Ram Trucks 1500 joins amongst the growth is the segment of the more luxurious end such as the Holden Colorado Z71, Ford Ranger Wild Trak, and Toyota Hilux Rouge etc.
Add to these other high end offerings such as the Silverado, Ford F250, F 350 and other American conversions from places such as Performax etc.
First impressions of the 1500, in both Express and Laramie form, are that it will set a benchmark for the upper end of the luxury Ute segment.
These factory backed vehicles from the importer Ateco, offer another dimension above what we, in Australia, have come to expect from our Utes.
The key differences between the Ram 1500 and other Utes such as the Colorado are:
- Higher towing capacity – up to 4.5 tonnes
- Longer Ute bed
- More interior space
- 5.7L Hemi V8
- Higher levels of interior comfort.
- Four wheel disc brakes
- Optional RAMBoxes, 2 x 240L lockable storage boxes for the tub sides
- Entry pricing from $79,990 RDAP
Exterior
Externally the RAM 1500 has the American Truck look as you would expect. The RAM 1500 Express with its colour matched grille, bumpers and trim is clearly aimed towards the sports Ute buyer.
RAM 1500 Laramie with its traditional RAM chrome grille and tasteful use of chrome highlights clearly indicates its intent to offer a more luxurious offering.
At 5.8 metres long and a little over two metres wide, the RAM 1500 is significantly larger than other Australian Utes in its market sector and this translates into more space inside and outside and a much larger towing capacity.
Step inside and the RAM 1500 hold the promise of space and comfort.
RAM 1500 is offered with a choice of two cab sizes, the Express with the Quad Cab and the Laramie with the Crew Cab.
Although the Quad is the smaller of the two, an interior volume of 3.3 cubic metres still places it ahead of majority of conventional Utes, while impressive levels of shoulder and hip room make it a comfortable place to be, front or back.
The Quad cab is as we have come to expect from our normal Utes.
The Laramie has a full crew cab with 3.5 cubic metres of interior space with a rear seat leg room length of more than a metre, it is as spacious in the back as the front.
There are two levels of interior appointments, with the Express having cloth seats and more modest appointments while the Laramie has its heated and cool ventilated front seats, its heated steering wheel and rear seats to its use of leather, deep pile carpeting and an equipment list that is more expansive.
Drive and Engine
RAM 1500 is powered by the well-known 5.7 litre HEMI V8 engine.
Producing 291Kw/556Nm, this power and torque drives through an innovative rotary e-shift dial for that controls the TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission that replaces both column and floor shifters, and a dual range 4WD system.
The RAM 1500 is also different in that buyers can specify different axle ratios to better suit their purposes.
To aid in towing and payload capacity the RAM 1500 has an advanced separate chassis and sophisticated suspension which is mounted on it.
Summary
It has taken Australian expertise through the combination of Walkinshaw and the importer Ateco through American Special Vehicles to make the RAM 1500 fully available in Australia.
The right-hand drive RAM 1500 has been designed and developed in Australia and refined for Australian requirements.
It is built in North America and then remanufactured on a brand-new state of the art production line in Melbourne.
This process means production quality and consistency.
An Australian market RAM 1500 is built specifically for this market, imported by the factory appointed distributor, remanufactured to right hand drive in Melbourne and then sold through a nationwide dealer network.
There is a growing demand for this size and type of Ute and I believe the RAM 1500 will benefit from a dealer wide network and fortuitous timing
- Engine: 5.7 litre petrol V8 producing 291Kw/556Nm
- Transmission: Eight-speed auto
- Safety: TBA
- Warranty: 3 years 100k
- Origin: Remanufactured in Australia
- Price: from $79,950 – $147,950