7:52 pm

  I love everything about this truck, but it is unfortunately ruined by inferior air conditioning. I have had it back to the dealership three times and they tell me it is working as per spec, but also agree that the spec is inadequate. FYI, the spec is to blow air at 20 degrees below the outside temperature. I can tell you that if the outside temperature hits 79 degrees or greater, you need to roll down the windows, or you will sweat in the car. The dealership has tested my 2011 a/c performance against older models and they claim that the older models work better. There is nothing that can be done about it. It is a design flaw that ruins the truck.

• 

  what a truck ! - 2011 RAM 1500
  By onoffroad - June 23 - 4:56 am

  Brought a new 2011 Ram SLT Quad 4x4 with 5.7 and 3.92 axle ratio !Got it for towing travel trailer and every day use !Got at "Great price"! Said would never buy a Dodge , but research was worth it ! Got back today from 204 mile trip,temp.95degrees,driving 67MPH.Read out said avg.21,checked 10.2 gal.[20 MPG] with air [AC] on ! People this is a 8cy. 4x4 with towing axle ! Only had the truck 10 days ! It has the works, like back-up camera,touch this and touch that !!!

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  2017 Ram 1500 tradesman crew cab - 2017 RAM 1500
  By Ronald Keillor - May 6 - 9:23 am

  Going for cargo room in the bed and comfort room in the cab - got the best of both with the no frills Tradesman

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  Used 2011 Ram 1500 Quad - 2011 RAM 1500
  By jbredbug - March 9 - 6:41 pm

  I bought a 2011 used Ram 1500 Quad (SLT). Ive had it 8 weeks now, so Im still in the "honeymoon stage". That said; so far its a great truck. The ride is exceptional in the front seats. The rear seat is cramped (its a quad not a crew). The quad has more bed length. I have the 4.7, not the Hemi (5.7). On the highway, I get 22mph. With easy city driving, Im avg. 17 (with the AC off). It has a quiet, smooth ride. The quality apppears to be there inside and out. I have not towed with it yet.

• 

  A piece of crap= POS - 2016 RAM 2500
  By Randy - January 17 - 6:23 am

  To start with, my family has owned 7 dodge diesels trucks so far. I will not buy another. I like driving my 1999 2500, owned it for 16 years and take it to drive unless I dont have a choice. Would trade 2016, in if I wouldnt lose so much money. I get 21 mpg in my 1999; get 16 mpg in 2016.Theres no interior lights for the front seat area. Have to pull over or passenger has to remove seat belt to read the map. Have to use the light in the back seat area. It doesnt have gas caps. It has Dumbo mirrors. They stick out way to far for normal use. Its very hard to see traffic in the mirrors. Real hard to change from fast lane to slow lane. Cant see cars in right lane. Mirror height to short. If you turn (90 degrees) the mirrors, you can see wide, but cant see cars. Have to use interior mirror for lane change. Has bug eyes mirrors on drivers side and passenger side. Its a pos. Tried to change out mirrors. Dealer had no knowledge on any kind of part swap. Im 62" and cant reach in to the bed of the truck without a ladder or lower tailgate. Still need ladder to get in bed. You have to buy steps to get in and out of the truck unless you have a 16" vertical jump. Wife in high heels had to take off shoes to get in. Even with step, I hit my head on the overhead door opening. Not as tall as my 1999. Motor has a rev limiter. about 3200 rpm. Right when the motor is at full turbo, it cuts out. The exhaust brake button need to be relocated. You have to look at the bottom of the dash to engage. Eyes off the road like texting. Going to get a switch, for exhaust brake, to put on the gear shift lever. What does work--- I like the drink holder in the door. Its wired for easy towing. I like the six speed transmission. Wish I could put transmission in my 1999. Have to check. Over all I will retrofit an older truck before buying a new one. Ive driven over 6 million miles in my life and this truck is dangerous to drive in traffic. Even on Freeways. Overall. Don’t buy this truck!