Monday, January 14th 2008

10:47 AM

2009 Dodge Ram Official Photos

The look is as aggressive as a Ram should be, but slippier through the air than past models. Instead of upping the ante with an even larger grille, Dodge designers instead tipped the angle of the grille forward to impart the face of their truck with a solid presence. Another interesting styling touch is molding the rear bumper around the two chrome tipped tailpipes instead of having the pipes just poke out beneath.

Mechanically speaking, the '09 Ram comes ready to play with a new 5.7L HEMI V8 with 380 HP and 404 ft.-lb. of torque (the Toyota Tundra's 5.7L V8 produces 381 HP and 401 ft.-lb. of torque for comparison's sake). There's also a 4.7L V8 available with 310 HP and 330 ft.-lb. of torque and a 3.7L V6 making 215 HP and 235 ft.-lb. of torque. Transmissions include a six-speed manual and four- and five-speed automatics, and gear ratios run from 3.21 to 3.55 to 3.92 to 4.10. When optimally configured, the new Ram can sprint to 60 MPH in a mere 7 seconds. Snappy for a full-size truck, wouldn't you say?

The Ram's bed now also features an available RamBox cargo management system that places storage bins within the bed rails that are weatherproof, lockable, illuminated and drainable. From the looks of it they can hold a lot of gear, too. Ram Crew 1500 models can also be had with a pair of "store in the floor" bins that can hold up to ten cans of pop, beer or whatever.

Here's what we like most about the new Ram: it's interior. That is, we like the interior in the uplevel Laramie model. It's hands down the best interior we've seen in a Chrysler product. Soft-touch instrument panels, contrast stitching and chrome accents are what we'd expect in a Chrysler 300, and we're happy to see them in the new Ram.