RAM 1500

The RAM 1500 might have a bit old school appeal in its exterior design, but it possesses modernity in its interior layout. The cabin looks plush and premium as if it belongs to a high-end luxury SUV. This makes the RAM 1500 worth the premium it asks for over other regular pickup trucks available in the market.

The cabin has a vertical layout for the panels, such as the passenger side of the dashboard and center console. The center console has a slightly protruding out design with an H-shaped layout for the large vertically laid touchscreen infotainment system and a panel for automatic climate control below it. The side edges of the center console, as well as corners of the dashboard, get vertical AC vents with silver surrounds, which extend on the layers of the dashboard as well. All these silver accents are replaced by sportier-looking red accents in the Rebel variant.

The RAM 1500 has to be one of the most commanding trucks to look at from the outside. The bulky and heightened stance of this truck has to be the most intimidating one to look at in its segment. It has the traditional no-nonsense American appeal in its overall design, which packs in a whole lot of road presence in it.

The RAM 1500 looks quite robust from the front. While the Rebel variant has an all-black grille with a wide inverted U-shaped element on its upper portion, the Laramie variant gets a hexagonal grille which is completely finished in chrome and gets multiple chrome slats running across its width. Also, while the Rebel gets an all-black front bumper with silver skid plates, the Laramie gets authentic chrome treatment for the front bumper and skid plate as well. Both these variants get big block-shaped headlamps with LED treatment.

Both the variants of the RAM 1500 look completely similar when viewed from the sides, with the only difference being in the design of the alloy wheels – diamond-cut on the Rebel and chrome finished on the Laramie. Also, while the Rebel variant gets body cladding over wheel arches and black painted door handles and rearview mirrors, the Laramie variant misses out on body cladding and gets its rearview mirrors finished in chrome.

The Rebel and Laramie variants of the RAM 1500 looks the same from the back, with the truck having a sizeable loading bay and vertical tail lamps on the side edges.

The RAM 1500 is one of those old school American lifestyle pickup trucks, which are known for their unabashed straight-line performance and stability. While this truck too feels stable on straight stretches, the truck is not too great to drive around corners, with a considerable amount of body roll. The ride quality feels decent but can be stiff for longer journeys.

Powering the RAM 1500 is an equally mammoth 5.7-litre V8 HEMI engine, which is known for its raw power delivery and authentic American performance. The engine is powerful enough to pull this gargantuan truck with a maximum power output of 395 bhp and a maximum torque output of 556 Nm. An 8-speed automatic has been made the standard transmission option for both Rebel and Laramie variants.

The RAM 1500 is positioned at a premium over other trucks for the longer equipment list it promises, and that includes safety features as well. This large pickup truck gets a 360-degree parking camera, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-path and trailer detection, lane departure warning plus, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, parallel and perpendicular park assist, ABS with EBD and six airbags.

The RAM 1500 is rightfully placed right at the top of the lifestyle pickup truck market in the Philippines for all the right reasons. It looks the biggest, has the best road presence, has the biggest and most powerful engine and has the most premium cabin with the longest list of features. Sure, the engine, in true American fashion, is not too fuel-efficient but can impress you with the way it delivers the raw power it packs in.