Dodge gets in your face with new Ram pickup truck

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It smacks of getting in your face.That's the attitude the Dodge boys bring with their new Ram pickup truck.At a time when doomsayers, spurred by rising fuel prices, are predicting the decline and perhaps fall of the full-size pickup truck, Dodge is ramming its new truck into the marketplace with announced confidence, if not bravado."Some of our competitors are running for cover," said Jim Yetter, the senior manager of Dodge brand marketing. "We're not. We think it's the best time to launch. The truck segment is alive. . . . The underlying demand for full-size trucks is stable."Buttressing that attitude is the fact that the 2009 Ram 1500 is all-new, with a few "firsts" among big pickups. They include clever storage and cargo management features and, most importantly, a new rear suspension system that uses coil instead of leaf springs.Leaf springs have been used on pickups since buckboard days, mainly because they are simple, cheap, long lasting and can handle heavy loads without buckling. The downside is a hard ride and rear wheels skipping on uneven surfaces around corners, especially without a load."We didn't want people bouncing around when they're hauling air," Yetter said.Calculating that customers would give up a modicum of pure trucking for a better ride and handling, the Dodge engineers developed a multilink rear suspension setup with the coil springs. The Ram 1500 still has a solid rear axle, which also is necessary for hauling big loads. Leaf springs will continue on Dodge's heavier-duty trucks.In addition to restyling both the interior and exterior of the new truck, the Dodge boys also developed other niceties to add to the appeal. For the first time, Dodge is offering a four-door crew cab model, which provides comfortable seating for up to six people in a capacious cabin with 121 cubic feet of space.Tucked underneath the floor, accessible when you fold up the back seats, are a couple of covered storage compartments. Each can carry ten 12-ounce beverage cans. They have drain holes for melted ice water. However, you get only one compartment if you opt for the premium sound system. The other one is filled with a big subwoofer.Other interior embellishments are a redesigned instrument panel and center stack, soft door bolsters and armrests, and a multitude of cup holders and cubbies. Leather upholstery, navigation and rear-seat entertainment systems are extra-cost items, as is an audio system with a 30-gigabyte hard drive.New exterior touches are an aluminum hood to cut down weight, blacked out center pillars, wraparound chrome bumpers, dual exhausts, optional 20-inch wheels and a tailgate-mounted spoiler.Much attention has been paid to the new optional RamBox. The system consists of two weatherproof, lockable storage compartments in the cargo box sides over the rear wheels. Each can hold golf bags, other sundries or up to 120 cans of beer or soft drinks. The system also includes a truck bed extender that doubles as a bed divider, as well as a cargo rail system with adjustable tie-down cleats. Even with the RamBox option, the cargo bed is 49 inches wide, so the Ram crew cab can handle 4x8-foot sheets of plywood with the tailgate down.The RamBox, an option at $1,895, comes only on the crew cab model, with either two-wheel or four-wheel drive. Continuing as part of the lineup are the regular cab and quad cab models, also available in either configuration.The regular cab model can be ordered with either a 6-foot-3-inch box or 8-foot cargo box; the quad cab comes with a 6-foot-4-inch box, and the crew cab has a 5-foot-7-inch box.All models come with standard safety equipment that includes front and rear side-curtain air bags, antilock brakes and an electronic stability program. Optional are such items as a rear backup camera (which also helps to hook up a trailer), adjustable pedals and a park assist program that warns of objects in the way when backing up.Three engines are available: a 215-horsepower, 3.7-liter V6; 310-horsepower, 4.7-liter V8, and a new 390-horsepower, 5.7-liter Hemi V8. The V6, linked to a four-speed automatic transmission, comes only on the two-wheel drive regular and quad cab models. The V8s, which have five-speed automatic transmissions, are extra-cost options across the lineup.Dodge claims a zero-to-60 acceleration time with the Hemi engine in the short-box, regular-cab, 4x2 model, though it's hard to imagine why any pickup owner would stomp on the pedal that hard given the price of gasoline these days.The test vehicle was a two-wheel drive crew cab Laramie model with a sticker price of $40,920 and $1,500 in options. It had the Hemi engine, which provided plenty of power despite the 5,160 pound empty weight. Seats are comfortable and there was a remarkable absence of wind noise. With its new coil springs, the Ram exhibited controlled handling and a surprisingly compliant ride for a pickup truck. Empty, it still bounces around some on rough roads.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)