AROUND THE INDUSTRY
It might not be an award for Canadians but it certainly is some recognition.
FCA has given us an exclusive-toCanada 2019 Ram 1500 Sport. Why you ask? Because Canadians buy more Ram ‘Sport’ than any other Ram trim level.
In true subtle, perhaps humble, Canadian style the 2019 Ram 1500 Sport has a monochromatic exterior, available in nine colours and set off by a black billet bar grille with R-A-M lettering. The allnew, standard bi-LED headlamps have black internal bezels and are complemented by LED signature daytime running lamps and LED fog lamps. The hood badging and side window surrounds are also blacked-out. An optional Sport hood is available for Canadians who want a more aggressive look.
Rubber hits the road on black 20-inch aluminum wheels, with optional 22-inch ‘Black Noise’ alloys. The dampened aluminum tailgate with integrated spoiler features black badging, plus the new, chiselled all-black Ram’s head logo and a ‘Sport’ badge - reserved exclusively for us. The fanfavourite integrated dual exhaust finishes the pickup truck’s “Canada-only” look.
No fans of tiny turbos, the Canuck-only Ram gets the 5.7-litre HEMI V-8, flexing 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque with performance-enhancing and fuel-saving technologies that include variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation.
The new generation of TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission is also standard and while a 4x2 is offered, most Canadians will choose the 4x4 with an on-demand transfer case.
Offered as either a Quad or Crew Cab, the all-black cabin with black headliner features an exclusive combination of trim touches, including satin light black chrome highlights, real metal trim and a diamond plate-look on the centre stack borrowed from the Ram Rebel.
Unique to Canada are power heated sport cloth/ premium vinyl seats with a special ‘hex’ insert mesh fabric. Optional leather heated and ventilated seats also feature a unique technical embossed texture reserved only for Canada. The 2019 Ram 1500 Sport comes standard with power adjustable pedals, CD player, heated steering wheel and more. While the heated features are certainly welcome, cooling options for the seats would have been fantastic hey FCA, it gets freaking hot here!
Standard on all Ram Sport 1500’s are the new reconfigurable console with space for a 15-inch laptop or hanging files, sliding front cupholders, fixed rear cupholders and large storage bins. A stellar dual-pane sunroof is available on Crew Cab models, which also offer a reclining rear seat and a flat rear floor, plus 12.7 cm (5 in) larger in-floor Ram bins that can accommodate a 10 cm (4 in) drop hitch.
The 21 cm (8.4 in) Uconnect touchscreen is standard, with features including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There are over 100 standard and available safety and security features, which are also standard in many new vehicles including back-up camera, push-button start, tire fill alert, electronic stability control system that includes brake assist, hill start assist, rainy day braking, ready alert braking, trailer sway control etc.
Unfortunately (depending on how highly you view the driving skills of your fellow drivers) many safety features are optional, including Blind-spot Monitoring with trailer detection, adaptive cruise control, Forward Collision Warning with Stop, Lane Departure Warning, Surround View Camera, automatic high beams and ParkSense Parallel/ Perpendicular Park Assist.
You can slip this Canadian version of 2019 Ram 1500 Sport into your garage in the second quarter of 2018. Pricing and fuel economy will be announced later on.