Overview & Reviews

For decades, the Ram was Dodge's iconic full-size pickup. Starting in 2011, however, parent company Chrysler decided to make the Ram name an actual brand. So, yes, this truck's name is now just Ram, with 1500 added on to specify its status as the half-ton truck in the lineup. There are 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty models as well.

Current Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 is a full-size truck offered in three body styles -- regular cab, extended cab ("Quad Cab") and crew cab. The regular cab can be had with either a 6-foot-4-inch bed or an 8-foot version. The extended cab comes only with the 6-foot-4 bed. The Ram's crew cab model provides the most interior room but comes only with a 5-foot-7-inch bed.

There are three trim levels: base ST, midlevel SLT and top-shelf Laramie. The ST is pretty basic, but you still get air-conditioning and a full complement of safety features including stability control, antilock brakes and side curtain airbags. Naturally, moving up to the SLT or Laramie will get you more standard equipment. Notable options include "RamBox" storage bins mounted on the sides of the bed, a TRX off-road package and rear entertainment and navigation systems.

For engines, the Ram 1500 starts out with a 3.7-liter V6 that produces 215 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque. A four-speed automatic is standard. The standard engine on the four-wheel-drive Ram ST and all SLT models is a 4.7-liter V8 coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. Output is a healthy 310 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Standard on the Laramie trim and optional on the SLT is a 5.7-liter V8 with a five-speed auto. Output is 390 hp and 407 lb-ft of torque.

In reviews, we've found that this truck excels as a daily-use pickup. A major contributor to this is the truck's coil-spring rear suspension, which significantly enhances ride quality over broken pavement. Another benefit is the roomy and well-appointed interior. The crew cab's rear seat is very comfortable, offering loads of legroom and an agreeable seatback rake. There's also lots of storage space, and the optional RamBox storage bins are pretty cool, though in testing we've found them to be lacking in terms of durability. On the road, the Ram 1500 provides plenty of grunt for towing and hauling when fitted with either V8; the underpowered V6 should be avoided.

Used Ram 1500 Models
The new Ram 1500 name came into being for 2011. In reality, though, it's just the next model year of what was formerly the fourth-generation Dodge Ram. For more information on the Dodge version and its previous generations, please read our Dodge Ram review.

User Reviews:

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  I love my truck! - 2011 RAM 1500
  By sgilbert - April 8 - 11:35 pm

  My 2011 Dodge Quad Cab 4X4 has the Hemi. I find the initial quality to be excellent. No squeaks or rattles, and a beatiful, smooth quiet ride, almost like riding in a luxury car. The seats are very comfortable and supportive (better than the Ford I also drove). The hemi performs beautifully and I get about 13 mpg around town and cruising 60 -65, steady, produces around 20. Everything works. Havent had it back to the dealer for anything, and Im quite fussy. The media center provides a ton of information Ive never seen before in a vehicle, and the satellite radio is great (love that Sinatra channel). Overall very pleased - I love to drive this truck!

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  So far so good! - 2011 RAM 1500
  By cyoung6 - February 3 - 12:49 pm

  This is my husbands truck but since I have driven it on numerous occasions, I thought I would write a review. First of all, I am a petite woman (5ft) and this big truck is moderately comfortable for my small stature. My husband is over 6ft tall and it suites him just fine, as well. The truck is an animal in the snow with great traction control and handling. We have 4 wheel drive and hemi option. The mileage is great for a big truck with a big engine. We average about 20mpg and the eco mode urges economical driving habits. Love the dark green color we have.

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  Like it but... - 2012 RAM 1500
  By tylerg4 - December 28 - 3:30 am

  I bought this truck in October (I live in maine), I think the truck is good but I really do use it as a family truck and a work truck. Its is the best family truck but lets see what you get when you take it off road. Make sure to see pros and cons.

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  Beats my F-150 Ecoboost any day of the week! - 2014 RAM 1500
  By cpercha - December 22 - 9:59 am

  Wow!!! After 3 years and 88,000 miles in a 2011 Ford F-150 Ecoboost I can tell you that the Ram makes it look like a glorified golf cart. I had driven several Rams before making my choice on which one to get. I ended up going with the Hemi attached to the 8 speed automatic and 3.92 gears. At first I was concerned that I would pay the price at the pump for the 3.92 gearing but I have found that this has not been the case at all. When driving models with 3.21 gears I had to get into the gas more to get the response I was looking for. With the 3.92 not only am I getting better performance but I dont need to hit the peddle much to get it to move which ended up resulting in better gas mileage.

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  Made the switch - 2014 RAM 1500
  By johneb09 - November 29 - 5:19 pm

  We traded our 2012 Silverado in on this new Ram a few months ago, and so far, love the truck. The Chevys 5.3 ltr had very sluggish acceleration, and an irratic shifting 6 speed transmission. I test drove another new 2014 Silverado, a 2014 F150, and then the Ram. The 2014 Chevy was once again, sluggish. The Ford was ok, but the Rams performance and handling, IMO, was the one that was the most enjoyable to drive. The acceleration is amazing, and the 8 speed transmission is precise. The Hemi engine is powerful, yet we have been getting 25 MPG on the highway. Pretty amazing truck all the way around, plus it was priced thousands less than the Ford & Chevy.

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  Transmission Leaking Day 1 - 2014 RAM 1500
  By emmerth - October 17 - 2:36 am

  I purchased this 1500 9-1-14 to replace my aging Titan (10 years old). The dealership was offering some great incentives for the holiday and the truck seemed to be rated pretty good so I thought it was a no-brainer. Until, I took it over my friends house (concrete driveway) and he informed me that I leaked transmission fluid all over it. I then looked under the truck and sure enough, it was leaking. Well, it has been to the dealer 4 times now and they still are having trouble fixing it. It is now at the dealer again. When they picked it up this morning, it had 1568 miles on it and most of them are from them doing test drives. Contact Chrysler support yesterday and waiting them...

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  Unimpressed - 2013 RAM 1500
  By roger126 - October 10 - 8:50 pm

  Cant believe that this is the truck of the year! Have about 2000 miles on it and have scheduled second trip to dealer to try to fix the radio. The touch screen goes black and I cant control the radio. I also have had on several occasions where when I turn the key nothing happens. If I take the key out and try again, then it will start. Not very comfortable feeling if I want to take it out into the woods. I will give it credit for fuel economy with the 6 cyl and 8 speed transmission. Not sure if I like the dial shifter. In light of the other electronic issues I am not confident that will not become an issue down the road. The ride is good, the paint was not the best quality

• 

  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...