Driven: Car review 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad 4x4, Walter gets an A+

If you were a teacher and Walter P. Chrysler handed you the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 as a class assignment, you'd be justified in asking, "Just who was did your homework, Walter?"

Because based on what Chrysler did during the past few semesters-Sebring, cough cough, Avenger, cough-the all-new Ram 1500 looks like it came off someone else's dining room table.

Dodge went all-out on the Ram, knowing that Walter P. is faced with flunking out and needing a boost in his GPA, and we're impressed. The restyle continued the Dodge Ram's big rig contours, though softened for better aerodynamics (but then have you seen the new semi-tractors?), and Dodge claims best in class with a drag coefficient of .419. The better aero number is due in part to the front end design but also a lot of fiddling with the shape of the tailgate, a major contributor to pickups' high Cd numbers in general. Dodge in essence made the parachute smaller.

Under the tailgate is another first for pickups, dual exhaust nestled into divots in the bottom of the rear bumper, and well serve the rumble of the Hemi in our test Ram 1500 Laramie Quad 4x4 that is, well, very Hemi-like. Rev it and the basso rumble becomes a 5.7-liter V-8 thunder that's American as carhops on roller skates. Stomp on the 380 hp/404 lb-ft of torque with the five-speed automatic in drive and 0-to-60 mph goes by in just 6.1 seconds (when properly equipped, as they say).. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

New for the new generation of the Ram 1500 is Dodge's first-ever crew-size cab, important to the Ram because the fifty percent of the market goes to these full four-door pickups, much too large of a segment for Dodge to concede to competitors. Our test Ram, however, was the smaller-cabbed Ram Quad-midway between crew and regular cab-and had a back seat more comfortable than most sedans. Think twice about using a truck like our tester as everyday wheels, however, if any passenger...or the driver for that matter…wears a skirt. Modesty precludes getting into the truck without a step stool or accessory running boards…

The perceived quality of the Ram's interior, at least on the top-of-the-line Laramie version we drove, was impressive, hard plasticky interior panels that would click when tapped with fingernails replaced with soft-touch surfaces and more expensive feeling plastics without that made-in-China-dollar-store feel. The seats are delightfully cushy-heated seats are optional, standard on Laramie trim models, and the controls and instruments feel and look more like tools than toys.

Dodge claims 38 different storage locations in the Ram, including a dual glove box with a large upper bin, reclaiming wasted space. The Ram 1500 also offers "store in the floor" storage bins, reminiscent of Dodge and Chrysler minivans. The pickup's bins have removable liners and they're big enough for ten 12-ounce cans and ice.

An option not on our test Ram was Dodge's innovative Rambox "system." This is the answer to the question, why is that space under the siderails of the pickup bed wasted the way it is? For those troubled by this conundrum, a Rambox is simply a bin carved out of the tops of the rear fenders. It locks and had drains. Use it for tools, ten 12-ounce beverage containers and ice, that big trout…you'll know if you need it. It's not cheap, however.

Our test Ram was powered by the 5.7-liter Hemi (with variable displacement", though the pickup is also available with a 215-hp V-6 or the new 4.7-liter V-8 rated at 310 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. Four and five speed automatic transmissions are available, as are part-time and on-demand four-wheel drive transfer cases and four axle ratios. Our 5.7-liter Hemi-equipped Ram 1500 4x4 has an EPA estimate of 13 mpg city/18 mpg country. Our calculated overall fuel mileage for a week of mixed driving was 14.8 mpg.

The Hemi provided admirable thrust, enough not only for acceleration but also, again properly equipped, towing up to 9100 lbs. If you need it, you'll know it, but that's a lot of hobby or work the Ram can move.

Another pickup first, however, is coil spring rear suspension. Working trucks have long had leaf springs, but Dodge has devised a multi-link rear suspension with coil springs that improve both ride and handling. It's not independent rear suspension, however, and while it reduces hop and sway common with leaf springs, particularly when lightly loaded, there's still a heavy live rear axle back there and big-and heavy 20-inch wheels with 275/60R20 tires at all four corners. That much unsprung weight makes a luxury car ride just about impossible, so while our Ram 1500 still rode like a truck, it was a very nice truck indeed.

Which of course, together with everything else, is why the teacher was surprised that it was actually Walter P. Chrysler's work. Of course the teacher just might have something to say about the timeliness of Walter P.'s assignment. Timing, Walter, is everything. On the other hand, the teacher will be expecting great things from him in the future, as long, of course, as he can stay in school. And that's strictly up to the customer, er, teacher.

But nice work, Walter. Don't be surprised if the other students don't start copying your work.

The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 has a base price of $22,170, but our test vehicle had a bottom line of $45,590. 

 Illustrations, top to bottom: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie; 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie interior; 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Rambox; 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie, dual exhaust inset into rear bumper. Photos are not of vehicle tested. All photos courtesy Chrysler LLC.