2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Review
The Car Connection Expert Review
Senior Editor
February 8, 2011
Likes
- The best-looking full-size truck
- HEMI power, with better fuel economy
- Ride quality
- Extreme hauling capability
- Unique storage solutions
Dislikes
- No Hybrid or diesel withal
- Wheezy, fibroid 5-vi engine
- HEMI automatic could use another gear
Ownership tip
features & specs
2WD Crew Cab 140.5" Big Horn
2WD Crew Cab 140.5" Laramie
2WD Coiffure Cab 140.5" Laramie Longhorn Edition
The 2011 Ram 1500 vies with the latest Ford F-150 every bit the most desirable full-size pickup truck you can buy.
Pickups no longer concord the must-take status they did equally recently as 3 or 4 years ago, but despite the swing in attitudes, trucks like the 2011 Ram 1500 are too-built and capable as ever--or even more so.
A merger with Fiat has seen the trucks of the Dodge brand split off into their own separate Ram section, and a revised truck for 2011 comes with the name change. Already collecting awards, the 2011 Ram 1500 holds its own as 1 of the toughest, most composed pickups on the market.
Pricing for the new Ram starts at $twenty,810 for a stripped-downwardly base model, and rises beyond $43,000 for the almost decked-out Longhorn and Laramie models, competing against other stalwarts of the open up-bed segment like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tundra.
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The Ram has fashion in spades, and is possibly the best-looking truck on the market place, within and especially out. Basic models skimp on the details but go on the cadre macho await, while meridian-end variants accept all the luxury and way of a loftier-cease sedan.
Functioning is also a stiff suit for the Ram, as long as you stay abroad from the anemic 3.vii-liter V-half dozen engine. Both V-viii options provide plenty of acceleration and tow/haul ability, though the HEMI Five-8 really brings the capable chassis to life.
Lots of standard prophylactic equipment put the Ram 1500 nearly on par with the best in the form, though crash exam results show conflicting ratings betwixt the IIHS and NHTSA. An optional rear-view camera makes it easier to maneuver and avoid rearward obstacles, and large side mirrors make pulling a trailer a safer bet.
From basic stripper pickup to loaded-out luxury truck, the Ram runs the gamut with a broad range of bachelor options, many of which are bachelor even in lower-spec trims every bit upgrades or packages.
Fuel economy is never a force for full-size pickups, but the Ram scores well within the class, if non relative to small hatchbacks and sedans. For the power and capability, information technology's a reasonable tradeoff, however.
Conveying forward the current generation's redesign, the 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 continues to set up the styling pace amid full-size trucks.
The 2011 Ram 1500 shares its heritage with the previous generation of Dodge trucks, but gains a pair of new trim levels: the luxury-focused Laramie Longhorn Edition; and the off-road capable, adventurous Outdoorsman. New colors and a handful of new features add to the updates for 2011.
At first glance, the new Ram looks much like final twelvemonth's model, and that'south because information technology is. The stiff fenders, alpine chrome crosshair grille, smooth sides, and large wheels remain as part of the formula for the all-time-looking full-size truck on the market. A range of new colors add to the customization of the Ram 1500's look.
The Ram's proportions, from hood to cab to the ratio of glass to sheetmetal, accentuate the two-tone treatment available on some models. Dissimilar the Ford F-150, the Ram doesn't wait robotic and edgy, and it'southward non as soft as the Chevy Silverado. The Toyota Tundra's oddball shape is an outlier among the group. Looking for details in the vast expanses of sheetmetal isn't easy, but dual frazzle pipes give the rear a powerful expect, despite the somewhat obviously tailgate.
Interior styling for the Ram carries forward from previous years, but its high quality and upscale season remain attractive and desirable. With the new Laramie Longhorn Edition, luxury can be taken to the extreme for a pickup, with some of the best wood grain and contrast stitching available in a working vehicle. Those with simpler tastes have plenty of options in the Ram 1500 range every bit well.
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The 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 is probably the best-performing total-size truck you lot tin buy, and there's every reason to choose the big HEMI V-8.
Equally good equally it looks, the Ram 1500 performs fifty-fifty better--though the coarse, wheezy 215-horsepower 3.7-liter V-vi is to exist avoided. The other 2 engines in the lineup are solid performers, however, with a 4.7-liter V-8 rated at 310 horsepower and a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 practiced for 390 horsepower.
Sport, Laramie, and Laramie Longhorn models all come up standard with the 5.seven-liter HEMI engine, while the Outdoorsman and SLT come with the 4.seven-liter Five-8 standard. The ST is the merely model that has the asthmatic 3.7-liter V-6 as standard equipment, just both can be upgraded to the 4.7-liter engine.
The Ram shines brightest with the HEMI under the hood, scoring 13/nineteen mpg, but never wanting for ability or torque, just not coming cheaply, either. You won't find half dozen-speed automatic transmissions in the Ram similar you lot volition with the competition; the five-speed paired with the HEMI is the best bet. All Ram models feature cylinder deactivation to improve fuel economic system when cruising at highway speeds.
Hauling and driving are the strong suits of the Ram, with a stiff chassis and rear curl suspension providing a better, more than controlled ride than its competitors--and better than whatsoever previous Dodge truck. Steering is quick, only numb and devoid of feedback--to be expected in a full-size pickup, but somehow less than the chassis deserves. A 10,450-pound tow rating puts the Ram right near the front of the course, though new 2011 models from Ford and Chevy have taken things slightly farther.
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The 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 wraps passengers in ample room, with plenty build quality and flexibility for just well-nigh whatsoever truck owner.
Space doesn't necessarily equate to condolement, but the 2011 Ram's wide cabin makes space for real three-beyond seating on the standard bench. Models with the adjustable bucket seats are divided past a huge center console.
Three cab types are available: Regular, Quad, and Crew. The Quad cab equates to the variously-named "extended" cabs found at other truckmakers, while the Crew Cab is the longer four-door model. Complementing the iii cab types are six trim levels: ST, SLT, Outdoorsman, Sport, Laramie, and Laramie Longhorn, though regional special-edition models are as well available.
Crew Cab models' rear seats aren't the bolt-upright units you might wait, instead offering a overnice recline. Leg and head room are arable in back as well, though non in Quad Cab models. Nether-flooring storage bins supplement the optional, lockable Ram Box integrated into the fenders, and in general, in that location'due south enough of storage space. Interior quality and feel are every bit good as or better than any other truck on the market.
The multifariousness of truck beds bachelor is important to commercial buyers. Regular-cab Rams can be had with half dozen.iv-foot and 8-human foot beds, while the Crew Cab models come with a 5.7-foot bed, and Quad Cabs offer a half dozen.4-foot bed.
Noise suppression is beauteous on the 2011 Ram 1500, with both road and air current noise held to very depression levels for the total-size pickup class.
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The 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 has mixed, only by and large adept, crash-test scores and useful options similar a rearview camera.
NHTSA and IIHS ratings for the 2011 Ram are skilful for a pickup; the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Rubber) rates the Ram 1500 "expert" in frontal beginning crashes and "marginal" in side impacts. The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safe Administration) rates the new Ram three stars overall under the new 2011 rating arrangement, with frontal crash ratings of two stars in the standard-cab model doing most of the damage to five-star side-impact and three or four-star rollover ratings. Coiffure Cab models rate the aforementioned.
The conflicting scores between IIHS and NHTSA ratings may cause some defoliation for buyers, merely there's no doubt the Ram comes with a full complement of agile and passive rubber gear: dual front and side airbags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, traction control, and stability control are all standard.
Like other pickups, the Ram doesn't offer high-tech safety features like blind-spot detection though the optional rear-view photographic camera is handy and welcome due to the Ram'south high ride height reducing rearward visibility. Optional large, folding trailer side mirrors enhance visibility equally well.
The 2011 Contrivance Ram 1500 offers features-such as wireless Internet and Goggle box-not found in many high-end luxury cars.
Base-model Rams are available with virtually no features--just stripped-downward piece of work trucks--but higher-end models add just about everything you'll observe on any other Chrysler vehicle.
Working upwardly from the AM radio and whorl-up windows on the base of operations Ram to the USB and Bluetooth-enabled, hard-drive-based music system and voice-activated navigation system available on higher end models, there's even a wireless Net and Boob tube option with Chrysler'due south Uconnect arrangement.
Other bachelor options include a DVD histrion for both front end and rear seat passengers; steering-cycle-mounted radio controls; Sirius Satellite Radio; and in Laramie versions, finely detailed interiors with a range of exterior colour options. An available R/T packet adds 22-inch wheels and tires and a restyled forepart air dam.
With six trim levels to choose from, plus a wide range of equipment groups and a la carte options, you lot won't take trouble configuring the Ram 1500 to your liking. Stepping upward through the range, information technology'southward easy to quickly build the price equally you add together features, however: the top-of-the-line Laramie Longhorn costs more than twice as much as the base of operations ST, simply offers so many more than features and amenities it'southward near a different truck.
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The HEMI is the most capable, most fun-to-drive engine bachelor in the Ram 1500, and it'southward just as efficient every bit the smaller alternatives.
In two-wheel bulldoze guise, the EPA rates the 2011 Ram 1500 at 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway for both V-six and HEMI variants, an odd issue that reflects the crumbling design of the smaller engine and the cylinder deactivation of the HEMI. The four.7-liter engine rates 14/nineteen mpg, due in part to its flex-fuel capability. Running on E85, the 4.7-liter V-8 rates 9/13 mpg due to ethanol's lower energy content relative to gasoline. Opting for 4-bike drive, bachelor only on V-8 models, knocks ane-ii mpg off the city and highway ratings for a xiii/eighteen mpg rating with either engine.
The lack of fuel savings with the V-6 makes it a non-starter if you can beget the upgrade to the 5-8, and choosing between the HEMI and four.7-liter is once more down to buy cost unless yous need and can take advantage of the smaller V-viii's E85 capability.
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Source: https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/ram_1500_2011
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