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1999 Dodge Ram (Quad Cab Sport Pickup)
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| The Truck that Raised the Bar for Modern Half-Ton Pickups |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 23:04:49 |
| Rating |
 130 ( -18 -13.84% ) |
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Description:
New Car Review1999 Dodge Ram
New Car Review
1999 Dodge Ram (Quad Cab Sport Pickup)
The Truck that Raised the Bar for Modern Half-Ton Pickups
By Bruce Caldwell
Credit Dodge for waking up the pickup market in the nineties. The current body style caused a big sensation at its introduction. Its unique front end features made it look like a scaled-down semi truck. The new Dodge was the front runner in the pickup door wars. It was the first to offer four doors on its extended cab, called the Quad Cab. The 3/4-ton and 1-ton models could be ordered with Dodge's new V-10 or the vaunted Cummins diesel. In an era of down-sizing engines, the V-10 was another bold move. Dodge did an excellent job of upholding its "Ram Tough" image.
Willingness to push the envelope has made Dodge pickups high-profile trucks, even though Ford and GM enjoy substantial sales superiority. Innovation and bold styling are the good news. The bad news is that Ford and Chevy/GMC had to get busy updating their pickups. The leap frog pattern of each new pickup surpassing the previous leader first moved the Ford F-150 and now the Chevy Silverado to the head of the pack. Who knows what bold steps Dodge will take the next time the Ram pickups are redesigned? For now, Dodge, once the bold innovator, is behind Chevy and Ford.
Not that the Dodge Ram Quad Cab is some outdated dinosaur, but it trails in the horsepower department for half-ton engines. All three competitors offer one V-6 and two V-8s. The Dodge V-6 is rated at 175 hp, the Chevy has 200 hp, and the Ford has 205 hp. In the smaller V-8s, Dodge has 230 hp, Chevy has 255 hp, and Ford has 220 hp. Dodge has the biggest displacement large V-8 at 5.9-liters, followed by Ford with 5.4-liters, and Chevy with 5.3-liters. Horsepower rankings are reversed with Chevy at 270 hp, Ford at 260 hp, and Dodge at 245. Dodge engines have lots of torque, though. In the V-8 comparisons, Dodge is tops except for the 5.4-liter Ford, which produces 345 lb-ft compared to the Dodge 5.9-liter with 335 lb-ft of torque. We think Dodge should develop a larger-displacement version of the great 4.7-liter modular V-8 used in the new Grand Cherokee. The basic 5.9-liter V-8 is pushing three decades of use.
Our wild Solar Yellow Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab Sport had $9,000 worth of options, including the SLT decor group, Sport appearance group, and the leather interior group. It was like a luxury car that could climb mountains, ford streams, haul materials, and tow a big trailer. The excellent interior was more like a mini office. It was loaded with storage bins, monster cup holders, and power outlets. The Dodge interior is geared for people like project managers who virtually live in their trucks.
Front seat room and visibility are excellent. With the 4x4 suspension and 16-inch tires, you sit up high. The split bench seat will accommodate a real adult in the center position, although the backrest/armrest/storage bin is a little short. The full-width folding rear bench will carry adults, but not with the front seat all the way back. The seatback is rather upright. With the seat retracted, there's lots of inside cargo area. Unfortunately, the floor is rather lumpy with the transmission tunnel and the exposed jack. The two rear-hinged quad doors open wide for easy access. Large side windows open for extra ventilation.
Performance is good, but not exciting. The overdrive transmission was smooth, but even with lots of overdrive, freeway miles, we only averaged 12 mpg. The EPA ratings are 12 city and 16 highway. We couldn't match the highway estimates. The ride was a little choppy compared to the newest Fords and Chevys. We had the short wheelbase, which exacerbates bumps, especially with an empty bed. The plush interior helped mute roughness, but couldn't hide it. The bed had an excellent bed liner with notches for lumber carrying and recessed areas on the tailgate for cups or cans.
Our major complaint about the Dodge Ram 1500 was that it had more of a traditional truck ride than its more car-like competitors. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but in this era of super trucks, it is a noticeable difference.
PROS: Bold, unconventional styling; plush, utilitarian, roomy interior; torque; 4 real doors.
CONS: Lagging main competitors in horsepower; fuel economy; relatively truck-like ride.
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