Ready to Ram? Fiat-Chrysler sure is, and revealed its designs on the Ram truck brand's breadwinner, the 1500 light-duty pickup, at its massive 2014 Investor Day future-product info bonanza. The 1500 just underwent a refresh for 2013, which brought a rash of changes more through than they appear—new interior, new base Pentastar V-6, new eight-speed automatic transmission—but Ram will refresh the truck next year before fully redesigning it in 2017.
We figure that next year's 1500 update will bring a more fleshed-out face-lift than the 2013 changes, which included only a new bumper, grille, and hood, but we're most looking forward to the Ram's full overhaul in 2017. That's because while the 1500 is perhaps the most refined truck on the market, it certainly couldn't be called "lightweight."
As probably the first of Ford's domestic competitors to release an all-new truck following the aluminum-intensive 2015 F-150′s launch, it'll be interesting to see how Ram responds to that new entry, although it isn't likely to be with a similar materials switch. Pestered for his thoughts on the new F-150 by the assembled media, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne replied, "Ram is prepared to go aluminum in 2017 if we wished. My gut feeling is that we will not."
- Comparison Test: 2013 Ram 1500 vs. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, 2013 Ford F-150
- 10 Things You Didn't Know About the 2015 Ford F-150
- Ram 1500 Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, Long-Term Tests, and More
Fuel-economy expectations aren't going anywhere but up, and Ram's needed to cut some chub from the 1500 since even before the 2013 update. Our recently departed long-term, four-wheel-drive 1500 V-6 test truck, for example, was nearly 200 pounds heavier than a four-wheel-drive, V-6–powered 2014 Silverado we also tested. As for Ram's burlier 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty models, they will be similarly updated one year behind the 1500′s 2015 refresh and 2017 redesign.
For tons of additional product news from every Fiat-Chrysler brand, click here.
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