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You know a car has made it for cool factor when your 13-year-old niece tells you she wants one – and so it is for the Ram 1500, which has shown that Australian buyers (and dreamers!) are more than ready for a larger pick-up truck to be available on the market.
Formerly known as a Dodge Ram, the Ram 1500 comes to Australia as a left-hand drive vehicle and is essentially rebuilt to be a right-hand drive ute for our market. It’s a convincing conversion, and has seen production ramp up over the years, as well as the range of variants available.
It’s a big truck and has a big price, too. The entry-level 1500 BIG Horn (5-7 Tub) Mhev (4X4) costs $119,950, while the range-topping 1500 TRX Final Edition (4x4) lists at $249,950.
The Laramie Sport comes standard with 20-inch alloy wheels, power-retracting side-steps, 19-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, leather-trimmed seats with temperature control and 98-litre fuel tank to name a few. The Limited adds premium 403kW/707Nm engine tune plus 22-inch alloys, air suspension, 125-litre fuel tank, massaging seats and more.
The Ram 1500 range offers a choice of four body colours comprising Bright White, Billet Silver, Delmonico Red and Diamond Black.
The rule of thumb is that a float with two horses on board is around the 2000kg mark, so that’s the absolute bare minimum towing limit you’d be looking at. Even then, by the time you add a couple of saddles, some feed bins and whatever else it is horsey people cart around, you could easily be looking at 2.5 or even three tonnes.
With that in mind, the smart move would be to buy a dual-cab ute with as much towing capacity as possible. The good news there is that many of the popular choices can tow a braked trailer weighing anything up to 3.5 tonnes. Think about it; if a ute can tow 3.5 tonnes, it should cope easily with two tonnes.
If, on the other hand, we’re talking a three-axle float and a pair of Clydesdale horses, you might have to look at one of the US-made utes from the likes of RAM or other US-market brands. And even then, you need to be careful: Even though some versions of the RAM ute can legally tow 4500kg with a braked trailer, to do so and not exceed the GCM (the combined mass of the vehicle and trailer) the payload in the tray falls to less than 100kg.
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The Ram 1500 Laramie Sport comes standard with the 313kW/635Nm 'Standard Output' or 'SO' version of the twin-turbo Hurricane straight six, while the top-of-the-range Limited model gets the 403kW/707Nm 'High Output' or 'HO' version.
The Ram 1500 interior design and quality of finish are outstanding. A full-length sunroof adds to the spacious feel and its sumptuous genuine leather seat trim and numerous other luxurious touches make you feel like you're travelling first class.
The Ram 1500 range offers seating for up to five occupants, with bucket seats for the driver and front passenger along with a bench seat for three rear passengers.
The Laramie Sport can accelerate from 0-100km/h in about 6.2 seconds while the more powerful Limited takes about 5.3 seconds, with an estimated top speed of up to 180km/h.
Ram claims the 1500 Laramie Sport delivers average combined consumption of 10.74L/100km, which results in a theoretical driving range of more than 900km from its 98-litre petrol tank. The top-shelf Limited model's slightly higher 11.79L/100km figure results in a theoretical driving range of more than 1000km from its larger 125-litre tank. The Laramie Sport uses 91 RON petrol while the Limited prefers 95 RON.
The standard Ram 1500 offers 1.7 cubic metres of capacity, and comes with a bed step for easier access, a sprayed bedliner, lighting, four fixed tie-down hooks, a damped tailgate and a towbar with wiring.
The 6’4” tub has an 878kg maximum payload, while the tape measure reveals a 1937mm length, 1687mm width (with 1295mm between the arches) and a 545mm depth.