So who’s kicking half-ton pickup truck butt in the Canadian market these days? If you guessed Ford with its F-Series you’d be

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right, but Chevy is no longer number two. That spot has actually belonged to Ram for some time.

It takes two General Motors brands to push Ram off the second-place podium, and not by much. The Ram brand sold 88,521 pickup trucks in Canada last year, an improvement of more than 10 percent compared to 2013. It’ll no doubt be some time before Ram gets close enough to Ford for it to even see the big blue oval on the backside of an F-Series truck, but it’s been outselling both Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks since 2010, the GM models only achieving 41,959 and 48,046 Canadian sales respectively last year for a total of just 90,005, only 1,484 units more than Ram. At the rate Ram is growing it may not be long before it passes

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right on by the General’s combined dual-brand pickup sales, which may cause some soul searching in Oshawa. Just in case you were wondering, full-size Ram trucks outsell the Toyota Tundra nine to one, whereas Nissan sells one new Titan for every 29 Ram pickups. Ouch!

Yes, it’s quite evident we Canadians like what the new Ram brand has done with the full-size Dodge pickup truck line over the last five years or so. Since 2009, sales have almost tripled, whereas Ford’s full-size truck sales have climbed respectably albeit nowhere near as much. On the other hand, GMC’s have only improved slightly despite a complete makeover last year, while Chevy’s have been more or less flat since that same redesign.

Of

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interest, 2009 was the year that Dodge Trucks became Ram Trucks, and I must admit that I was a tad confused over what parent company FCA was up to at the time. It was an era that saw everyone else eliminating brands, General Motors having just been forced to axe its Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, and Saturn nameplates that year, plus almost losing Buick and GMC in the process of government mandated restructuring, and that’s after already giving up on Oldsmobile earlier in the decade, not to mention Geo and Canada’s Passport and then Asüna divisions the decade before that (not that anyone outside of GM really cared about the latter two). Creating new brands isn’t something that happens often, but FCA rightly believed that Ram could stand on its own and be stronger for it, and we’ve all got to hand it to them, they were right.

Now Ram is a bona fide multi-model brand, not only the nameplate behind a line of

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half-ton, three-quarter-ton and one-ton pickup trucks plus a lone panel version of the Dodge Caravan creatively dubbed Cargo Van, but also a purveyor of the Fiat-sourced ProMaster City compact commercial cargo and passenger vans, and the full-size ProMaster cargo, passenger, cutaway and chassis cab van lineup. Altogether the Ram brand sold a total of 93,760 units last year, the vast majority made up of pickup trucks of course, but a good restart back into the commercial sector just the same.

The biggest seller of the bunch is the half-ton Ram 1500, a model that enjoys one of the most loyal followings in the industry. Dodge revitalized the second-generation model way back in 1993 with its now legendary “big rig” redesign that shocked the pickup truck world and instantly propelled Ram from an afterthought to one of the full-size segment’s main contestants, and the rest is history. Now deeply

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within its fourth generation, which without coincidence started in 2009, the Ram 1500 is one of the foundation cornerstones FCA is building its  empire on, a willing and able cash cow that allows the development of most everything else the automaker has recently introduced and plans to in the future. It’s also a mighty fine truck.

The 1500 received a mild makeover for the 2013 model year that included a new front fascia, revised wheels and a nicely redone interior, which just happened to include the removal of “DODGE” from the upper central dash location and replacement of “RAM” – took them long enough. A number of engine and trim changes were also executed for 2013, so that by the time the 2014 model year rolled around there wasn’t much else to do, except, that is, to introduce the single most

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intelligent engine option any truck manufacturer has ever offered in the half-ton truck market.

Maybe intelligent is too strong a term because light truck buyers have been pining for a small, efficient diesel for as long as I can remember, so rather than laud the Ram brand for being so ruddy brilliant I could just as easily run them down for taking so bloody long to wise up to the obvious. This said, despite all their might in the industry Ford and GM haven’t yet wised up to the half-ton diesel opportunity, not to mention Toyota or Nissan that could now be owning a much larger slice of the half-ton pie if they’d only brought diesels to market when they first launched their full-size pickup truck entries, so therefore Ram and its seemingly smart FCA parent deserve a big pat on the backside for finally delivering what the market has been craving for decades, and those sales numbers I quoted earlier are directly resultant.

The

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2015 Ram 1500 gets one single improvement over last year’s truck, by the way, a customizable model-specific welcome display within the gauge cluster screen. Yup, that’s it. When you climb inside and slide behind the wheel the words “RAM 1500 Laramie” will be a reminder that you’ve bucked up for one of the nicest trucks on the market, period. Yes, GMC will lay claim to their Sierra Denali being the full-size pickup segment’s luxury truck, and while it’s a very strong contender since its redesign it would be silly for them to think that it’s any better than what Ram is offering right here, especially when it’s quite easy to see that Ram is doing luxury better than some so-called luxury brands.

What’s most staggering about this particular Ram 1500 Laramie is that it’s not the top-line trim offered. There are still two models above, the Laramie Longhorn and the

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Laramie Limited. The “entry level” Laramie that I tested came fitted with the types of premium features you’d expect in a top-line luxury sedan, such as heatable and ventilated perforated leather seats with grey contrast stitching, a heatable leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, driver seat memory, a six-way power adjustable passenger seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, a backup camera, upgraded audio system with an amplifier, front- and rear-door accent lighting, power-folding side mirrors with chrome caps, a bright chrome grille and bumpers, plus more.

And that’s on top of a truck that already comes standard with most of the equipment from lesser trims, such as the $39,295 Sport model’s premium projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights, LED taillights, 20-inch chromed alloy rims on 275/60R20 all-season tires, dual rear exhaust pipes with chromed tips, LED interior lighting, 10-way powered driver’s seat with two-way powered

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lumbar support, Uconnect 8.4 multimedia centre featuring a massive 8.4-inch colour touchscreen display, 115-volt power outlet, fold-flat rear load storage system, and more.

It also includes the seven-inch configurable in-cluster display from the Big Horn model, plus its overhead console, universal garage door opener, chromed door handles and side steps, fog lamps and electronic on-demand transfer case; plus the $33,195 SLT model’s Bluetooth phone connectivity, premium door trim with map pockets, upgraded instrument panel, traveller and mini trip computers, power sliding rear window, and more; as well as the SXT’s satellite radio, interior carpeting, carpeted floor mats, and remote USB port; and lastly the base $27,395 ST

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model’s automatic headlights, air conditioning, cruise control, 12-volt auxiliary outlets, rear under-seat storage bins, ABS-enhanced four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist, traction and stability control, tire pressure monitoring, six airbags, independent coil spring suspension with heavy-duty shock absorbers, trailer sway control, trailer wiring harness and once again, much more. That’s a lot of kit for a $48,095 pickup truck, plus $1,695 for freight and pre-delivery prep, and I haven’t even told you about some of the really good stuff.

Before I get to that I promised you a rundown on the Laramie Longhorn and Laramie Limited trims, the former priced at $55,095 plus freight and equipped with upgraded premium leather seats, a premium instrument cluster and interior accents, navigation, heated rear seats, remote start, front and rear park assist, a spray-in

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bedliner, and finally white-gold metallic two-tone fascias, fender flares and lower paint trim. The $58,090 Laramie Limited goes back to a monotone exterior paint scheme while adding yet more monotone elements including a body-colour front fascia and rear bumper, plus accent-painted chrome inserts on the wheels, while intelligent proximity-sensing keyless access gets you inside where you’ll find premium black leather seats, a wood-trimmed steering wheel, auto high-beam control, rain-sensing wipers, and luxury floor mats, plus every rides on an ultra-comfortable air suspension system.

Astute readers (who have already browsed through the photos) will notice that some of the Longhorn and Limited upgrades were included in my regular Laramie, this due to a variety of packages my particular truck was fitted with, starting with premium

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leather bucket seats that also included a full-length floor console for $1,000; the Convenience Group that includes proximity sensing access with pushbutton ignition, automatic high beam assist and rain-sensing wipers for $450 (a really good deal); navigation for $550; front and rear parking sonar for $125 (not much money very well spent); and a spray in bedliner at $550.

Ram also included some additional features that I truly appreciated, the first and most appreciated costing nothing at all, monotone paint. Additionally, a set of $700 chrome side steps made ingress and egress easier, while a $1,295 powered glass sunroof certainly brightened up the cabin. What’s more, the addition of a $225 single-disc CD player delivered better sound quality at the expense of convenience, although all the wired and wireless connectivity was still there. Additionally,

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$175 worth of front and rear rubber floor mats were added to keep the carpeting clean during muddy winter months; a set of $775 trailer tow mirrors and brake upgrades improved rear vision while adding trailer brake control; a $395 Class IV receiver hitch makes towing heavy loads possible; the $250 Protection Group makes going off-road safer thanks to tow hooks, a transfer case skid plate shield and front suspension skid plate; while a $95 3.92 rear axle ratio and $525 anti-spin rear differential rounded out my go-anywhere tester. These extras and more pushed the price of my tester up to $63,400 plus freight, which is par for the course amongst luxury trucks.

After looking at the price plus my truck’s long list of extras you may be wondering why Ram didn’t just order up this test model in Longhorn or Limited trim and be done

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with it, but both the Longhorn and Limited are only available in longer Crew Cab body styles which leaves me to guess that the folks at Ram must have wanted we journalists to experience and then report on just how flexible they are when it comes to configuring the 1500 by offering almost as much kit as their top-line trucks but in a shorter cab. I personally like the shorter Quad Cab, as I don’t need the limousine-like rear quarters of the Crew and prefer the agility of the lighter weight pickup.

While a lengthy list of upgrades, it wasn’t just the features that made my Ram 1500 Laramie such an impressive luxury truck, but more so the way everything was

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put together. Upon first pulling on the chrome-clad door handle and opening it up I was greeted by a door panel that’s better than anything I’ve ever seen from any other pickup truck maker, let alone most of the high-end SUVs I’ve driven recently, replete with padded soft-touch door uppers that flow down to the even softer and more padded off-white stitched leatherette armrests, the door handle at centre capped off with a gorgeous bright metal “RAM” embossed nameplate and the insert in between windowsill and armrest finished with some very authentic looking woodgrain trim, dual chrome metal accents, yet more padded synthetic surfacing and of course a beefy chrome-finished door handle. Upscale for sure, and I hadn’t even stepped inside yet.

The dash top gets a similar padded and stitched leatherette surface treatment for a thoroughly premium appearance and luxury-level tactile quality, while the primary gauge package ahead of the thick leather-clad steering wheel is a wonderful

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combination of analog dials and full-colour digital functionality, its features accessible via two tightly fitted and nicely damped sets of steering spoke-mounted buttons. Just above the steering column’s tilt and telescopic function lever, a toggle allows control of the powered foot pedals, which when combined with the 10-way adjustable driver’s seat results in ideal ergonomics for most any body type. Even my five-foot-one partner felt right at home in the big truck, quickly finding a safe and comfortable driving position, after which 4-Low was immediately engaged, followed by an eager, impishly cute face eyeing out something rugged to drive over.

No matter where you’re driving, around town, on the highway, on a dirt road to the summer cottage, up the side of a mountain or across a rocky riverbed, the Ram 1500 Laramie 4×4 is ideally comfortable. The seats are supportive in all the right places, their wonderful adjustability allowing multiple position settings so you

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won’t be aching even after a long drive, while the addition of forced ventilation is oh-so pleasant in summer’s heat. They can be actuated via the infotainment system’s climate interface or by a row of buttons on the lowest portion of the centre stack where the seat heaters are also located, both sets on either side of a button for warming up the steering wheel on cold winter mornings. The infotainment interface also incorporates a powerful audio system that easily streamed music from my android phone when I wasn’t listening to satellite radio or the latest hockey news on the AM dial, while a handy media hub included a USB for charging my phone, auxiliary plug if ever necessary, and an SD card slot, only topped by the aforementioned 115-volt, 150-watt three-prong household outlet on the dash.

This

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is a truck that you can really live in, let alone live with. There is more room than my medium-build five-foot-eight frame could ever utilize up front or in back, and I’m guessing more space than a crew of large teenagers would require too. The rear seats are a bit upright, which might be less than ideal for those in back over the long haul, but for daily use it’s just fine. This in mind you may want to consider a Crew Cab if you do a lot of family traveling, as you’ll get less complaining from rear occupants and therefore require fewer pit stops.

My tester didn’t include the 1500’s fancy Rambox storage system hidden within the sidewalls of the box in back, but that was fine by me as they encroach on bed space that I’d rather make the most of if this were my truck. I was disappointed, however, that no corner bumper footsteps were included or any other way for a shorter

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person like me to climb up onto the folded tailgate. Ram does provide the classic step at the centre of the bumper for climbing inside the box when the tailgate is closed, but this doesn’t solve access when the tailgate is lowered. So get creative and think of something Ram. You’re part of an automaker that created second-row seats that magically flip and fold under the floor of a minivan along with countless other useful innovations, so a simple step in the corner of a pickup truck bumper should be child’s play. There are plenty of examples of these types of bed access solutions on the market now, and it’s simply unreasonable that Ram hasn’t figured out a way for customers that aren’t six-feet tall to climb up and inside the box without difficulty, as it’s a big challenge for we shorter folks to stretch our feet all the way up to the top of a 4×4’s bumper. Add features like these, and possibly a unique hidden foldable step system of your own, then advertise

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it to height challenged contractors and watch Ram 1500 sales continue to grow.

An innovation I really like can be found back inside the 1500’s cab, just to the right of my tester’s ignition button. I’ve only ever seen Jaguar and Range Rover use a rotating dial for selecting gears, which makes Ram’s status-metre rise measurably. It’s a most efficient use of space, freeing the column from a large and ungainly shift lever and allowing more space for a middle passenger if equipped with the standard 40/20/40 bench seat, or alternatively a more useful as-tested lower console that incorporates dual cupholders and multiple bins, the forward one very large as it expands down below and the one under the centre armrest gigantic, big enough for a laptop, while the gear selector’s operation couldn’t be simpler nor more refined an experience. Simply put your foot on the brake

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and turn it to the right from P to R or D, and it’s off to the races. What’s more, this innovative gear selector connects through to the most advanced transmission in the light truck sector, the ZF-supplied Torqueflite 8, the numeral 8 denoting its eight forward gears.

Combined with my tester’s fabulous 3.0-litre EcoDiesel V6, a $4,500 option that not only ups towing and hauling performance thanks to 420 lb-ft of torque compared to the Hemi 5.7 V8’s 410, but most importantly improves fuel economy from the 5.7 4×4’s 16.3 L/100km city and 11.5 highway five-cycle EnerGuide rating to a much more livable 12.1 city and 8.8 highway; the same diesel/eight-speed combo is good for an even thriftier 11.6 city and 8.4 highway in rear-drive guise. You’ll have to decide if it’s worth the extra coin as the Laramie normally comes standard with the 5.7 Hemi and eight-speed autobox, already an impressive

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powertrain that notably delivers a lot more horsepower at 395 compared to 240, but torque is king in the pickup truck market and these days at least, fuel economy is queen.

Torque in mind, depending on engine, drive-line configuration and body style/bed length, the Ram 1500 can tow from 1,792 kilograms (3,950 lbs) to 4,740 kilos (10,450 lbs), while its payload capacity ranges from 426 kg (940 lbs) to 875 kg (1,930 lbs). Those bed length variations start from the shortest five-foot-seven box that can manage up to 1,424 litres (50.3 cubic feet) of cargo, up to an eight-foot box with a 2,116-litre (74.7 cubic-foot) volume (this last box limited to Regular Cab models, which incidentally are assembled in Saltillo, Mexico instead of Warren, Michigan), while a six-foot-four

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box capable of 1,628 litres (57.5 cubic feet) of storage space splits the difference.

I should probably note that the Ram 1500 can be purchased with FCA’s excellent 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 in lesser trims, this engine making a healthy 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque while fitted standard with the eight-speed gearbox, and when equipped with RWD capable of 12.9 L/100km city and 9.3 highway, or alternatively 14.6 city and 10.1 highway with AWD. Additionally a rear-drive Ram 1500 with the 5.7 and eight-speed tranny gets a rating of 15.8 city and 10.9 highway, whereas the 5.7 with the old six-speed automatic utilizing rear-wheel drive is the second worst fuel economy offender in the Ram lineup at 17.1 city and 12.0 highway, the same setup with AWD the heaviest drinker at 17.6 city and 12.7 highway. Still, compared to some in this segment even the thirstiest Ram 1500 is a veritable fuel miser,

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but then again why not enjoy the best fuel economy this segment has ever seen and opt for the new EcoDiesel.

Either way you’ll be driving a half-ton pickup that offers one of the best rides in the industry, if not the best. On the highway the Ram is like a dream compared to every other pickup truck, it’s ride so smooth and composed and its ability to manage corners, even bumpy ones, so impressive that it simply must be experienced to be believed. The difference makers are the rear coil springs I mentioned before, every Ram pickup truck rival using seemingly archaic leaf springs instead. Yes, there’s a lot to be said for leaf springs when it comes to loading on heavy weight and trailering, but I’ve done both with the Ram 1500, back to back against its top contenders with significant weight in tow as part of the launch program of a competitive truck,

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and the Ram felt better and more secure under full payload, while towing, and just generally when driving unladen. All round the Ram 1500 is my choice for daily driver as well as beast of burden when called upon, while it makes a mighty fine 4×4 as well.

No wonder the Ram 1500 is climbing up the sales charts so quickly. Not only is it a fabulous looking truck that’s easily the most refined in its class in every respect, but also it’s the most fun to drive, the toughest half-ton workhorse you can get your hands on, and by far the most efficient full-size pickup truck ever produced.
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