2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab: One Rockin’ Truck

By Mike Blake, Carlisle Events

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

According to auto industry lore, the original Dodge Ram logo was created by sculptor Avard T. Fairbanks, who designed the “Flying Lady” icon for Plymouth in 1929.
Fairbanks, who was head of the University of Michigan sculpting department, got an urgent call from the engineers at Dodge and was asked to meet them in 10 minutes. They explained that they had 10,000 cars that needed hood ornaments and that they wanted something as attractive as the ornament on a Rolls Royce. Fairbanks suggested a mountain lion, a tiger, a jaguar and other animals. Eventually, he began modeling a charging Rocky Mountain Big Horn sheep, a ram. Dodge owner Walter P. Chrysler was not enthusiastic about the choice. The legend continues that Fairbanks explained that the animal was sure-footed; it's the king of the trail; it won't be challenged by anything and that if you were on a trail and saw that ram charging at you with its big horns, you would think "dodge" and “dodge” the animal’s ferocity. The story ends with Walter Chrysler saying, “That’s it, the Ram goes on the Dodge.”
Dodge has been building trucks since 1917, and it introduced the Ram to the light-duty market in 1994. With big-rig styling and its iconic “cross-hair grille,” Dodge has produced a 2009 Ram that lives up to the legend – it is sure-footed, a king of the trail and withstands the challenges of the environment and the demands of the public. Powered by another legend, the 5.7-liter HEMI engine, the 2009 Dodge ram 1500 Crew Cab rocks as a pick-up icon.
From the first look, this Ram is one impressive beast, all 5740 pounds of it. The Ram 1500 is big, bold, aggressive, sporty and HEMI worthy. Looking as if it were ready to charge, Ram sports a muscular, forward-canted grille, large angled headlights, a power bulge in the hood and chromed dual exhaust tips—a first in light-duty pickups. The sculpted Ram’s-head badge on the tailgate is 250 percent larger than the previous badge. Measuring out at 229 inches long, 79.4 inches wide and 75.7 inches high with ground clearance of 8.6-9 inches on a wheelbase of 140.5 inches, the Crew Cab’s bed is only 5.7-feet long. The innovative Ram Box that allows storage on each side of the exterior of the bed is a very cool idea, but limits the box’s width to an inconveniently narrow 51.1 inches. To help compensate for lost cargo space, the Ram Box system comes with a bed divider/2-foot bed extender for oversize loads and a rail system with sliding, adjustable cleats for infinitely adjustable tie-down capability.
If you think Dodge Ram, you think HEMI, and my test Ram 1500 Crew Cab rocked with a 5.7-liter HEMI engine that produces a muscular 390hp and a prodigious 407 lbs.-ft. of torque. The torque curve is consistent and provides brawn in all gears and the Crew Cab can pull up to 5,700 pounds; when outfitted with the new 3.21 rear axle option can move around as much as 11,000 pounds.
On the track, my test Ram 1500 thundered after initial objection to a zero to 60mph run in 7.7 seconds, while covering the quarter-mile in a stout 15.9 seconds.
EPA rated at 13 mpg in the city and 18mpg on the highway, a week of testing in Central Pennsylvania and Northwestern Maryland achieved an average of 15.1mpg in mixed-use driving. While on the interstates and borough streets, my Ram harvested a bushel of admiring looks during the annual Carlisle All-Truck Nationals, as I drove the vehicle through Cumberland Valley during some of my test runs.
From a handling perspective, Ram attacked road irregularities with poise and confidence, and easily transitioned from pavement to dirt to gravel and on to macadam, though steering was more than little vague.
Inside, the Ram has undergone a redesign and provides a ton of comforts in a spacious setting. With seating for 2 or 3 in front and 3 in the crew cab, front headroom measures 41 inches with 39.9 inches in the crew cab; 41 inches of front leg room and 42 inches behind; 66 inches of front shoulder room and 65.7 in the cab.
The in-cabin and cab rides are quiet, comfortable and somewhat refined and standard niceties include air conditioning, 8-speaker sound system, rear power sliding window, temperature and compass gauge, info center, Sirius Satellite radio and such safety features as front and rear side curtain air bags with enhanced accident response and knee bolsters.
Base priced at $34,850, the price-as-tested for my Ram was $45,105. More than $10,000 in options included rear parking assist and a 505-watt 9-speaker surround sound system ($1500), the Ram Box ($1895), the 5.7-liter HEMI ($1310), uconnect GPS ($1745) and a Big Horn leather and chrome package ($1500). But with all that, it should have included heated seats and leather at the price.

Additionally, for $45,000, the side view mirrors really should have been power-fold-ins and the info and entertainment screen should have been a bit more user-friendly and intuitive, but from a power, handling and versatility perspective this Ram rocks.


Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

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