2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
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2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Review: Exterior

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2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Review

Redesigned and re-engineered for 2009.
Walkaround
Everything on the 2009 Dodge Ram looks tighter and bigger, yet the truck takes up no more real estate than its predecessor. The illusion comes from more sheetmetal and smaller gaps.

For the last 15 years Rams have had lots of space between tires and fenders but the '09 narrows the gap. Side panels have increased in height by nearly 3.5 inches, to close the crevasse between the truck and the ground, yet the approach angle critical to pickup use hasn't diminished. The split between cab and bed is narrower, and there's a lateral seal in it to reduce air turbulence, the side mirrors stand off from the door glass, the sides are flatter, and the tailgate spoiler and windshield are both rounder for improved aerodynamics. Seen from behind where the tires appear almost flush with the body panels, the truck looks quite trim, rather like a European-cut dress shirt as opposed to an American-cut shirt.

There is no large seam between the front bumper and the grille and lights, and if the truck does not have fog lights the bumper does not have the outline marks that show it's missing something. The rear bumper is larger, has half-round openings for the sport exhaust on trucks so equipped, and both 7- and 4-pin trailer plugs are fitted adjacent to the rear plate. The tailgate has a torsion bar system that cuts the apparent weight of it in half when you lower it, and like all stock pickups, the aerodynamic efficiency and mileage both drop if the tailgate is left down.

Even the least expensive model has some chrome on the front rather than the complete industrial gray that typifies base models and there are plenty of paint choices. On upper variants the mirrors have LED puddle lamps and the headlamps are dual-bulb units, the first since the mid-'90s Sport models, and on the 2009 Sport the front bumper is deeper and body-colored. The more you spend, the more chrome you get.

An aluminum hood is used on all models to save weight, and there is plenty of space below it for the aftermarket to fit superchargers and other go-fast goodies. Laramie models come with two-tone paint but you can specify a single shade, and rather than chrome-plating the aluminum wheels plastic chrome covers are used for dress-up.

The two longer beds are typical pickup design and include four tie-down loops a few inches above floor level. The RamBox of Crew Cab models has a perfectly rectangular interior with no wheel-well intrusions. The Crew Cab RamBox is 49 inches wide, ensuring it can carry the ubiquitous 4x8 building materials flat on the floor. Side rails with cleats secure the cargo, and a bed divider that locks into place segments the bed into smaller areas or can be flipped over and used as a bed extender with the tailgate down.

Along the sides of the RamBox are two locking bins, capable of holding 120 standard 12-ounce cans on the left side (where the fuel fill is) and 130 on the right. These boxes have locking lids, drains, lights and 90-degree opening lids; together the volume exceeds that of a 55-gallon drum. You can fill them with ice and beverages for tailgate parties and camping. They might even hold trailer sway control equipment, though the heavy bars may be pushing the limits of the boxes. Next Page



2009 Dodge Ram 1500
  
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