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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  2011 Ram 2500 6.7 diesel - 2011 RAM 2500
  By jpuente - August 15 - 4:39 am

  Purchased new dodge 2500 less than a month ago now the truck is in the shop with a busted transmission colant line worst part is the part will take 5 to 7 days to get here. And of corse customer care gives you the run around

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  2011 Dakota 4x4 Ext Big Horn - 2011 RAM Dakota
  By engineer49 - October 21 - 12:51 pm

  Fit and finish is very good, ride is comfortable, however, performance is sorely lacking. MPG is 15, at best. The transmission is reluctant to shift into the higher gears -- even letting off the accelerator doesnt encourage a shift change. The 3.7L engine lacks the oomph to take on inclines without downshifting to 2nd gear. The rolling resistance seems unusually high as it drives like it is towing or hauling a heavy load. One would expect mediocre fuel economy to have a trade off in power, or vice-versa, but thats not the case. Dodge would do well to re-outfit this truck with a better engine and transmission.

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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

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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.

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  Very unhappy - 2012 RAM 1500
  By unhappy109 - January 11 - 1:53 pm

  Well I have a 2012 ram 1500 with 48000km on it was very pleased with it up until 2 days ago. When I hit a bump doing 40km breaking the lower control arm at the ball joint. I had it towed to the dealership where it was purchase after they took pictures of the broken arm and the rest of the damage done to the truck emailing them of to a engineer. They called me back telling me that I must have be mudding and they will not cover the damage to the truck. At this point I am very upset with the way they have treated this situation and made up there own story of what happened. Witch is not one bit true leaving me with a 4000 bill the truck will be fixed and I will be going back to chev.

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  2015 Ram Rusting Chysler or Dealer will not fix. - 2015 RAM 1500
  By ramrust - December 6 - 6:48 pm

  I purchased a 2015 Ram 1500 quad cab 9 weeks ago it has 1800 miles and its rusting already on the body. Dealer nor Chrysler will do anything about it. I have started a website showing the rust on mine and photos and videos of several trucks on there car lot that have rust and flaking paint problems on the rocker pinch weld. Its a shame because other than that I love the truck. I do not like the way the dealer and Chrysler have shrugged it off when its clearly a manufacturing flaw. [HTML removed]

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  ECO Mode is terrible but great ride. - 2011 RAM 1500
  By dvp16 - May 19 - 12:06 pm

  Great ride, smooth, quick. Nice interior, better than Fords. The bad- the ECO mode or MDS that cuts the engine to four cylinders to save fuel is terrible. Runs rough, sputters despite program flash from dealer. I had a 2011 Jeep with the same engine and the MDS switch was flawless. So this must be a "Ram" problem. Check out some Ram forums and see the complaints about the ECO and MDS before purchasing. Drivers are placing the transmission in 5th gear to keep the MDS from engaging. I guess we know why Ram sales continue to fall. Chrysler will not listen to the owners.

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  2011 2500 "Diesel" ST LWB - 2011 RAM 2500
  By chrisz71p - January 21 - 6:58 pm

  Numerous Injector problems. Truck runs like crap and dodge usually has no diesel mechanics or they change weekly. You get different advice from each. They tell me that its a "known problem with the Bosch injectors and Ram will allow one injector to be replaced under warranty... maybe you got bad fuel" Well if it was a one time problem maybe but its not.