10,000 mile review - Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD
Pros:
Best looking, most powerful pickup, bar none.
Cons:
Mileage, rear axle hop, hard to park
The Bottom Line:
I'd still pick this even over the new for 2004 F150. the engine is that much better.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I bought a new 2003 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4WD in June 2003, as replacement for a chevy S10 extended cab (too small, only 1 jump seat in the rear, etc.)
The RAM is probably the best looking, best sounding (hemi!!!!) pickup on earth. the 6 foot bed was pre-lined with rhino when we got it. and it came with the 20 inch wheels. it's an effortless (albeit expensive) highway cruiser; good in the sand for surf fishing, and commands respect in the high school parking lot, the beach, the hardware store, etc. the sound system is awesome. it has a tight turning radius (for a full size pickup). Brakes are above average for a vehicle this heavy. Can take 2 adults, 2 kids, and 2 dogs on vacation easily.
Downside(s): mileage is atrocious. 10 around town, 16 or so on the highway. plenty of wheel hop from the live rear axle on rough roads. pick your parking spots with care . .. this baby is hard to dock. and avoid the 20 inche "sport" wheel package; it only makes a rough ride downright uncomfortable.
The kids say the rear seat is "too upright". I'm not sure if this is a valid complaint or not . . . do the F150 or Sierra seats have more incline? I don't think so. There's plenty of storage under the rear seats for booster cables, can of tire inflator, tools etc.
The spare is a pain to get down from under the rear bed. Plan on 30+ minutes to change a tire. The jack looks like it belongs on a dodge neon. The rear wheel has a steel rim of course. It costs $230 to replace a tire on this baby.
Running boards set you back about $500. My Ram came with a class 5 hitch standard, as well as BOTH trailer electrical connections - the round one and the flat one.
The bed is definitely too high. You can't really lift anything over the sides into the bed unless you're Shaq. And it's even hard to climb up onto the tailgate.
Plenty of power. Really superb engine sound. Smooth on flat pavement, bouncy on everything else. Tracks straight, stops short although it feels heavy during hard braking. The summer tires that come with the 20 inch wheels are unsuitable for snow, even if you put it in 4WD. They "plane" on it instead of biting down to the pavement.
Would I buy one again? Maybe. But I have a feeling that "hybrid" gas/electric trucks coming in the next year or so will cause massive depreciation in the current crop of poor-mileage full size pickups. There's a helluva difference between 12MPG average and 20, you know.
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