More Options for Ram Tradesman 1500
It's official: The Ram Tradesman is a huge success, and Ram Truck is expanding the number of models to include more powertrain options and cab configurations.
"From the moment we launched it, the Ram 1500 Tradesman was a hit," said Fred Diaz, Ram's president and CEO. "Our new four-door Ram Tradesman models offer the pickup segment's best combination of room for six hard-working adults, V-8 capability and value."
The Tradesman is a value-priced package designed to meet the hard-working needs of commercial fleets as well as small businesses. Ram has been successful at expanding the model lineup for the Ram 1500 Express, so it makes sense to follow the same strategy with the Tradesman.
In addition to adding crew-cab and Quad Cab models, the 2012 Tradesman will now come standard with the smaller 4.7-liter V-8 (the Hemi remains an option), offering 310 horsepower and 330 pounds-feet of torque. Ram says this will make the entry-level Tradesman the strongest tow vehicle and cargo hauler of any work truck option on the market.
Of course, pickups that come standard with a stronger engine don’t have a "work truck" package, and those that do offer a work truck model include a more economical (and less powerful) base V-6 engine to keep costs low for fleet buyers.
Still, in an effort to make the smaller V-8 option more attractive to truck buyers, Ram is basically throwing in a free RamBox option (a $1,295 value) for 4.7-liter V-8 Tradesman buyers. Our guess is that will make the aging little V-8 an attractive option for many.
All Tradesman models get styled, full-face steel wheels; a fully warrantied, factory-equipped spray-in bedliner; and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Prices for the Tradesman Quad Cab start at $27,330, including a $995 destination charge. The Tradesman crew cab starts at $29,810. Ram 1500 Tradesman regular cab prices have been lowered for 2012 to $22,370 (with the 4.7-liter engine).
Additionally, the Ram 1500 Tradesman HD offers the most towing capacity (11,500 pounds) and most payload (3,125 pounds) of any light-duty truck (though we should note that according to the government’s category definitions, the 1500 Tradesman HD technically is not a 1500). It is only offered in long-bed, regular cab 4x2 configuration with an MSRP of $29,600, including destination.
Tradesman Quad and crew-cab models are currently shipping to Ram dealers, and all Ram engines, transmissions and axles are covered by a five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Comments
Why is it technically not a 1500 by the gov't? I thought that was the HD 1500 by Ram that wasnt a real halfton it was just a halfton body on a 3/4 frame/suspension more or less like the old mega cab.
"Still, in an effort to make the smaller V-8 option more attractive to truck buyers, Ram is basically throwing in a free RamBox option (a $1,295 value) for 4.7-liter V-8 Tradesman buyers. Our guess is that will make the aging little V-8 an attractive option for many."
Not for me. If Fiat-Ram gives me a free RamBox I'm not interested. RamBox cuts into the width of the already short bed. Less bed is not a work truck.
@moparman
Really, it's a class 2b truck, as its GVWR is 8,585lbs.
2a is from 6,001 to 8,500 GVWR
2b is from 8,501 to 10,000 GVWR
The F150 and Silverado 1500, by comparison, are class 2a trucks, as their highest current GVWR is 8,200lbs and 7,300lbs respectively.
2a is generally considered Light Duty, whereas 2b is considered the lowest of the Medium and Heavy Duty classes.
With that in mind, I don't believe the U.S. government makes any actual distinction between a '1500' and a '2500', just their GVWR classification (Class 1, 2,3, ect up to 8).
I am looking to see if Ram might mass produce some low end trucks in 2013 (Regular cab, short bed, v6 pentastar 300hp 8 speed) with the RamBox. I don't want to special order anything, but it would be great if these just showed up on the lots.
IMO, a 4x8 squre bed (with the tail open) is perfect and access to tools and supplies on the side is well worth the lost hauling space.
I wish Ford and Chevy would offer a similar feature on their low end short cab tucks.
How hard is it to paint the front end to match instead of gray, truck would look ten times better.
Will there be a "delete" option for the Rambox with the 4.7? The fleets that I see with base model trucks all run headache racks with box rail protectors. Once the truck reaches the end of its service life they just transfer the headache rack to another truck. Same goes for dry boxes.
I don't know why anyone would want to order the 4.7 when the 5.7 has more power and probably better mpg.
@ don
they don't even have to paint it. they could use white plastic. But oh no, that might cost them another $4.00
It's just another way to persuade buyers to splurge on a more expensive model.
@cyberpine - I think Ford offers it's F150 in similar configuration but in GVWR of 8200lbs.
The 3.7L V6 has similar HP but less torque than the RAM's 4.7L V8.
Nobody was buying the rambox so now they are ramming the rambox down our throughts. If you don't want one too bad.
the ram trucks are a breath of fresh air compared to a Super Duty which is a breath of stale air.
My interest in the low end v6 is that every year the local dealers offer them up for $16k when new models come out. Perhaps not as temping when it's 215hp v6, but a 300hp full size truck that can do 17mpg is damn tempting at $16k.
At least they're offering more options for everybody. It won't be for everyone, but some will want it. More options than Chevy offers. Still can't get disc brakes or bigger fuel tank on short beds.
If you dont want the Rambox or spray in bdliner that come standard, just select the delete option and save yourself some more money in the process. Some of you seem to be looking for a reason to say this is a bad truck, when in fact there is not another truck out there that competes with this truck at this price. Take off the blinders.
@Lou,
IMO, Headache racks are the most functional after market feature that no manufacture has ever wanted to address for some reason. I have a custom one I designed and fabricated for my 2010 Ram Hemi Quad. It cracks me up, but not a day will go by as drive around town where I don't see some guy in a pickup truck with a towel or cardboard between his cab roof and a stack of lumber and pipes.
While blue skying a bit.. truck roofs should be engineered and painted to serve as headache rack when needed .. it would not take much. That said, headache bars are just ugly... so mine looks a nascar rollbars and is very thick tubular, but lightweight and compliments the Ram's hot body.
How do you delete the FiatRamBox when it's already on it on the lot? You can't just take it off like Lou's tool box.
I don't like the Rambox for two reasons. It looks hideous and it makes the bed too narrow. So now the Ram is useless because it won't support my ATV lengthways or widthways. Ram 1500 crew with 6.5' bed with no Rambox would be nice! Add in a Pentastar V6 GTDI with an 8 speed auto too!
@Lou & Dave & Alex - If you don't like the Rambox, don't buy it. It's that simple! Stop the hate and taste the rainbow!
@Fiat, if you don't like my opinion, then don't read it! BTW, leave the gay pride crap out of this discussion!
I've not taken a really close look at it, but if the Rambox eats up more than where the wheel well stops in the bed, then its wider than it needed to be IMO.
That and I'm not wanting a plastic bed liner in my next truck.. I'm going to be okay with factory paint.
Is it just me or is the icon on this news article a regular cab/short bed? This is what prompted me asking about reglular cabs with the Rambox.
@ Alex..........My Kawasaki Brute force 750 fits in my Rambox truck just fine, the Rambox is 51 inches between the wheel wells if I remember correctly.
The should just call it a Ram Tradesman HD 2000
I'll take mind in Black reg cab 4X4, nor sur about 4.7 w/rambox or 5.7 and more4 HorsePower!! though!! just want the towpack with 3:92 lmtslp, no P/W! just a slide window and a bed liner, the rest I'll leave up to the aftermkt
@paul810 thanks that makes alotta sense
@Alex & Dave - Stop the hate.. Stop the anti Fiat and anti Ram comments in every post. It is dividing our country and it's not fixing our economy.
For the price ... a crew cab with the Pentstar V6 AND an 8-speed should work for me.. Especially since a mid size is probably not going to be made due the the price point of vehicles like this. I might also consider the new Transit, depending on configuration options. Problem is, I think the Transit is 2 yrs out and I figure a vehicle may be required by the end of this year.
@Fiat, why don't you read all of my posts? I am very fair, and I wrote things I would like Ram to offer. I am not against Fiat - they make Ferraris and Maseratis!
All I see you guys do is point out flaws and stuff it needs. Stop the hate and feel the rainbow!
@Fiat Tech - relax dude. If one can order these trucks with the 4.7 and get a delete on the RamBox for an equvalent discount, that is the way most companies would go. Companies like to swap out what ever they can to save money. You can't swap out a RamBox. A $400 dollar tool box can go into multiple trucks. A $1200 dollar RamBox as an enticement to buy a 4.7 means you are stuck with something you can't re-use, and stuck with an engine most don't want.
@cyberpine - I've seen some headache racks that look good. I do agree that for a truck, especially a work truck - nothing is more versatile or cost effective.
Ram Tradesman, Ram Lariat/Longhorn/Limited, plain old Ram. I Love it!!! They are doing like Ford does now! One single line of trucks that encompasses Everything! We are SO taking down Chevy now!!! Goodbye GM/GM'c'. Your days are over. America is Ford/Dodge country now!
@Moparman - for a Dodge fan, you made a huge fauxpas.
Ram Lariat???????
Lariat is a Ford trim.
Don't you mean Ram Laramie???
Chevy trucks like a rock!
And slow like a rock to boot too.................
Did I read the article to say that all Tradesman model get a 6-speed auto? The 4.7 is NOT available with a 6-speed in any configuration. The only way that the 6-speed is available with the Hemi is if the truck is classified as over 8600 lb. GVWR.
@Dave - Ram is so taking down Chevy is 2012 and Ford in 2013!!! Part one is taking down Chevy and part two is taking down Ford! I have been saying that for two months and finally others are admitted I was right!!!
So how many have they sold so far?
@ Mark Williams - Last I checked you can get an F-150 XL "work truck" with the Ecoboost motor. How do they qualify it as the "strongest" truck? Sure it is rated for more hauling and towing than the Ecoboost F-150, but can you imagine merging onto a freeway pulling 11k lbs with only 310hp under the hood?
They are going to sell a crap load of these trucks. For you ford and Chevy lovers. The next time you see a ram with a 4.7 try challenging one to a race. I bet you won't out run it. I have a trx4 3.92 with a 4.7 and a ram hemi can't pull away from me. I can keep right on the tail of one but can't pass it.
@toycrusher84 - The EB 3.5 in an XL Reg cab is a $2,395 USA or 2,250 in Canada.
Part of that is the price jump to the 8 ft bed and the price to skip over the 5.0
Here is the break down:
$1000 to jump from base to remium engine.
$1095 for EcoBoost. ($200 price increase for 2012
$300 for 8' bed.
Everybody seen how dodge has been trying to catch Chevy in sale well this just might do it. a free Ram box and other features on the cheapest truck with most towing this is a crazy good deal
http://www.fordf150.net/2013/
http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac49/joh408/2013.jpg
@ Truckerman
Are you being sarcastic?
My brother has an '08 Ram with the 4.7L configured very similarly to my '08 Tundra with the 5.7L. Powerwise, it isn't even CLOSE.
@Lou, my bad. I did indeed mean Laramie but you can't edit a post so. Either way I'm so pumped! Seriously. Chevy and Ford have owned the truck industry for so long. As a Dodge guy of 33 years since I bought my first one, this has always upset me. And then Chevy went to hell with their poor interior/exterior build quality and their poor looks. Then Ford took over but Dodge still after all of these decades of building fantastic trucks and even HD's with SFA's did not get their due respect in print or in sales. Now with this new bodystyle, new interiors, reliable Cummins, reliable Hemi's, SFA's and the rest, we are Finally getting some attention and serious traction in sales. This will help Dodge sell more cars in the long run and get the brand back to the status I feel it deserves.
All we have to do is keep hammering those nails in Chevy's coffin so they can't come back from the dead. Next up will be Ford. Nothing would make me happier than for Dodge to overtake Ford in the truck market. Chevy is a cakewalk.. Ford might be a fight.
Truckerman:
The all the 2012 1500 Rams with a V8 have a "six speed" auto now. I use quotes because the new "six speed" is acuatlly the old 5 speed programed to use all 6 forward gears when using ERS to shift.
The 2012 2500 Hemis do have an actual six speed, WHICH PUTC HAS YET TO TEST, GET ON THAT PUTC!!!
@Toycrusher84: The Ram 1500 Tradesman HD doesn't have the 4.7, it's the Hemi only and has 4.10 gears and a TRUE 6 speed 66 RFE. The one with 3.23, 1.81, 1.41, 1, .85, and .62 gears, no more confusing 5 speed that really was a 6 speed since 2003, but you just couldn't access all gears at once. In tow haul it was the lower 5, no .67 od gear, in Drive, no 1.5 "prime" 2nd gear. The 545 and current 1500 NON HD have the 3.0, 1.67, 1.5 (prime second) 1., .75, and .67 ratios. The older 545 RFE with the two close "2nd" gears is not gonna win all the sprints up the hills or drags with it's tall 1st gear but it makes for two good choices of close gears for highway towing, 1.67 and 1.5. But this current 66 RFE will get it moving faster. If the guy driving the trucks in the Ecoboost Power To Spare video knew what tow haul was in the Ram or took and put the thing in Electronic Range Select 3rd gear, it woulda pulled less then 3900 rpm up that hill, and less then the Tundra's 3650 RPM. Closer to 3500. It would have been in 2nd prime then (1.5 to one instead of 1.67), which he couldn't get it to go into because in Drive it will have to downshift to see the 1.5 gear. Of course it wont pull the 1 to 1 gear with 3.92s, the Tundra couldn't pull it in 1 to 1 and 4.3 gears, how could the Ram with 3.92s? So it couldn't possibly downshift to get there. It doesn't help that they probably didn't bother with the factory recomended 89 octane in the Ram, but they probably made sure the Ecoboost had the recomended (for heavy tow) higher octane. That Ecoboost makes alot of torque! But I aint sold on it, and it's not for everybody. You take that out and it comes down to two peaky torque band Ford V-8s, and the 5.7 Tundra that Ford forgot to invite to the Davis Dam sprint. Oh, and one high RPM 5.3, and it's peaky torque big brother 6.2 GM that needs 93 octane. Just waiting to see them drive the 66RFE trucks!
I am not ok w/ that moparman imposter Ive been posting here as moparman for a while and hopefully am recognized as one of the few logical and fair regular posters. Go away MoparMan your obviously dont know much if you talk about a Ram Lariat.... We need log ins and a proper forum thatd be fun
*CORRECTION* Above post, that's 1.83 2nd, not 1.81, and .81 5th gear, not .85
All we have to do is keep hammering those nails in Chevy's coffin so they can't come back from the dead. Next up will be Ford. Nothing would make me happier than for Dodge to overtake Ford in the truck market. Chevy is a cakewalk.. Ford might be a fight.
Posted by: MoparMan | Mar 6, 2012 10:15:14 PM
The federal government should have left the nails in Chrysler's coffin in 2009 and shouldn't have allowed it to come back from the dead. Two bankruptcies and two federal bailouts in 20 some odd years are enough for one company!
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