2015 Ram 1500 Road Test & Review

by Lyndon Bell

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February 25, 2015

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6 min. Reading Time

2015 dodge ram 1500

These are exciting times in the light duty full-size pickup truck segment. Traditionally the rulers of the genre, all three of the American manufacturers have new or next to new entries. Silverado was redone for 2014, an all-new F-150 bows for 2015, and the Ram 1500—at this point, the oldest member of the club—was redesigned for the 2013 model year.

With that 2013 redesign came considerable acclaim.

Ram 1500 was named the 2013 North American Truck of the Year, the 2013 Truck of Texas by the Texas Auto Writer’s Association, and the 2013 Rocky Mountain Truck of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Auto Press. Ram 1500 was also voted Motor Trend Truck of the Year—for two years running.

Praised for its smooth ride and easy handling, as well as its innovative features and best in class fuel economy, Ram 1500 is without question one of the most desirable pickup trucks on the market today. But frankly, so are Ford’s F-150 and Chevrolet’s Silverado—Ram 1500’s primary half-ton competition—both of which were named “Trucks of the Year” during the debut seasons of their redesigns.

If it’s looking like this is one tough field to play in, it’s because it is. These trucks have become more refined and are employing ever more innovative propulsion systems to help them retain power while achieving laudable fuel economy.

Models & Pricing

Ram offers its light duty pickup in six primary trim levels, three cab styles, and with a choice of three cargo beds. The trim levels are Tradesman, Express, HFE, SLT, Sport, and the top-line Laramie.

The cab/bed combinations vary depending upon which cab you select. Ram’s regular cab offers seating for three and is teamed with a 6-foot, 4-inch bed, or an 8-foot bed. The Quad Cab can seat a maximum of six and is paired only with the 6’4” bed. The Crew Cab also seats six, but provides more legroom for the rear seat passengers—and is mated to a 5’7” bed or the 6’4” bed.

Equipment, of course varies according to trim level, but even the base Tradesman model offers a seven-pin wiring harness, a Class IV trailer receiver hitch, automatic headlights, air conditioning, cruise control, and power windows (on the extended cabs).

Things get a bit more bling-ish when you go SLT; with chrome trim, heated exterior mirrors, a touchscreen interface, Bluetooth, and satellite radio. Sport adds power-folding exterior mirrors, projector-beam headlights, heated front seats with power adjustments, power adjustable pedals and dual-zone climate control for Crew and Quad cabs. Laramie adds two-tone paint, leather front seats, and a surround sound audio system.

The Laramie Longhorn features plush leather and a distinctive burl walnut trim. Ranchers using trees as fence posts for barbed wire unintentionally created it when the trees grew over the rusting metal wire, creating a unique swirl coloring pattern and tone. Longhorn also gets remote ignition, a spray in bedliner, tow hooks, heated rear seats, navigation, and front and rear parking sensor arrays. Laramie Limited adds automatic wipers, self-leveling air suspension, plus keyless entry and pushbutton start.

It should be noted many of the upmarket Laramie trim level features can be fitted to the lower trim levels as options. Additionally, within the SLT trim level, there are the Big Horn (aka Lone Star in Texas), and Outdoorsman designations. Tradesman pricing starts at $23,970; Laramie Limited starts at $49,430. Chrysler charges an additional $1,195 for destination and delivery of Ram 1500.

Design

Back in 1994, the Dodge design team did something we’re sure had every other light truck manufacturer going “Why didn’t we think of that?” when they borrowed styling cues from the iconic Peterbilt big-rig tractors. The look immediately distinguished the Dodge offering as a heavy hauler. Plus, it was handsome to boot.

The look of the current truck, while more of an evolution of that “big rig” styling language than a revolution away from it, still stood out when the current Ram 1500 debuted in 2013. The 2013 Ram’s grille was larger than the 2012 model’s and it was rendered in a unique treatment for each different version of the venerable pickup.

Further, the halogen/LED headlight suite was redesigned to produce more throw and a broader spread. The taillights incorporated LEDs too. Demonstrating considerable thought, the model designations on the doors were configured vertically rather than horizontally to make it easier for contractors and businesses to mount their signs on the doors.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Features & Controls

Inside the truck, all of the Ram’s secondary controls are grouped by function, making them much easier to locate. While this sounds like such a logical thing, many manufacturers overlook it.

Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system is also offered with an 8.4-inch touchscreen interface—as well as redundant physical controls, for each incorporated system. Additionally, TFT (thin-film transistor) technology is incorporated into the instrument cluster—enabling instant reconfigurability of the instrumentation and the information provided—depending upon the operating mode selected.

A new electrical architecture was developed specifically for the Ram during its redesign to enable all of the new (and anticipated) electronics. High and low-speed data networks are employed for both comfort and convenience features, as well as to improve the truck’s performance. The Ram is also capable of functioning as a Wi-Fi hot spot.

Available Smartphone applications include remote lock and unlocking of the truck. Speaking of locking the truck, the Ram uses a central locking system like those applied to better luxury cars. Locking the Ram’s doors also locks the storage bins in the walls of the pickup box, in addition to the fuel-filler and the tailgate.

Comfort & Cargo

As half-ton pickups go, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable interior than the Ram 1500’s. For openers, the environment reassures you of its soundness with quality materials and excellent build quality. You can see where the money goes, and this contributes significantly to ease of mind and, by extension, comfort.

These days, many people buy trucks as their sole mode of transportation, meaning it goes from the work site, to the movies, to the grocery store, to church on Sunday, and anywhere else they and/or their family needs to go. Aware of this, the Ram’s design team baked in carlike levels of comfort, quiet, and smoothness.

The well-designed seats give a strong impression of durability in addition to providing good support and all-day comfort. Even the rear seats in the Crew cab (seemingly an afterthought in most trucks) offer good legroom and comfortable geometry. Many times, the angle of the seatback can be too upright, but Ram’s design team got it just right.

Further, storage bins proliferate throughout; in the extended cab you’ll find a storage under the rear seats, the crew cab hides storage compartments under the floor in addition to bins under the rear seat. There are also storage bins in the walls of the rear fenders. And, as we mentioned before, their covers can be incorporated into the Ram’s central locking system.

Safety Features & Crash Test Ratings

The Ram 1500’s standard suite of safety kit incorporates ABS, stability control, trailer-sway control, hill-start assist, a full complement of airbags, tire-pressure monitoring, brake override, roll mitigation, rainy day braking, and ready alert braking.

Options include front and rear parking sensor arrays, a rear backup camera, remote keyless entry, and remote start. Models equipped with four-wheel drive get tow hooks, skid plates, and a transfer case skid plate.

NHTSA says the Ram is a four-star vehicle overall. It scored four out of five stars in frontal crash protection, and five stars in side impact protection. The 1500 clocked four stars for rollover prevention for rear-drive models and three stars with four-wheel drive.

Engine(s) & Fuel Economy

Two gasoline-fired engines are offered; a 305-horsepower, 3.6-liter which generates 269 ft-lbs of torque and will tow 7,600 pounds. A 395-horsepower, 5.7-liter HEMI V8, pumping out 410 ft-lbs of torque is the other one. Towing capacity with this engine is rated at 10,650 pounds.

Ram 1500 is the only half-ton model currently available with a diesel powerplant on offer. Displacing 3.0-liters, this turbocharged V6 produces 240 horsepower and a very healthy 420 ft-lbs of torque. The turbodiesel Ram 1500 is rated to tow up to 9,200 pounds.

While an eight-speed automatic transmission is paired with all three powerplants, a six-speed automatic is also offered for the V8—in Tradesman and Express trims. Controlled by a rotary dial on the dash, rather than a conventional shift lever on the center console, the transmission is a big part of the current Ram’s fuel economy gains over its predecessors. It features a thermal management system to get it up to operating temperature more quickly in order to reduce friction. In addition to increase its fuel efficiency, this improves its longevity as well.

Fuel economy is rated at 14-city/20-highway/16-combined for the V8 configured with the six-speed transmission and four-wheel drive. With the eight-speed and 4WD, the V8 can claim 15-city/21-highway/17-combined. With rear-wheel drive, the V8 returned 14/20/16 with the six-speed automatic, and 15/22/17 with the eight-speed transmission.

The V6 (eight-speed only) posted 17/25/20 with rear drive and 16/23/19 with four-wheel drive. The HFE version of the V6 did 18/25/21 with rear-wheel drive.

The diesel (also eight-speed only) returned 20/28/23 with rear drive, and 19/27/22 with four-wheel drive. There is an HFE package for the diesel as well; it’s good for 21/29/24 to claim the “Most Fuel-efficient Full Size Pickup” bragging rights.

Driving Impressions

On the road, the 3.6-liter V6 is so well matched to the Ram 1500 we thought it was the V8, until we were gleefully informed otherwise. Then, when we drove the V8, it was like wow! This thing’s got a lot of kick. And, the diesel gives one the impression it will keep pulling forever.

The Ram 1500 has a very smooth ride, thanks to the new air suspension system—which also features a load leveling function. Surprisingly, to be as big as it is, the Ram 1500 really does drive like a car. It is comfortable and smooth, as well as exceptionally quiet. In fact, the 1500 is easily the quietest pickup truck we’ve ever driven. We’re talking levels of solitude commensurate to that of a number of well-regarded cars we’ve experienced.

Ease of handling is another strong point of this remarkable pickup. No matter how you look at it, the Ram 1500 is a very sizeable automobile; truth be told, it’s flat-out big. But it has to be to do what it does. What it doesn’t have to do though is be difficult to handle in city driving situations. Around town, the full-size pickup never taxes the driver because if its size. You’ll find yourself wheeling through town as if you’re in a full-size sedan.

OK, yeah, parking is an issue in congested areas (finding somewhere to park anyway). But when you locate a space, the optional camera system—along with the front & rear parking sensor arrays—ease the burden considerably. As we mentioned before, the folks designing these trucks know people are using them like cars, and made every effort to accommodate this.

Final Thoughts

Seemingly pulling out all of the stops to make its truck as competitive as possible in the segment, the Ram 1500’s engineering and design teams fitted the truck with a wealth of technologies to improve fuel economy, many of them firsts for pickup trucks.

These include the eight-speed automatic transmission, an engine stop-start system, a thermal management system, active aerodynamics with grille shutters, and air suspension.

In addition to improving fuel economy, the air suspension system improves the Ram’s ride control and off-road capability, as well as easing occupant entry and exit. It also facilitates loading, and unloading the truck while enabling automatic load leveling to improve ride, handling—and yes, fuel economy.

These are but a few of the many innovations applied to this remarkable truck.