Months in Fleet: Three
Mileage to Date: 14,722
Our 2009 Dodge Ram is still as in-demand as ever. We've been using the Ram for everything from road trips to hauling trailers to helping friends move. In fact, the truck hardly ever sits unused, though we did manage to find time to have the dealership install a drop-in bedliner. The liner lists for $325 and installation should only take a little more than thirty minutes.
As soon as the bedliner was installed, we hauled a friend's 1972 Honda CB450 motorcycle in for a tune-up. Although the bed wasn't quite long enough to hold the bike with the tailgate up, we were able to use the bed extender, which held the bike with room to spare. The Mopar bed liner doesn't obstruct the cargo management system or any of the tie down points in the bed, which is very helpful when you need to secure objects with straps.
A towing trip through Canada left us wishing for a brake controller: "The lack of a factory installed option for controlling trailer brakes is a serious omission. Ford and GM have it, so why doesn't Chrysler?" There are many aftermarket trailer brake controllers available, but a factory controller is a much better solution. For those who frequently tow heavy trailers, this is an essential feature.
Aside from the lack of the brake controller, we had no complaints about the Ram's towing ability while hauling approximately 6500 pounds. The five-speed automatic transmission never hunted for gears, although it wasn't exactlyed taxed, as we encountered very few hills and were mostly following the 62 mph speed limit. We appreciated the coil spring suspension--the truck towed as well as any half-ton with conventional leaf springs would have in the same situation.
Friend of the magazine Alan Johnson borrowed the Ram for a few days and walked away impressed. Alan owns a 1996 Dodge Ram and immediately took to our 2009 example: "I like the interior right off the bat. Very spacious and excellent utility, with lots of storage compartments not just for your cell phone, cups, and sunglasses, but also large bins under the rear floor mats where tools and equipment can be stored out of sight of a potential thief."
Web producer Evan McCausland spent a few nights in the Ram and found the headlights woefully inadequate, "Could we put some better bulbs (SilverStars, maybe?) in sometime, or wire in some KC Daylighters? Please?" Still, McCausland is very happy with our Ram, "I love the ride, love the strong powertrain, love the spacious interior and the endless array of accessories." ...next page >>