My family loves trucks. Perhaps it’s because we have two boys or because the hubby is in the construction biz, but there’s a definite novelty associated with them for us. The 2009 Dodge Ram is wicked looking. Standing tall with a bright, shiny grille angled inward, it almost looked like a giant sheet-metal shark. I have to admit that the moment my string-bean 4-year-old stood in front of the parked Ram, I had the urge to push him out of the way for fear it might gobble him up.
Dodge redesigned the Ram for 2009, but little has changed for the 2010 model year. The 2010 Ram comes with improved iPod connectivity and a tire pressure monitoring system.
My test pickup truck, the Ram 1500 SLT Crew Cab Sport 4×2, had the optional 390-horsepower, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. What a beast! The Ram’s performance easily exceeded my expectations. This Hemi-powered mammoth boasted the acceleration and agility of a much smaller vehicle, and it impressively threw my head back as I moved to accelerate from a cruising speed of 70 mph on the highway.
As you might expect, the Ram’s gas mileage was the only downside to the V-8 engine; it gets an EPA-estimated 14/20 mpg city/highway.
Maneuvering the Ram was easy — no extra arm-muscle was needed to turn this bad boy — its turning radius was sharp and car-like. The ride was comfy and completely bump-free in the front row. However, when I looked in the rearview mirror to check on the kids, their little heads were bouncing around as if they were in the back row of a bus!
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