New Ram pickup fits needs of working folks

Amid rising gas prices and dramatically lower sales of its most-profitable vehicles – trucks and large sport utility vehicles – Chrysler LLC brings a completely redesigned Dodge Ram to market for 2009 with high hopes that enough consumers still want pickups.

"We feel this isn’t really a horrible time to launch a truck," Dodge brand manager Mike Accavitti said this week as he extolled the features of the new Ram during a private showing.

"There are people who still need pickups," he said. It’s those customers Dodge had in mind when it designed this newest generation of the Ram.

For those of you who question this need, we’re talking in particular about people who use their pickups to make a living, not those just using one as an alternative family vehicle. Those casual truck customers are moving back to cars as gas prices skyrocket, but the true truckers will remain in the market for vehicles such as the Ram.

To find out what Dodge’s loyal customers wanted in a new model, Dodge engineers and designers rode with current Ram owners in Texas, Tennessee, Arizona and California, observing how they use their vehicles during their daily routines, Accavitti said.

This "ethno-graphic research," as it’s called, "has led to a lot of our innovations," he said.

That’s why the new Ram has an optional center console between the driver and front passenger that has a side slot that can hold file folders. Its center storage area is large enough to keep a laptop computer out of sight.

And on each side of the cargo bed is another innovation: the Ram Box. These built-in storage compartments with locking, flip-up tops keep tools, supplies, even beverages in a place with quick, convenient access, Accavitti said.

The boxes are waterproof, so they can even double as coolers – stuffed with drink cans or bottles and filled with ice.

The biggest news with the new Ram, though, is the addition of a true crew-cab model to the lineup for 2009, Accavitti said.

"This is our first entry in this segment," he said. "We do have the Quad Cab, but you wouldn’t really want to put anybody in the back seat. And we do have the Mega Cab model, but it’s on the chassis of the 2500 (heavy-duty) pickup, so it’s bigger than what many customers are looking for."

The crew-cab model Accavitti showed off was the well-equipped Laramie version with the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine. It came with lots of amenities, such as automatic climate control, GPS navigation system, rear-seat DVD/satellite TV entertainment center, leather seats, a surround-sound audio system with rear-seat subwoofer, and automatic headlights, among other things.

"We have all of the convenience features people have come to expect," Accavitti said.

For those looking to save on gas, the new Ram’s base engine is a relatively economical 3.7-liter V-6, while the midlevel engine is a new 4.7-liter V-8. The V-6 is expected to have fuel economy of up to 20 miles per gallon.

The redesign has given the Ram’s exterior a more-carlike quality and craftsmanship with narrow gaps and less wind resistance, he said.

Dodge kept the signature Ram grille, but it now leans forward at the top to give it an in-your-face "drill sergeant" look, similar to that of the new Challenger coupe, Accavitti said. Unlike the current generation of the Ram, the grille remains in place when the hood is lifted. This makes the hood lighter and easier to handle.

The carlike exterior gaps between body panels helps eliminate whistling noises that can make their way into a passenger compartment at highway speeds, he said.

One cool feature current owners told Dodge to keep is the Ram’s-head logo. It’s larger and more prominent in the center of the grille. A second Ram’s head is in the center of the tailgate, and it’s "belt buckle quality," Accavitti said.

Chrome is featured prominently on the exterior, including what he called "some of the largest chrome bumpers in the industry."

"Our owners have told us they like chrome," he said.

No EPA fuel-economy estimates have been announced yet, but Accavitti said that engine improvements alone are expected to boost mileage by about 5 percent from the current Ram models. The more-aerodynamic body will add to that by creating less wind resistance, he said.

Standard are 17-inch wheels, but the truck shipped in for me to see came with optional 20-inch chrome wheels.

The storage boxes on each side of the bed take away some of the interior width, but the bed still can accommodate standard sheets of plywood, Accavitti said. A cargo-management system has "infinitely adjustable" tie-downs, he added.

Other fancy options include a rearview camera mounted in the top of the tailgate that looks down upon the trailer hitch so the driver can back the truck up to a trailer without having to be guided from outside. A rear parking-assist option also is offered.

The only transmission available is a five-speed automatic. Accavitti said that when manual gearboxes have been offered, fewer than 5 percent of Ram buyers have chosen them.

While only the three gasoline engines will be offered initially, the Ram will be available with a gasoline-electric hybrid drive system and a Cummins clean-diesel engine next year.

The two-mode hybrid system, similar to the one found in the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids, will boost fuel economy by 25 percent to 30 percent. The system was developed jointly by Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and General Motors.

The 2009 Ram has 35 new or improved features, the automaker said. Among those is an improved frame with some hydro-formed sections and fully boxed side rails, a feature lacking in the Ram’s biggest foreign competitor, the Toyota Tundra.

With the revamped frame, the Ram 1500 model has a payload of 1,850 pounds and can pull trailers weighing up to 9,100 pounds. The Hemi V-8 engine comes with a fuel-saving system that cuts out four of the cylinders during highway cruising. Among other key features of the new Ram are about 30 safety features, including side-curtain air bags, electronic stability control and trailer-sway control.

The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at 210-250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.