This article originally published in Issue 65 of the Turbo Diesel Register.

TDReview

TDReview

by Andy Mikonis, TDR Writer

AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NEW 2010 RAM HEAVY DUTY TRUCK

An inside look?

Yes, literally inside.

To get a look at the upcoming 2010 Turbo Diesel interiors, we can look at the 2009 Ram 1500, since the interiors were developed together and are essentially the same (with the exception of a few details like a larger shifter, and an integrated trailer brake controller on the Heavy Duty). I attended the launch of the 2009 Ram 1500 last August to get some seat time in the new interior (Issue 60 report, page 120). I was at the Chicago Auto Show debut of the 2010 Heavy-Duty in February (Issue 64 report, page 60). Just a few weeks ago, I received a Ram 1500 for a week’s loan, on a week when I would be taking a 600-mile round trip. It was a great opportunity since you just can’t know how an interior is going to work out in the long haul from a short test drive. Things can pop up after hours on the road. To get some additional insight into the Ram interior, I talked to Klaus Busse, who was the manager of truck interiors for Chrysler when the new Ram was developed, and is now director of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep interiors.

Busse told me that the decision was made to develop the interiors for the 1500 and Heavy Duty at the same time so as not to divide up money and engineering resources. “We did customer research to an extent we never did before,” said Busse, “it was especially enlightening to see what they use trucks for.” Previously, I had heard Mark Allen, chief designer at Jeep/Truck Studios, describe how they went out and spent time with truck owners, and Busse was there, too, fresh from Germany and ten years at Mercedes-Benz. He admits it took spending time in Texas to really understand the pickup truck. “It blew us away to realize people really live in it,” he said, “some are even on the road for a year, or half a year.”

Did the outgoing Ram’s interior influence the new one? “Honestly, it was a clean sheet of paper,” he explained, “but we looked back
to see what customers liked and disliked, like materials and fitand- finish. Functionality and capability were always good.” Three stylists worked on the interior with about half a dozen engineers, which ramped up to dozens when the final design was chosen. That decision was made rather quickly, according to Busse. “We realized we needed to focus on one model,” he recalled, “and not split the team into three.” At that point, three themes had made it to the full-size clay model stage.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle was that the interiors at that time “weren’t good enough,” said Busse. “Maybe they were okay for the market back then,” he continued, “but interiors are the new battleground. It’s where it’s happening these days. Anybody can do a good exterior.” So they set out to make an interior that was both stylish and user friendly. “More and more people use trucks for private uses like taking the family out to dinner,” said Busse. “We wanted to make it something they would be proud of at the valet parking.”

If you’ve read the previous TDR reports, you know that Dodge marketing has been pushing the Ram 1500 for the personal use owner; but what about the work truck customer, especially for the Heavy Duty? I asked Busse if there were any compromises in the
design, one way or the other. He said “not really” and added that this is where the trim levels come in. Knowing that the ST buyers don’t need the “living room on wheels,” they still get the same high level of style and quality as the higher trim choices, with certain aspects tweaked for the working driver. The ST instrument panel is a rugged hard plastic, and the upper glove box has no door, following the thinking that a large, easily accessible space would be more useful in a work application. All the higher trim levels have a door on the upper glove box. The double glove box is quite handy, as are the numerous storage areas throughout the interior.

My test truck was a TRX trim package, which will be available as one of the Heavy Duty’s five trim levels: ST, SLT, TRX, Laramie, and Power Wagon. It had a few select options like navigation and the bucket seats and full console setup. Looking at the press materials, I was a little confused on how the console availability would be in the Heavy Duty, especially with the manual transmission. Ryan Nagode, manager of the Advance Interior Studio, set me straight. There are two consoles, a full and a mini console, as well as a bench seat with no console. The full console is available with the automatic AND either two-wheel drive or an electronically controlled transfer case, whereby the gear shifter is on the column instead of the console. An extra storage bin is located where the shifter would be on a 1500. Now, if you get a manual transmission and/or a manual transfer case shifter, you can only get the mini console. As in the full console, if one of those manual shift levers isn’t present, you get a storage bin instead.

I’m pleased to report a very comfortable road trip in the Ram 1500. It works as good as it looks. The new soft touch surfaces on the armrests and elsewhere are appreciated and the control layout is very intuitive, just what I would typically expect from a Dodge. I still find the full console a bit intrusive; I’d probably opt for a bench or a mini console, but that might be tough to find, at least in a 1500, as most of them on the lots above the ST trim level seem to have the full console. This truck was medium-equipped, and didn’t have some of the really trick options like heated and ventilated seats, though I had tried them in other trucks.

Two things really stood out on my drive: the seats and the gauges. The seats were supportive in all the right places, and I never fidgeted for a new position or had to readjust the seat during three to four hour stints. I ran this by Busse, who said he thinks they are “the most comfortable seats in the whole company.” The gauge graphics are an easy-to-read white on black, with crisp LED backlighting. I asked Busse what the thinking was here. He said this “reflects ‘honesty’ and the simple-to-use design” of Dodge interiors in general. “People use their trucks as a tool,” he said, “you want to see the gauges with a quick glance.” I contrasted it with a competitive product with less easy to see silver gauge faces, and Busse brought up “in a dusk or dawn situation, the silver paint swallows the green LEDs.”

Busse says among the Ram interiors’ most important qualities are premium materials, no-frills design, and excellent fit-and-finish in all price classes. As a parting thought, he said a great example was to “look at the thumbwheels on the A/C outlets. They are a well thought out, substantial, thick disc. There’s that attention to detail even on the ST. By focusing on one interior we spent more time on details.”

Conclusion

After spending a week in the Ram, as well as in competitive products, I can honestly say that we have a winner. I’ll credit Ford with originally raising the bar on truck interiors when they introduced the previous generation F150, and from a styling standpoint, I’d put the F150 equal to the Dodge. As a matter of personal taste, I prefer the look of the Ram. The Ram has only a slight edge in the quality feel of the materials, but from a usability standpoint, is much better. The Ford’s gauges, particularly the speedometer, are hard to see, and the controls get extremely busy on the center stack, especially on more optioned-out models. Another issue is that the Ford’s instrument panel comes down noticeably farther than the others, intruding on leg room. The Silverado and Sierra have a more traditional looking instrument panel, with an intuitive control layout and clean gauges. Materials are noticeably cheaper feeling than either the Dodge or Ford, but as far as an interior to use and look at everyday, I’d take a GM over a Ford. Seat comfort I would consider comparable among all three.

For further perspectives on the pickup world, there are also the Tundra and Titan. I’ve only had brief drives in the Tundra, but I found the styling and controls of the instrument panel rather bizarre. After a road trip in a Titan, I found it comfortable and user friendly.

Dodge has struck a balance of great design, comfort, and functionality. The GM truck interiors are fine by historical truck standards, though a little behind the times in styling and materials, while Ford has sacrificed some roominess and utility for the sake of style. As an overall package, I continue to be impressed by the 2009 Ram 1500 as a big leap forward from the old truck. It seems like we’ve been talking about the upcomming 2010 truck for too long. But, knowing what they’ve done with the Ram 1500 and this great interior, I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a 2010 Ram Heavy Duty.

But, knowing what they’ve done with the Ram 1500 and this great interior,
I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of a 2010 Ram Heavy Duty.