Long-Term Road Test Wrap-Up
From the June 2014 Issue of Car and Driver
Despite our love of driving other people’s cars, we do occasionally use our own rides, and oftentimes these pristine machines need assistance getting from place to place. Enter the tow vehicle. While heavy-duty pickups are designed for hauling serious tonnage, Chrysler’s high-tech updates to the light-duty 2013 Ram 1500 made it an ideal candidate for a long-term transportation study. During 40,000 miles in less than 12 months, in which our True Blue Pearl crew cab rarely sat idle, one of the wimpiest of Ram’s pickups proved more than capable on nearly every front, and especially when towing our battered heaps to tracks across the country.
Unlike our previous long-term Ram 1500—a 2009 model with four-wheel drive and the 390-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 [“Handy Man,” July 2010]—our 2013 SLT crew cab 4x4 featured the standard 305-hp, 3.6-liter V-6. It seems an odd powerplant for a work vehicle, as its meager 269 pound-feet of torque peaks at a lofty 4175 rpm. But that apparent wimpiness is why we wanted to live with it for a year. Would it be enough for us? In the end, the wee motor worked well in our 5601-pound test truck because of its standard pairing with the TorqueFlite 8HP45 eight-speed automatic transmission—a smooth-shifting upgrade over our previous Ram’s five-speed ’box. Plus, it has a rotary shifter on the dash and the ability to always keep the Pentastar V-6 in its power band.
Also fitted: the new four-corner air suspension ($1595) in place of the Ram’s standard coil springs. The suspenders do wonders for the 1500’s already exemplary ride by greatly reducing chatter from the rear axle. They also work in concert with the grille’s automatic shutters to reduce aerodynamic drag, lowering the ride height by nearly an inch at highway speeds. Buttons on the center stack can raise or lower the truck as much as two inches for either greater ground clearance or easier loading of the cargo bed. We never properly off-roaded the Ram, but the system paid us back in a severe thunderstorm, during which we had to boost the truck up to successfully ford roadways submerged beneath two feet of water.
The air suspension’s flexibility didn’t stop some drivers from complaining that the minimum height of the tailgate (32 inches) was, like the rent, still too damn high. The five-foot-seven-inch bed’s optional RamBox bins ($1295) also drew criticism for reducing the interior width of the cargo hold from 66 inches to 49. But their lockable, watertight storage for smaller items was indeed useful. In hopes of making our Ram even more functional, we installed an aftermarket cover and a carpeted bedliner [see below].
The Ram’s mid-level SLT trim is simple but heavy on substance, proffering cloth bench seats, a 26-gallon fuel tank, keyless entry, and a starting price of $38,295 in this configuration. Getting to our $47,050 as-tested figure wasn’t difficult with the aforementioned extras, along with the $1395 Big Horn package, which includes 20-inch chrome wheels with Goodyear Wrangler SR-A rubber, a seven-inch TFT cluster display, a receiver hitch, split-folding rear seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and more. We also added the $560 Luxury group (heated, power-folding, and auto-dimming mirrors; an overhead console; convenience lights) and the $150 Protection group (front tow hooks and skid plates).
Because a full-size pickup can rival a Porsche for available options, we also checked the boxes for Chrysler’s $1005 Uconnect 8.4 media interface (8.4-inch touch screen, navigation, USB and aux inputs, and Wi-Fi capability), chrome side steps ($600), a spray-in bedliner ($475), remote start ($350), a limited-slip rear differential ($325), a parking-assist system ($250), front cloth bucket seats ($250), an integrated trailer-brake controller ($230), and a rear-window defroster ($150). Self-control is not our strong suit, especially when spending other people’s money.
Our truck’s setup was rated for hauling 1490 pounds of payload and towing a respectable 5700 pounds. We maxed out the latter on several occasions with little drama, including towing a classic Volvo from Michigan to Arizona, as well as during our epic battle between a Ford Model T and a Tesla Model S [“The Race of the Centuries,” February 2014]. The truck was also skilled at schlepping a LeMons racer around the country; helping friends and family move; and hauling everything from landscaping materials to paragliders.
The 3.6-liter V-6 obviously lacks the gusto and greater capacities of the Hemi V-8 and had to run especially hard while pulling a trailer in the mountains. But the transmission always worked sweetly with the V-6 to deliver whatever thrust was available. A turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel with 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque is a third—and pricey—engine option on 2014 Rams, costing $4500 on SLT models.
Although the unladen truck’s fuel economy could top 20 mpg on the highway, our rigorous duty cycle lowered the overall average to 17 mpg, just one better than the EPA city rating. For sure, the optional, shorter 3.55:1 axle ratio ($50) in place of the standard 3.21 didn’t help efficiency. But our truck’s upgraded 32-gallon fuel tank ($75) meant we could still travel more than 500 miles between stops, provided we could cover the $100-plus fuel bills.
The big Ram returned a solid 7.9-second sprint to 60 mph and a quarter-mile pass of 16.1 seconds at 87 mph when new, which is about a second slower on both counts than our previous V-8–powered long-termer. Relatively speaking, both its lateral grip on the skidpad (0.76 g) and braking performance from 70 mph (195 feet) were also respectable. Upon returning to the track at 40,000 miles, both acceleration figures improved by a tenth to 7.8 and 16.0, respectively, while the stopping distance fell to 184 feet.
Nimble the Ram is not, but it manages its mass well and has accurate steering, making it drive more like a giant sedan than a pickup. However, the absence of a backup camera to aid trailer hookups (it’s a $350 option) was a glaring omission on our part. Despite lacking proper winter tires, our truck was largely unfazed by Michigan’s harshest winter in recent memory, only once needing a jump after a sub-zero night trapped in the polar vortex.
The word “comfortable” appeared in the Ram’s logbook more than any other, with continual praise for how the cushy ride, supportive front seats, and quiet interior let miles slip by effortlessly. Storage and passenger space abound in the cabin, and the various controls and readouts are easy to use, but we feel that a better arrangement of the temperature controls, an automatic HVAC mode, and heated seats should be standard at this price.
Like a good employee, our long-term Ram stayed healthy during its 40,000 miles, only calling for service (oil and filter change, inspection, and tire rotation) when its computer alerted us. That happened just four times for a total outlay of $232; our most expensive service stop set us back $92 and also included a new air filter. We spent another $84 replacing a taillight that was damaged while maneuvering into a car wash, and $134 for a new tire after a nail puncture. Replacing an odd $3 fuse that was on long-term back order from the dealer was one of our few headaches.
In what was one of our briefest long-term tests ever (349 days for an average 115 miles per day), the 2013 Ram 1500 proved one of the most versatile and trouble-free vehicles we’ve ever subjected to a 40,000-mile evaluation. Although our model’s entry price and fuel bills were significant, even with the V-6, this truck rarely delivered less than what we asked of it, be it on a quiet ride across town or a long-distance trek with a prized, if rusty, possession. As one driver summed up in the logbook, “It’s the ultimate four-wheeled multi-tool.”
Turning a Bed into a Trunk
A pickup bed is great for hauling bulky and messy cargo. But for carrying luggage, it’s far too exposed—both to the elements and to sticky fingers. If you want a more secure bed, Ann Arbor, Michigan–based Extang has some solutions.
From its variety of bed covers, we chose the Trifecta Tri-Fold Signature Series for our long-term Ram 1500. This cover usually attaches with tool-less clamps, but our truck’s RamBox storage compartments meant we had to screw a pair of aluminum channels to the top of the bed on each side.
The Tri-Fold has three lightweight sections to provide bed access, but the cover has to be removed entirely to accommodate larger items such as dirt bikes, and this can be an awkward task. When closed, it latches to internal clamps, which are secured by locking the tailgate. To provide even more of a trunklike ambience, we added a BedRug, which lines the interior surfaces with an industrial-strength felt-like material. The cover produced not a flutter or vibration at 80 mph during its initial 500-mile-plus test run. And with our stuff completely out of sight, we felt comfortable leaving the loaded truck in a hotel parking lot overnight. The BedRug seems durable and, over time, has held its own against tires, toolboxes, and other indelicate cargo, although some drivers complained of having to take extra care not to soil it with various fluids while shuttling race cars to the track.
The Trifecta cover is well worth its $542 price if you want to secure your truck’s bed. The $413 BedRug is nice but less essential, depending on your cargo. Either way, you end up with about 38 cubic feet of secure capacity—far more than any car trunk. —Csaba Csere
RANTS AND RAVES
DON SHERMAN: It’s a superb pickup: adequate power, capable transmission, magnificent ride over tortured surfaces—especially at high speeds.
ALEX STOKLOSA: The air suspension on this 1500 elevates the Ram’s previously good ride into truly unreal territory; it’d be nice if there were selectable damper settings, but the base setup is good.
ERIC TINGWALL: Getting into the bed is exhausting: no handholds and nothing low enough to step on. The [latest] Silverado’s simple molded bumper and bed-rail handhold look brilliant by comparison.
AARON ROBINSON: I just put $108 worth of gas into this thing. How do people afford to drive these every day? It’s like a reverse ATM.
RON SESSIONS: This has to be the smoothest V-6 in full-size truckdom.
CSABA CSERE: The climate-control system is very slow to respond. After a cold start, it took a long time for the heat to begin, even after the engine was warmed up.
JULI BURKE: If any vehicle needs a backup camera, it’s this beast.
JARED GALL: Regarding the bed cover and carpet: Who decided that our Ram needed to be more like a Lincoln Blackwood?
TONY SWAN: This is a comfortable truck for a long haul, with excellent ride quality and reasonably low NVH—provided the engine isn’t straining to maintain speed with a heavy load.
