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! - 2013 RAM 2500
  By quicksilver10 - May 29 - 4:43 am

  Bought a new 2013 Ram 6.7L and love it supper over kill for my little boat but it does the job and more. I have had no problems up to now and gas mileage is around 20MPG in the San Antonio metro area not BAD! I will buy this truck again. Interior looks amazing they did skimp on the very fine details but its almost unnoticeable. Good truck probably the best for money and value.

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  Ram 2500 Diesel - 2012 RAM 2500
  By Brian - May 23 - 9:53 am

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  Best Truck on the market. - 2012 RAM 1500
  By nclemons1985 - April 6 - 7:04 am

  Bought a Dakota 4.7L 4WD. Traded it in 4 months later for a 2012 4WD Ram with a Hemi. Right off the bat I noticed a huge difference between this truck and the others I have owned in the past. More power than I need. Which is a good thing. It accelerates and tows up a hill like it is not there. Very comfortable ride. I barely noticed bumps in the road I noticed with my Dakota. Its the smoothest shifting vehicle I have ever driven. My girlfriend didnt understand the big deal until she drove it herself. Now she wants a Ram. She hated trucks before she drove it. My favorite part: More power than Ford, Toyota, Nissan, GMC and Chevy yet priced better.

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  2016 3500 Ram Longhorn - 2016 RAM 3500
  By Jeff Woldt - March 2 - 1:32 pm

  Buy it!

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  2011 Dodge Larimie - 2011 RAM 1500
  By Dave - February 15 - 2:00 am

  More decedent than any other vehicle I owned (have had several trucks, including 95 and 03 Dodge 2500 Diesels.) My main interest was the ram box, which limited my choices - crew only. From there I loaded it up cause I could. (A heated steering wheel is over the top, but being storing over 4200 songs on the HD is cool, since I have almost that many.) It fits a certain niche. Ram box allows me to store everything I need to carry in the boxes, and keep the cab clean. Managing about 16 mpg avg. Love the sun roof. Leather. This is an old mans truck (which I am). Better for towing (9500) than hauling (1200). Pretty and comfy - works for me. Only 750 mi so far, no mechanical to report.

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  Poor Towing capabilities-5th wheel - 2013 RAM 2500
  By tnraven - January 25 - 1:04 am

  I traded my Laramie Hemi for a 2500 diesel because the upper limit on the Hemi was only 10,000 lbs towing. We were buying a fifth wheel which was 12,000 lbs. When I got it home and did some last minute research before buying the fifth wheel we picked out, I found it could not tow it. I am sitting here in shock after spending $70k on a truck with one purpose and it isnt capable. THe towing number is fine at over 17,000 lbs.....but the payload capacity is only 2274 lbs. The fifth wheel is fairly light at 1980 lbs and if I go by myself on vacation it would be OK....but adding passengers, dogs, clothes...Im 400 lbs over. Chevy and FOrd have no prob.em here and are in the 4000 lb p

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  10K miles 2500 4x4 Ram/Cummins DIESEL - 2012 RAM 2500
  By dundonrl - January 17 - 12:59 am

  I bought my Ram in Nov with 20 miles on it, and just rolled over 10K, so far its been 100% reliable, and a fun vehicle to drive. I went from a 500+ hp Mustang Cobra to this truck, and while I do miss the accleration and handling, overall the truck definitely makes up for the Mustang.

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  Love it! - 2011 RAM 3500
  By mscmdurham - December 12 - 7:15 am

  We bought a 2011 used with about 40k miles on it already. I use it to pull my horse trailer and you can hardly even tell it is back there. I have loaded 2 full tons of haycubes in the bed and although it squated a little it handled it just fine. The only issue we have had with it so far is one day the key fob would not unlock the door. I made the mistake of using the manual key and everything went haywire. We had to disconnect the battery and let it reset. Also a couple of times while using the hands free device for the phone, even after the call was ended and the keys were out of the truck, the display stayed on. Again had to disconnect battery and reset. That happened 2 times.

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  Ram big horn - 2017 RAM 1500
  By James - November 19 - 5:15 pm

  Great truck. Looked at the silverados as a comparison but the price difference was insane. For a Silverado with less equipment than the big horn, chevy wanted almost 9k more. Im sorry but even if chevy has better resale I doubt its that high. If I wanted a comparable truck from chevy it was almost 15,000 more. Ive heard of people saying ram isnt as reliable but I believe thats a myth seeing as how everyone I talk to about rams says they love it and have never had any problems. Because of the new "knob shifter I opted for an extended warranty just in case" . The truck rides great. It seemed more smooth then the chevy and just about as quiet inside the cab. The stock stereo has great sound and the engine noise is just the right amount not too loud but it makes its presence known. The cab is huge. Crew cab has more room then our old suv. My mpg gauge tells me Im doing almost 20 mpg but the real word when I do the math its closer to 18. Overall its a great truck with great looks. Good engine. The hemi sounds awesome. One thing Ive noticed is the small ft and finish stuff where ram falls short. Little things that dont hurt the truck but makes you think "really...." definitely recommend it though.

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  Worst Decision Ive Ever Made. - 2012 RAM 2500
  By rlemmens - November 13 - 1:23 pm

  First of all, when I bought this truck brand new in 2012, I loved it. For 93,000 I drove it around and honestly didnt think there was a better truck on the road. I bought the top of the line Laramie Longhorn Megacab 4x4 with the diesel. The engine worked great, and pulled anything. There was an issue here and there, but when you put so many luxury features in a truck, little things are going to break. However, when my drivetrain broke, Chrysler refused to cover it under the warranty, even with the service records. The damage caused was so severe (more than $30k) that my insurance had to total the vehicle. Dealing with the warranty claims department took months, and they were useless.