2013 Ram 1500

Motor Trend decided that the Ram 1500 is the Truck of the Year, so I decided that I should take one out and see what I think about this new truck that everybody is raving about.

First let’s start with the engine, the one I tested came with the new 305hp Penastar V6, which is also used in the Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300 (I’m sure I’m missing some), but even though 305hp is not that much horsepower in a truck, it still has a towing capacity of 5,900 which is respectable, but it also has very good gas mileage, the one I drove averaged about 19mpg, great, for a two ton car. The power delivery is also very impressive; it almost feels like you’re driving a Chrysler 300 with a tow hitch. while other cars in this segment feel huge bulky, and gas thirsty, this Ram feels more of a smooth, and the steering is very precise, so you always know where you are going to go, so you could say that I’m starting to understand why this was the Truck Of the Year

Some of the biggest improvements for the 2013 Ram are inside the car; with more of a sedan feeling instead of a ugly looking 90's interior witch can be found on some trucks still (Nissan Titan). The truck i tested came with black leather, navigation, and soft touch plastic. A huge improvement over the last model which consisted of hard plastic, cloth, an outdated interior, but I have to admit, a truck is not meant to be a nice place to sit in, and the prices you have to pay now are just crazy! The F-150 starts at around 40 grand! To put that into perspective, you could buy a 2003 Aston Martin Vantage for 45 grand, but of coarse that’s for two very different buyers, but still, that’s a large price to pay.

The exterior has some slight charges, new grill, slightly more aggressive headlights, and some handy things around the outside, like a gun rack, and even a cooler. But, Ram is not the one who designed the truck, neither is Fiat, Nissan is the Mastermind behind this, not to mention the suspension was designed by Nissan, which Ram got most of the credit for. So why dose Nissan not have a truck? Several reasons, when the huge earthquake struck that would have been around the time Nissan would have sent off the new Titan, also complications with Fiat stopped the deal around halfway through the process, so we should all wait and see what Nissan has up its sleeve.

So, yes, I do think the 2013 Ram is worthy of the Truck Of the Year badge, but I do think that it did not have much of competition, The F-150 is a great truck, but has many flaws, Chevy, Toyota, and Nissan’s trucks are all out dated and in much need of updating, so while the Ram might steal the title now, the 2014 Truck of the Year will be a completely different story.