Pre-Owned: 1994-2001 Dodge Ram Pickup
/ By Marc Cook
/ Photography by Motor Trend archives
/
Article provided by: Motor Trend Magazine
Dodge catapulted itself from a back-row player to first chair with the 1994 redesign of its Ram pickup. While its long-lived predecessor was the styling equivalent of a catering truck, the new Ram so faithfully aped Kenworth cues, you could almost envision Claude Akins at the wheel cussing at smokeys through his CB radio. It was a shrewd move, too; Dodge tripled Ram sales in that first year.
In its rookie season, the Ram came in standard-cab guise only with two bed lengths--6.5 and 8 feet--but the cabin squeeze was remedied for 1995 with a Club Cab version riding on a wheelbase stretched 20 inches and offering the same beds. In 1998, Dodge fitted a pair of rear-hinged doors and called it a Quad Cab, dramatically improving access to the second row. Three payload capacities were offered--the 1500 half-ton, 2500 three-quarter-ton, and 3500 one-ton--in myriad trim levels, from a bare-bones work truck to the comparatively luxurious SLT.
1994-2001 Dodge Ram Pickup
| Body | type 2- and 4-door pickup truck | | Drivetrain | Front engine, rwd or 4wd | | Airbags | Driver, pass | | Base engines | 3.9L/170-hp OHV V-6;5.2L/220-hp OHV V-8 | | Opt engines | 5.9L/230-hp OHV V-8;
5.9L/175-hp OHV
I-6 turbodiesel;
8.0L/300-hp OHV V-10 | | Brakes, f;r | Disc/drum, standard rear-wheel ABS;
optional four-wheel ABS | | Price range, | $3810/$6470 | | wlsl/retail | ('94 Ram 1500 standard cab) | | (Intellichoice) | $15,060/$21,160
('01 Ram 1500 Quad Cab, 5.9L V-8) | | Recalls | Too many to list. See www.intellichoice.com | NHTSA frontal
impact rating,
driver/pass | From three stars/four starsto five stars/five stars,model depending |
|
Base power for the Ram was a 3.9-liter, 170-horsepower pushrod V-6; still, the vast majority of Rams were built with the 5.2-liter, 220-horsepower V-8 or torquier 5.9-liter, 230-horsepower V-8. Fans of excess torque could opt for a Cummins turbodiesel--a real, live truck motor--with 440 pound-feet of torque, while fans of plain old excess could have a version of the Viper's 8.0-liter V-10 making 300 horsepower in the 2500 and 3500 series Rams. Transmissions included a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic across the line, while part-time four-wheel drive could be had with most iterations save the base V-6. (Four-wheel drive adds between $1700 and $2700 to the vehicle's value.)
Over time, Dodge refined the truck without making big changes--indeed, the engine choices would remain the same throughout--generally improving build quality and updating the bland (but functional) interior. For 1999, a passenger-side airbag was added, and, in 2000, an upgraded SLT luxury package included heated leather seats and other amenities. Cummins added more valves, and more power, to the turbodiesel engine. Still, this is a truck, and it offers a harsh ride with the bed empty. Fuel economy isn't great:
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