Interior
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The Ram Quad Cab offers owners a cavernous interior with conventional front doors and rear-hinged rear doors. The absence of a B-pillar makes it much easier to get in or out of the rear seat; it also makes it much easier to stick something behind the front seats. The door handles for the rear doors are integrated into the front interior face of the rear door, and this setup provides a more secure dual locking system for all four doors when the rear door is locked.
The instrument panel of all Dodge Rams has been changed for 1998 to a much more modern layout. This includes a new steering wheel design, a new set of reduced-force air bags, with a lockout for the passenger bag, a gaping storage hole, an extra power point, and new cupholders that will handle anything.
In order to get rid of a potentially messy array of dangling seat belts in the wide-open Quad Cab doorway, the designers have integrated the front seat belts into the seats themselves on all Rams. The console has also been redesigned. Other new interior features for 1998 include heated power mirrors, illuminated power door locks and window switches, and an optional security alarm system.
The cloth-covered seats in our test truck were plush, supportive and comfortable, not to mention nicely upholstered in a multicolored speckle-and-gray material. The front seat in all Rams is divided 40/20/40, with a huge fold-down central section that doubles as armrest and writing table. There's a substantial storage box inside the armrest portion with divided spaces for coins, cassettes, maps or even a laptop computer.
The rear seat in the Quad Cab is the same seat used in the conventional extended cab version of the truck. It's handy for children, pets and petite adults, but it is not comfortable for adults on long trips. The rear seat is fitted with two shoulder belts and one lap belt. The bench portion of the seat flips up out of the way effortlessly from either side for hauling tools or cargo.
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