First Drive: 2013 Ram 1500 Refresh

First Drive Ram 1500 Refresh 2013 Ram 1500 Front Three Quarter

Selling a fullsize truck isn’t an easy assignment these days, but Ram (formerly Dodge) trucks have a few tricks up their sleeve for the ’13 model year. The poor economy, the high price of fuel, and the loss of truck buyers who were buying trucks as status symbols instead of tools have all combined to put a hurting on truck sales. New buyers are more demanding than ever, and one of their biggest demands is fuel economy. Ram considered this as the biggest priority when it started developing a midcycle refresh of the 1500 half-ton truck. In order to stake the claim of best fuel economy in class, Ram brought forth a full hand of technology designed at efficiency.

First Drive Ram 1500 Refresh 2013 Ram Front Shot

This truck didn’t just get technology in the powertrain; it also received it in design with new front-end bodywork developed for better aerodynamics. Behind that grille are active shutters that close when the engine doesn’t need cooling and bypass air around the truck rather than slowing it into the engine bay. The front bumper and fascia are new and incorporate larger tow hook access. The grille has various design options depending on model, and the headlights are new and offer greater visibility than before.

This truck didn’t just get technology in the powertrain; it also received it in design wit

The Ram 1500 was just reborn back in 2009, but we know for a fact that some of these new upgrades had been in the works prior to that date. Unfortunately, an economic nosedive, bankruptcy, bailout, and new leadership all slowed the development of this latest Ram offering. But Ram and Chrysler are in a different boat these days—a smoother sailing, lighter, faster boat that is more focused on success, a speedy gunship instead of a lumbering cruise ship of years past.

First Drive Ram 1500 Refresh Airbag Suspension

The air-spring suspension is similar to the design used on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, but we felt it rode even better in the Ram. The use of air springs in all four corners allows multiple ride heights for loading, normal driving, aerodynamic highway driving, and off-roading. Plus, by automatically leveling the truck when a load or heavy trailer tongue weight is encountered, the vehicle is more stable and the headlights no longer blind oncoming drivers.

The air-spring suspension is similar to the design used on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, bu

The new Ram truck team is offering some really wild upgrades compared to the half-ton’s of years gone by. An airbag suspension to lower the truck for loading and highway mileage, level it for towing, or raise it for off-road clearance would have been unheard of 10 years ago, and that is just one of the cool new tech in this truck. We had a chance to check out the new Ram 1500 from behind the driver seat and are betting this truck will reel in some more Blue Oval and Bow Tie buyers looking for a capable truck that gets good mileage as their next 4x4.

Big news for the half-ton is the small but powerful 3.6L Pentastar V-6 engine. This engine is common across the Chrysler brand (such as in the ’12 Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee) and really packs a punch. With 305 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, it outperforms the old V-6 by 20 percent in fuel economy. The Ram 1500 is also available with the returning 4.7L V-8 and 5.7L Hemi V-8.
Big news for the half-ton is the small but powerful 3.6L Pentastar V-6 engine. This engine
The truck interior also received a refresh with various wood grains and leather-wrapped components along with a newer high-tech center dash information center. We like that Ram kept large, simple HVAC controls, and we look forward to spending more time exploring the revised Uconnect information system that should more easily integrate with smartphones and laptop computers by adding voice recognition, two GPS options, and mobile Wi-Fi hotspot capability.
The truck interior also received a refresh with various wood grains and leather-wrapped co
To reduce engine drag and increase fuel economy, the new Ram will be outfitted with electric power-assisted steering. This utilizes an electric rack-and-pinion that is only activated when steering is required by the driver (unlike a steering pump that is constantly running), resulting in 1.8 percent more efficiency over prior models. It also allows Ram engineers to fine-tune the steering better than before. The jury is still out on how electric steering will work with the larger tires we often upgrade to.
To reduce engine drag and increase fuel economy, the new Ram will be outfitted with electr

The goal of the new Ram truck is to get best-in-class fuel economy, a big challenge. One of the best upgrades to reach this goal is a new eight-speed automatic transmission. Adding more gears to a vehicle allows the engine to stay within its most efficient powerband. The new ZF 8HP45 (or Torqueflite 8, as the marketing paperwork calls it) available behind the new V-6 engine has a 4.71:1 First gear, a double overdrive up to 0.67:1, and a max torque rating of 332 lb-ft. An eight-speed with higher torque capacity (8HP70, 516 lb-ft) will be available behind the Hemi V-8 in early 2013.
The goal of the new Ram truck is to get best-in-class fuel economy, a big challenge. One o
The eight-speed auto is electronically shifted, meaning no shift lever is needed, so a new dash dial shifter is used. We found it convenient, and only once confused it with the A/C dial next to it. Additional gear selector buttons are on the steering wheel but need to be enlarged, in our opinion, or replaced with paddles. The two optional BorgWarner transfer cases (one part-time, one full-time, and both two-speed) are also button-shifted and offer a 2.64:1 low range ratio.
The eight-speed auto is electronically shifted, meaning no shift lever is needed, so a new
Ram claims 18 mpg city, 25 highway in a special high-fuel-economy 2WD model that will include a stop/start technology that shuts the engine off when at a standstill in stop-and-go traffic. We are interested to see what mileage we get during our 4x4 of the Year testing, coming in the February issue.
Ram claims 18 mpg city, 25 highway in a special high-fuel-economy 2WD model that will incl

First Drive Ram 1500 Refresh Ram Towing Boat

What We Thought
This truck is unique in the variety of steps it takes to improve fuel economy, a desire of many half-ton truck buyers who use a truck as both commuter and work vehicle. Points we didn’t get to touch on include Pulse Width Modulation, where the fuel pump and electric cooling fan run at variable speeds depending on output needed; weight reduction through the use of high-strength steel and dimpled holes in the frame; and thermal management of the transmission, where engine coolant is fed to the transmission to get to its most efficient operating temperature.

The interior and exterior design upgrades improve the owner experience, but what really got us going is the Pentastar V-6 and 8HP45 automatic (even with the strange-at-first dash dial shifter). These two components would seem grossly underequipped for a fullsize truck, when in fact they worked flawlessly, much in the same way many four-wheelers add dual transfer cases to their small pickups to make up for a small engine. The Pentastar is no slouch, and the eight-speed gets that power to the ground quickly, smoothly, and efficiently. Even when towing a small motorboat the truck was peppy and sure-footed with the V-6, eight-speed, and air suspension. We’re not going to tell you the V-6 half-ton will replace a Ram I-6 (Cummins) 1-ton, but for many truck buyers it will be a true jack-of-all-trades, with a well-equipped cupboard of technology that works hard when needed, yet still rides silky as a commuter. As for how the truck compares off-road, you’ll have to check back in our February issue, when we get to run it through its paces.