Capsule Review: 2015 Ram Quad Cab-Trader

Capsule Review: 2015 Ram Quad Cab-Trader -

Recently I had to pick up a pallet for a mortar temporary job, I headed. My Suburban was not up to the task, and I did not want not empty all-still-be-in-every-crack concrete dust sitting in BMW X1 my wife for the next decade. I hung the key 2015 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 2WD colleague. I drove Rams in the past, but this is my first contact with the new ZF 8-speed. It was introduced the 2014 model year Rams, but hard working, looks good editors here at TTAC elected to skip the launch of examining another rented Ford Fusion Ecoboost [Not true-DK] .

This particular Ram listed at $ 35K, but came out of the lot at $ 27,000 before an exchange. Ram dealerships in the Atlanta area are throwing money to customers, despite sales growth. While Ram experienced percentage increases in double-digit sales in the last two years, they are very short of GM number grows out of the lots. For many, believe Dennis Leary, Ford is the king of sales of pickup.

Last year, Matt Gasnier flew a Ecodiesel Ram V-6 in this vast and great country and had very positive comments. It was eight years ago I went to Montgomery in Alabama in Altamont in California in a Ford F-150 STX 05. I do not have the same pleasant experience, and it was actually my own truck. That says a lot to improve the ride quality in trucks across the board. Alex Dykes also had a great review of the diesel Ram 1500 and gave high marks. But dear reader, this is not a review of a sinister oil burner here pollutin 'green city with my Parh-tick-you-Lates and so on.

No sirrie bubba This here is an old pee-trol -fueled, 5.7-liter "Hemi" put out 396 horsepower and 425 lb pair of pi. This may not seem like much of twisting in a conversation on diesel, but in a little over 3 tons frame and coupled to the aforementioned 8 speed, this thing goes, and in a hurry. I discovered that I backed the site. Apply too much throttle I was rewarded with wheelspin. The owner was not as impressed as me (Maybe it was the " Yee-Haaaww! " and throwing the horns out of the window). My experience with the Rams the past found their power and acceleration along with GM and Ford offers. But this transmission does make a difference. Zero to 60 times do not tell the same story on paper, but trust me; you could some school Gee-Em and FoMoCo pickup driver in this thing.

In stark contrast to the modern drive train, the cab is rare even by truck standards. I was a little surprised to find the asking price north of $ 30,000 and even $ 27K might be a bit much for this interior. When Ram "revolutionized" their trucks in the early 0s, one of their selling points was a cabin designed to work. This tradition still carries this model Trader, but at the expense of the quality of the material. These are not the amenities, but the materials. The black door inserts are particularly out of place and look cheap malaise era. I can not help but wonder how these items will in a work environment compared to other microphones, including imports. The seats are very comfortable, but the rear seats are a bit of a joke. The margin is large, but there is no room for the knees of a normal human being with another human normal living room in the front.

However, the stereo is excellent. with sound quality and compatibility for an entry level. The controls on the steering wheel, while a bit small, are instinctive and work well. The shifters behind the wheel responded faster than I expected, but eventually the truck replace bad decisions and move the truck with gas inlet enough

There is a nice truck. chrome wheels with raised white letter tires and dual exhaust factory. It is a tower excellent, stable and comfortable. While it is mostly an evolution of recasting 09, transmission is really transformed into a vehicle that can travel on the highway and in complete comfort as has been referenced by the trip across the country. The owner is seeing more middle 20s in traffic makes Atlanta with my 11 year old son Suburban downright embarrassing in comparison.

The new all-aluminum F-150 is much more expensive even before the repair costs are weighed. in the field of work trucks, the Ram market is clearly focused, it's a real factor. Even if you are fine with nicks and dings that come with a truck earns his "life, it will have a negative effect on resale. Atlanta area Chevrolet and GMC dealers put money on the hood, but it is an eminence front (see what I did there?) Because they do not get their models similarly equipped under $ 30K. Why? Because here Eh Tee El, they do not need. These trucks will sell regardless, your market varies. Nissan does not offer a quad cab Titan below $ 32 and good luck finding an entry level of the dealer. Toyota Tundra begin to $ 28, but when optioned to this same level sparse they hit $ 30K while being downwardly on HP and MPG to the RAM.

So for a truck that goes to work beyond Home Depot petunias hauling on weekends, the Ram 1500 could be useful for a test drive. Especially if your dealer is as aggressive to make a deal like this was.

Ram did not contribute a thing to this test. The truck is privately owned and was a replacement for a previous 04 Ram Quad Cab that blew a head gasket to 0,000 miles. Mental duty was the owner lunch after boiling his tires like a drunken redneck in a Miranda Lambert song.

Christian "Mental" Ward has owned more than 70 cars and destroyed most of them. He graduated from Panoz Racing School, still loves cartoons and once exceeded the speed of sound. Married to the most patient woman in the world; he has three dogs, a philosophy degree and makes Derek surprising if English is actually his first language. Follow him on Twiiter, Instagram and Vine M3ntalward.