Hi I'm Mark Williams for pick up trucks dot com and we're here in tennessee where we've
been given the first chance to drive the 2013 ram 1500.
now we've seen this truck here before in new york but now we get to take a closer look
inside we get driving impressions we get to look at all the features.
lets take a closer look.
the most important technology is of course underneath the hood this long horn edition
has the 5 7 liter v8 made into the 8 speed transmission but the big news for this segment
in the half ton market, the pentastar 3.6 liter v6 305 horsepower 269 foot pounds of
torque 20 foot vales all aluminum high tech engine which ram is telling us is gonna get
best in class fuel economy.
so that means 18 city 25 on the highway for a combined 21 miles per gallon thats best
in class and beats almost everything in the industry thats about better than what they
had before in order to get those best in class fuel economy numbers a lot of design work
had to be done for a new front look it may not look it but the subtlties provide better
fuel economy numbers for them.
less drag thats the goal to create wind that doesn't get stuck or doesn't swirl at the
front of this truck it doesn't give off their offering 4 new grilles 4 new different bumper
groups and for arrow, they got much lower to push more air underneath and over the top
one of the coolest features on this vehicle are the electronic shutters that are now an
option.
this allows the shutters to close in order to push wind around and over the truck.
as soon as the engine reaches optimum temperature the shutters close and no more wind is getting
sucked into the grille creating drag the shutters close push the wind around less drag.
another cool option and a segment first projector headlamps on a half ton pick up, a much cleaner
brighter light as well as some LEDs here at the bottom that make this truck look very
cool it's definitely going to stand out from a crowd another feature thats gonna stand
out inserts on the wheel that allow you to color match or color contrast with the truck
that you choose this is something that other manufacturers are probably going to pick up
on and we're likley to see on ram trucks across the board.
you might notice that this side step looks a little long 2 different reasons 1 easy access
into the bed by just simply stepping on it the other reason is for aero dynamics almost
everything on this truck has been done to improve fuel economy not the least the side
step allows more air to go around the rear wheel instead of get caught up and swirling
inside it.
this particular wheel base on the long horn 140 inches is a pre-existing wheel base that
they had but late availability second quarter of 2013, there gonna have a 6 and a half foot
box with a crew cab wheel base thats a model that they've never had before thats gonna
allow them to compete against GM and Ford.
another one of the cool features on this truck an air suspension.
now this is essentially the same air suspension thats been adapted from the jeep grand cherokee.
4 bags in all four corners that will allow this truck to have 4 different settings from
kneeling all the way up to a 2 tiered off road setting the coolest feature of this since
there are sensors around this truck is that you actually get warning when you're getting
close to your maximum ton weight when you're towing when you're at your maximum ton weight
and when you're over your maximum tow weight.
This truck will make towing much safer.
an issue for full size pickup truck owners has always been where to put their valuables
even though they have an open bed 2013 ram pickup with the ram box.
one click locks the doors, the ram box, and the tailgate.
the ram interior designers did a great job matching new gauges specifically designed
for each of their option packages and matching that with their new door designs.
so all the inserts in the doors completely match with the interior design.
also a bigger fatter beefier steering wheel feels really nice.
the torque transmission is now a roadery dial on the dash this is a segment exclusive for
a lot of guys they're gonna need some time to get used to this but from our experience
it seems pretty easy to use.
on the upper trim levels the center counsel with its 8.4 inch screen as well as a new
set of radio controls and ac controls and a whole grouping of buttons to control all
sorts of different things on this new truck.
looks very organized and very neatly done.
now this is the first ram truck thats gonna get the new Uconnect system thats basically
turns your pickup truck into a smartphone you'll be able to download apps you may be
able to design them that will specifically tailor your truck to what you want to do whether
thats working or whether thats playing this truck can be customized to what you need and
we have to make special note of this new long horn edition we really like the new leather
materials on the seats the center console and the stitching along the dash.
The tolerances and the quality of this has definitely been raised.
to find out how this new ram 1500 handles on the road, check out our driving impressions
video or for the full story go to pickup trucks . com