Littleramstill amonster
The Ram 1500 is the manufacturer’s ‘smallest’ local offering, but it is still a mega ute, writes Damien O’carroll.
Is a monstrous piece of V8-powered American iron relevant or even responsible in these environmentally aware times? That really does depend on how much you need to tow.
So is the Ram 1500 all about the towing then?
Pretty much, but then that’s what big American pickups have always really been about anyway – simply massive towing ability, even at the expense of payload. With an 830kg payload, this Ram 1500 can’t carry as much as one of the one-tonne pickups we traditionally buy here.
But it can haul an impressive 1000kg more than any Ranger or Hilux on a trailer, with amassive braked towing capacity of 4500kg. And that is why you see one of these (or the Chev or Ford equivalents) at pretty much every boat builder’s yard in the country.
The 1500 is the ‘‘smaller’’ (it’s all relative) sibling of the 2500 we have had here for awhile now and is ‘‘remanufactured’’ into RHD format at the same Australian facility by American Special Vehicles (ASV, a division of Walkinshaw Performance, the outfit behind HSV), a feat made easier by the fact that the 1500 and 2500 share the same architecture – the 1500 is ‘‘smaller’’ because it is essentially just a short-wheelbase version of the 2500.
But the other big difference is what powers it – where the 2500 packs amassive 6.7-litre Cummins turbo diesel inline-six, the 1500 is motivated by Chrysler’s iconic 5.7-litre Hemi petrol V8.
So I guess it sucks back massive amounts of fuel?
It’s probably not as bad as you would expect. Ram claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 12.2L/100km, which might seem like a fantasy, but is ridiculously easy to achieve in reality. Which is deeply impressive for amassive V8-powered truck with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of just under three-and-a-half tonnes.
Of course, start hauling fourand-a-half tonnes around behind it and that figure would soar, but it is still a surprisingly low number.
The big 291kw/556nm V8 is a relatively muted affair in the Ram, with just a distant rumble to let you know what is under the hood (although you can option up a Mopar exhaust for a bit more aural fruitiness), but it is, however, an effortlessly muscular unit that pushes the big Ram around with a surprising turn of speed when requested.
As you would expect with American vehicle, open road cruising is a delight, with the SWB 1500 having a far better ride than its LWB2500 sibling.
It is also in possession of some proper ’Murican comfort, with huge armchair-like seats and massive amounts of cabin space on offer.
Like all American vehicles, the window sill is the perfect height for cocking a suntanned elbow on with the window down and some Skynyrd blasting on the excitingly loud audio system.
Exactly how good is the conversion to right-handdrive?
Sorry, I think you’ll find it isn’t a conversion, it is a ‘‘re-manufacturing’’. At least, that is what everyone involved in the process will stress.
And it is hard to deny their point, because the conversion is startlingly complete. Every Ram is stripped back to its bare bones before being comprehensively rebuilt to have the steeringwheel on the proper side.
It is such an impressively complete job that if you weren’t aware of the Ram’s LHD origins you would swear it rolled straight off the factory floor in this form. Except for one thing ... the parking brake.
The foot-operated park brake is awkwardly placed to the right of the driver’s side footwell, right up next to the door, meaning you have to contort your right foot up so your knee is almost resting against the bottom of the window to operate it. It is awkward, irritating and simply easier to just not use it unless you really have to.
What does the Express Crew Cab bring to the range?
The Express Crew Cab adds extra interior space at the expense of a shorter tray, by being a full double cab (the 1500 Express Quad Cab is more of an extra cab) with a still fairly sizeable 5ft 7in (1.74m) tray, compared to the Quad Cab’s 6ft 4in (1.95m) tray.
The 1500 is easier to live with than the 2500, thanks to its shorter length, meaning you can actually park it without having to take up two spaces or block off the road with the rear hanging out.
This means the width is the only real consideration you need to keep in mind – at 2097mmwide, the 1500 is just over 200mmwider than a 1860mm Ranger Wildtrak (but only 69mmwider than a Raptor at 2028mm), so still presents its fair share of parking challenges. Not just for you, but also the poor sod you park next to.
Butwhile it’s not massively more impractical than the bestselling vehicle in New Zealand, at $104,990 it is considerably more expensive. But given both the comprehensive remanufacturing process and fairly niche market it is playing in, it isn’t particularly exorbitant, even when taking the original United States price into account.
We would, however, recommend adding one optional extra on top of that cost – the thoroughly excellent Rambox cargo management system that will set you back a further $5000 and is worth every cent.
Only available on the 5ft 7in tray version of the 1500, the Rambox adds some incredibly useful lockable side compartments to the Ram’s tray which can do duty as a cooler or, ahem, gun storage. It is American, after all.
Any other cars to consider?
Let’s be honest – you won’t be considering a Ford Ranger or its kind if you are looking at a Ram.
The price difference is too big, the differences too vast and the chances are, if you are considering a Ram, then either a one tonne ute can’t tow as much as you need it too, or you really just want American iron.
Which leaves the Ram’s only locally-available competitorwith a factory warranty as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which is also remanufactured by Walkinshaw and packs similar specs and equipment.