RAM TOUGH AND LOOKS THE PART
ROAD TEST: 2016 RAM 1500 CREW CAB SPORT 4X4,
Overview: Ram’s light- duty truck is heavy on luxury and refinement
Pros: Smooth riding, great interior
Cons: Less towing ability than competitors
Value for money: Good
What I would change: Rotary shift dial is goofy; I’d prefer a column shifter
How I would spec it: Add the four- corner air suspension. For $ 1,695, it makes trailer hookup easy and provides terrific ground clearance when off- roading.
“I love humanity, but I hate humans.” Spend enough time on social media, and it’s not hard to concede that Albert Einstein had a point. Yet social media can also be a great conduit for ideas between like- minded people and a mobilizing force for positive change. Every time I’ve felt the slough of despond at the latest annihilated species, or vile Trumpian utterance, there are those brief, shining acts of altruistic purity that restore the dram of faith I still hold for humanity.
So it was when Ian Crerar, Canadian Touring Car Champion, posted of his intent to sponsor a family of Syrian refugees; it wasn’t l ong before Facebook’s automotive community responded. There were donations of cash, furniture, clothing and appliances. When they called for volunteer drivers, I responded without hesitation.
That I wasn’t currently in possession of a truck was but a minor detail; Chrysler Canada quickly complied with the loan of a 2016 Ram 1500. It was more than enough truck to move one load of furniture from Toronto to a small town somewhere east of Belleville. In Crew Cab trim, the Ram’s cabin would probably have held the en- tire family of newcomers as well.
This particular truck was equipped with a soft, tri-fold tonneau cover ($ 450) and the RamBox cargo management system ($ 1,195), with integrated over- the- fender storage boxes, a flexible cargo extender/divider, and sliding bed- rail tie- downs. Easy to use, the divider and tie-downs were invaluable in securing the variety of items in the load, particularly a lovely, hardwood tabletop that would otherwise have spent the entire journey sliding around in the back of the truck. The rugged spray- in bed liner ($ 550) is an absolute necessity if you’re actually going to use it as a truck; I later ferried a cord of firewood to the cottage and a simple spray- down left it good as new.
Competition is fierce in the truck segment, and the battle for supremacy is like Clash of the Titans. Trucks have not only got to be tough, they’ve got to l ook t he par t as well. Chrysler nailed it with the Ram. There’s nothing like that big, blunt prow, outside of a Freightliner.
In Sport trim, my “bright silver metalli c ” tester had generous lashings of chrome, while riding on 20 inches of shiny aluminum wheels. While the base price is $ 52,395, at $ 63,085 this truck had over $ 10,000 in options, and that didn’t include Ram’s segment-exclusive air suspension.
The f ace is ma d e even more pugnacious by an optional sport performance hood ($ 995) but there are no performance advantages derived from its steroidal bulges, and the flaring nostrils are non-functional.
The Ram’s cabin is like something you’d find in one of those big old luxury barges that your granddad used to drive. Everything is large, blunt and well made, and the whole thing exudes a definite aura of man cave. The leather and cloth-mesh sport bucket seats are supportive and comfortable. Two brontosaurus-sized workmen could ride up front with arms outstretched and probably not touch each other. The seats are separated by a cavernous centre console that could be classified as luggage. Rear passengers have plenty of room to stretch out, and the seat bottoms flip up to reveal a flat deck for extra cargo.
My tester featured such optional niceties as heated steering, Alpine sound sys- tem, automatic high beam control, Uconnect 8.4- inch hands-free system with navigation, and a host of safety features such as rain-sensing wipers, Park- Sense system and rear-view camera.
Although I was initially disappointed to find the truck came without the marvellous air suspension, its ride is nicely damped even when unladen. Kudos to the noise, vibration and harshness engineers for achieving this level of refinement; the Ram is as quiet as any premium sedan and virtually silent at idle. My partner remarked that the Ram “could almost make a truck guy out of me,” adding that the rainsensing wipers are better than his BMW’s.
Under the bulging hood is the 5.7-litre Hemi V- 8, producing 395 horsepower and 420 pound- feet of torque. Cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing help increase fuel efficiency. This truck is rated at 14.1 L/ 100 km highway and 16.2 L/ 100 km city. Overall, I consumed an average of 15.9 L/100 km. The engine is mated to an eight- speed automatic that can send power to all four wheels through an electronic shift- on- demand transfer case. It’s pretty capable on a rough cottage road, and there’s an optional anti-spin rear differential ($ 525) for more grip when needed.
For such a small load of furniture, we had no need to use a trailer. In this configuration, the Ram can tow up to 4,627 kilograms ( 10,200 pounds). While Ram currently holds the title in the ongoing Heavy Duty Towing wars, with a colossal 31,210 lbs., in this segment it falls short of the Ford F- 150’s 12,200 and GM’s 11,700.
We arrived with our cargo intact, and quickly unloaded. We didn’t meet the family for which it was intended and they’ll never know who we were. Few things are better for the soul than simply doing the right thing.