Americans well-read in their automotive history might have a hard time conjuring the most recent name of America’s formerly third-largest automaker. Indeed, there have been many mergers, un-mergers, and acquisitions related to the automaker-formerly-known as Chrysler. Chrysler Corporation itself no longer exists, nor do companies such as “Daimler-Chrysler” or “Fiat-Chrysler.” Chryslers, Dodges, and Rams are now manufactured by “Stellantis,” an international conglomerate headquartered in The Netherlands, combining automakers Fiat Chrysler Automotive and the French PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Critroen, Opel, and Vauxhall.
Further confounding the identity of America’s cheapest full size truck is the fact it is no longer called the “Dodge Ram.” Since 2011, America’s third best selling truck brand has just been “Ram,” selling the “Ram 1500,” “Ram 2500,” and the Ram Promaster line of cargo vans.
Ram has a trick in its back pocket if you want to get a full size truck for cheap. Automakers such as Nissan have long employed this tactic in markets such as Mexico, and automakers are now bringing the strategy to the United States, and it is this: taking an older version of a car which has been redesigned, but continuing to sell it for a lower price than the new version. Automakers employing this strategy of late in the USA include Nissan with its Rogue Sport and Jeep with its Grand Cherokee WK.
Ram’s full-size 1500 Classic is the previous iteration of the Ram 1500. It is still a brand-new truck, with all new parts, manufactured in both Michigan and Coahuila, Mexico. Its msrp starts at $31,735, handily undercutting the newer Ram 1500 ($37,905 msrp) and other full size work trucks (F-150 XL at $33,835 in short bed/short cab). Per Car and Driver, the newest Ram does not come in regular cab, only the Ram Classic.
The Ram 1500 Classic comes standard with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine, so named to pay homage to the trademark of aforementioned-and-defunct Chrysler Corporation. It has 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. The optional 5.7L HEMI V8, so named for its hemispherical cylinder heads, has 395 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, a $2,495 option on either the base Ram Classic Tradesman or the Ram Classic Warlock. All Ram Classics come in rear-wheel drive, with 4 wheel drive varying in price based off box size and cabin configuration; it can run as low as about $3,500 extra, though. A 4×4 Ram Classic Warlock starts at $46,825 msrp with a 6’4″ bed.
The HEMI Ram Classic is no slouch when it comes to performance, able to tow a maximum 10,620 pounds, giving full size trucks from General Motors a run for their money. Ram Classic with the V8 also has a 1,930 max payload capacity, and bed size can stretch as long as eight feet in the Ram Classic Tradesman regular cab. A five-link coil rear suspension works with electronic stability control and a roll mitigation system to keep wheel lift to a minimum and the truck centered on the road.
Other standard features on the Ram 1500 Classic include a rear back up camera, 40/20/40 split-bench seating, 5-inch infotainment touchscreen, and an air filtration and air conditioning system. If you yearned for the days when vehicles were simpler, the Ram Classic Tradesman has just what the doctor ordered; it is possibly the last brand-new vehicle available in America with roll up windows and manual door locks. The Tradesman offers classic Ram styling, while the Warlock trim offers something in-between new and old; its facelifted front-end is more closely aligned to the new Ram 1500 style. Ram Classic Warlock also comes with power options such as windows and doorlocks, those which are absent on the base Tradesmen.