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A good friend of mine says that good design isn’t about making something that can handle extraordinary situations well. It’s about designing something that makes day-to-day activities enjoyable.

It appears that Chrysler’s design team subscribed to a similar philosophy creating the all new 2009 Dodge Ram, because while the rest of the half-ton truck makers seem engaged in a zero sum game over who has the most towing capability, Dodge has focused on improving usability for the majority of light duty trucking needs.

The result: the new Dodge Ram is the most user-friendly half-ton pickup on the planet.

Pickup Truck Anthropology

Before we get to the technical details, it’s important to know how Chrysler conducted its research redesigning the Ram.

A cross functional group of engineers, marketers, and designers went into the field to observe veteran and first time light duty truck buyers first-hand, like pickup truck anthropologists. They psychographically studied these buyers’ lifestyles and how they used their current vehicles, and then they sifted through all the verbal and non-verbal clues to find out what they wanted in a half-ton truck.

In one case, Ram team members spent half a day riding as passengers with a Dodge truck owner, who’d rigged a bike rack to the back of his pickup. They watched as he performed an intricate routine to get past the bike to gain access to the bed. What the owner said (and thought) was easy was really an arduous process. How could they make it better?

In another case, Chrysler funded a game night for ten non-traditional truck buyers. They watched, listened, and recorded what the players said about pictures of different vehicles. What were these buyers asking for through their comments and opinions?

The general understanding the Ram team came away with was that many half-ton truck owners, particularly first-time buyers, weren’t using their trucks for their intended purpose. These owners weren’t hauling gravel and rock or towing big trailers but they still liked the utility of a big pickup and were solving usability issues in different ways – like buying plastic storage containers to keep items dry and in place in the bed.

The biggest lessons learned were distilled into the new truck.

Still Looks Like a Big Rig

Chrysler accidentally let the cat out of the bag when a beauty shot of the Ram was prematurely posted on a Mopar website in December. The styling may no longer be revolutionary but it remains iconic. It’s the most refined version to date of the Ram’s ‘big rig’ looks.

According to Chrysler design chief Trevor Creed, two vehicles influenced the Ram’s exterior surfaces, the Dodge Charger sedan and Ford F-150.

As seen in earlier spy photos, the front end was inspired by the Charger. Mr. Creed says the canted forward grille is meant to make the truck look like a charging ram rushing forward to head butt the competition.

The F-150 inspired the Ram’s body proportions.

“We were pretty impressed with the F-150 when it came out (in 2004), but they did something we thought was a no-no. (Ford) raised the belt line and the box height to give the F-150 great proportions and a hot rod truck look, but made it difficult for people to reach into the bed,” says Mr. Creed.

What was Chrysler’s solution to improve usability accessing the cargo box but still deliver chunkier proportions?

“We raised the belt line but kept the box height the same as the previous Ram. Then we lowered the rocker panel sills and pulled them out, so they completely hide the frame rails at the bottom. That’s how we got our glass to body proportions,” Mr. Creed describes.

Chrysler also blacked out the window frame in the B-pillar to give the Dodge Ram a longer greenhouse look and made crisp character lines on the edges of the dropped front fenders and over the rear wheels.

The top-of-the-line Laramie version gets a newly offered two-tone paint job and unique 20-inch wheels. Both were responses to input from Dodge dealers. Dealers also influenced the design of the rear bumper on 5.7-liter HEMI V8 Rams. Dual exhausts pop out through half-radius curves in the bumper, giving the Ram a clean aftermarket look.

Like General Motors’ full size pickups, the new Ram also has a spoiler built into the top of the tailgate, but it’s not as prominent as the shapely air dam that makes up the top portion of the 2009 Ford F-150’s tailgate. The lift handle has been relocated to the top of the tailgate, in the lip of the spoiler, for better leverage.

Nearly all badges on the Ram are three-dimensional, rather than decals. Large, sculpted Ram emblems adorn the center of the crosshair grille and tailgate. The Ram’s-head badge on the tailgate is 250 percent larger than the previous badge. Internally, the design team calls it “home plate”.

Five distinct trim levels are available, each with a unique appearance: ST, SLT, TRX, Sport and the top-of-the-line Laramie.

Inside it’s a whole new world

It’s hard to describe how much better the interior of the 2009 Dodge Ram is than its predecessor. It’s a spectacular improvement and a giant leap forward in styling and usability in all models. Chrysler execs say the Ram’s new interior has received the highest style ratings of any Chrysler vehicle in focus groups.

The 2009 Ram is the first Chrysler vehicle to follow Chrysler’s new interior design process. Management set aside a lump of money at the start of the program that could only be used for the cabin and nothing else.

“Previously, money for interiors was spread like peanut butter. Around the bread, but as thin as you could get it,” says Mr. Creed. Mr. Creed says the target for the Ram’s internal makeover was General Motors’ full size pickups. But the influence of the F-150’s interior design themes can’t be overlooked here either. It’s like a cross between GM’s ‘pure pickup’ interior and the F-150, plus a dose of Mercedes sensibility. There’s complex surfacing and high grade materials that are interesting to look at, where the previous Ram offered only flat expanses of plastic and boredom.

In Laramie and Sport editions, the crash pads over the instrument panel have French-stitched borders, like a King Ranch or Platinum Ford F-150. The doors feature soft armrests on all models, and for Laramie Rams there are tastefully integrated wood appliqué inserts with chrome surrounds.

Ergonomics have also been overhauled. Most switchgear is within easy reach of the driver. And there’s an all-new, optional, serpentine gated shifter mounted in the floor console.

The instrument panel’s meters and gauges are large and easy to read and the Euro-style trip computer in the IP is the best information display I’ve seen in current full size pickups, outside of a dedicated navigation unit in the center stack.

The seats in all Rams have been redesigned with more surface area and improved lumbar and lateral support. The Sport and the Laramie feature high-shouldered front buckets and can be optioned with heaters and ventilators, for cooling. Dodge says they’re first in the segment with heated and cooled front seats, but the discontinued Lincoln Blackwood luxury pickup offered this feature back in 2002. Heated rear seating is available on crew cab models.

Chrysler also paid close attention to rear seat comfort in the new crew cab, which replaces the Mega Cab. The seating angle is 24-degrees, the same as typical front seat lean back. There’s also plenty of bottom cushion length for extra comfort.

The final upscale touch – the truck’s new ‘smart key’ is a Mercedes-style radio frequency fob that slides into a slot on the lower dash below the instrument panel, replacing the old steering column mounted metal key insert.

Storage Galore

Ram drivers and passengers won’t have any problem looking for storage. Crew cabs have 10 cupholders! Six up front and four in the back. And there are two new, segment exclusive load floor storage boxes in the back of crew cab Rams that can hold up to ten 12-oz beverage cans per bin. The storage boxes have built-in drains, so you can keep the cans on ice.

Secure storage doesn’t start and end in the cab.

Remember the plastic storage containers the Ram’s design team watched owners place in the backs of their trucks to hold loose items and protect them from the elements? The 2009 Ram features new, optional side saddle storage containers that Dodge calls ‘RamBox’.

The two 8.6 cubic-foot RamBox bins are smoothly integrated into the truck’s bed rails. They are weatherproof, lockable, drainable, illuminated and can fit up to 120 12-oz beverage cans per side. Brilliant!

For those keeping score, including the in-cab bins, you can take up to 11 cases of 12-oz beverage containers to a tailgate party. RamBox equipped trucks can still fit 49-inch wide materials (enough for a 4′ X 8′) between the rails, which are flush with the wheel wells. It’s sure to be something we’ll see in other future trucks as well, it’s that cool.

RamBox is much more useful than the smaller bed mounted boxes in the Chevrolet Avalanche or the tiny cubby in the Nissan Titan, which not so long ago was a big deal.

Renewed HEMI V8

Dodge has updated the Ram’s popular 5.7-liter HEMI V8.

Scott Kunselman, Chrysler’s vice president of body-on-frame products, says, “We renewed the HEMI powertrain. The basic architecture is the same but we’ve improved the HEMI’s power, torque, and refinement.”

On paper, the power output of the HEMI has risen from 345-horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque to 380-hp and 404 lb-ft. Several key technologies have been added.

Officially, the revised HEMI adds Variable Valve Timing (it actually uses a specific version of VVT, called Variable Camshaft Timing) that’s typically used in dual overhead cam (DOHC) engines and only recently in overhead valve (OHV) pushrod engines, like the HEMI. VVT phases the camshaft to control intake and exhaust valve timing, for better engine performance at all RPMs and improved emissions.

A new active intake system controls the lengths of the intake manifold’s channels, shortening the intakes at lower RPMs for more torque and lengthening the intakes at higher RPMs for more power.

The HEMI’s Multiple Displacement System (MDS), which shuts off half the engine’s cylinders to save fuel during steady state driving conditions, has been improved to work across a wider engine load. At highway speeds it now works over 70 miles-per-hour. MDS in the 2008 model only worked up to 65-mph. The new MDS gives the Ram a 4% bump in fuel economy and extra torque when the engine is in 4-cylinder mode.

“We’ve spent a lot of time finding the correct balance between fuel economy and engine performance. We looked at the cam timing, active intake, operating ranges, power needs, and noise, vibration, harshness challenges and tried to balance it all for the customer,” says Mr. Kunselman.

There are also some key differences in engine cooling for the new HEMI. The 2008 Ram placed the condensers side by side but the new truck uses older fore-aft stacking. And the inlet in the grille has been optimized for both better cooling and aerodynamics.

Other Powertrain Changes

The 2009 Ram shares its flex fuel Magnum 4.7-liter V8 with the midsize Dodge Dakota. The 4.7-liter V8 was recently updated to a HEMI-like setup of two spark plugs per cylinder and has improved airflow through the cylinder heads. It’s rated at 310 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the HEMI, the Magnum V8 does not have MDS for improved fuel economy.

Both V8 engines use the Ram’s carryover 545RFE 5-speed automatic transmission. Dodge has added Electronic Range Select (ERS) to the transmission, which enables the driver to manually limit the highest available transmission gear, allowing manual upshifts and downshifts based on road speed and engine speed.

The base engine is a 3.7-liter V6 rated at 215-hp and 235 lb-ft of torque. It comes with a standard 6-speed manual transmission or 4-speed automatic. The 4-speed automatic also gets ERS like the V8 engines and, interestingly, tow/haul mode.

According to Mr. Kunselman, an R/T badged Ram will be available in Sport trim.

The Ram R/T will be a regular cab, short box 4×2 with a HEMI and 5-speed automatic. It will feature a ‘looser’ torque converter with a higher K factor rating than other HEMI equipped Rams and a 4.10 rear axle, for better off the line accelerative performance. Dodge promises the R/T will deliver best-in-class 0 to 60-mph performance in under 7 seconds.

K factor is the point where the torque converter’s turbine stalls (slips before locking up) relative to engine RPMs and peak torque. The turbine transfers power from the engine to the transmission. The higher the K factor, the faster the engine can get into the upper portion of the power band. But there’s likely to be a trade-off in slower throttle response, while the engine revs to the new stall speed, and lower fuel economy. We’ll know more after we spend some time driving the R/T.

Improved Ride Comfort Without Sacrificing Towing and Hauling

Next to innovative storage, Dodge is also thinking different about ride quality. The 2009 Dodge Ram bucks tradition and chucks conventional leaf springs for a new 5-link coil sprung solid axle suspension.

Why is this such a big deal? Because leaf springs are a time proven and simple solution to manage the diverse range of payloads loaded into the beds of pickups. Leafs also work well overloaded, which eventually happens to every truck.

Coil springs have been used in large body-on-frame SUVs and sport utility trucks, like the Chevrolet Avalanche, but those trucks have very little likelihood of ever seeing the same duty cycle as a half-ton pickup. It’s going to take time for Chrysler to prove the Ram’s coil spring suspension is durable.

From a build perspective, coil springs are more complex and costly than leafs. The advantages are that coils control not only vertical jounce, like leaf springs, but also side-to-side motion. This should virtually eliminate rear axle hop on rough roads and in-ride shake, particularly when the truck is unloaded. It also weighs 40-lbs less than the old Ram’s leaf spring suspension.

Says Mr. Kunselman, “There’s added cost by adding the links and sway and track bars, but it’s the right thing to do for this product. Everyone has done the most they can do with ride comfort on a Hotchkiss suspension.”

And Mr. Kunselman says that buyers won’t sacrifice any towing or hauling capability with the new back suspension versus the outgoing Ram’s capacities. The truck is capable of handling a payload of up to an estimated 1,840 pounds and towing up to an estimated 9,100 pounds.

“We’re keeping payload up and enhancing comfort,” says Mr. Kunselman.

Aftermarket companies that sell air suspensions are also going to be pleased with this feature, because their products will be much easier to install with factory coils. No more bolting helper springs onto leaf springs.

New Frame

Chrysler has re-engineered the back half of the Ram’s frame to support the different torsion and bending forces managed by the truck’s coil spring suspension. New federally mandated rear impact standards have also been met.

The front half of the frame is almost identical to the old chassis but higher strength steel allows a lower gauge to be used, saving about 30-pounds.

The entire frame is fully boxed from end to end and uses only welding to join the pieces. No rivets.

“Welding is better (than riveting) from a fixture and stiffness perspective. And we’ve improved the frame’s modal map, so there’s no alignment between any torsional bending mode and key suspension inputs. The entire truck will be shake free,” notes Mr. Kunselman.

Two wheelbases will be available: 120-in and 140-in. The standard cab will be configurable in both wheelbases, depending on bed size. Quad and crew cabs will only ride on the 140-inch wheelbase. For comparison, the short wheelbase on the 2008 Nissan Titan is 140-inches and the long wheelbase 160-inches. Mr. Kunselman says “garageability” was a key consideration determining the Ram’s frame lengths.

Towing

The one area where Dodge is willing to accept being a step behind the other full size trucks is in towing capacity. An optimally configured Ram (Regular Cab, short box, 4×2, 5.7-liter V8, 3.92 rear axle) won’t tow more than 9,100-lbs.

“We’re keeping towing capacity about the same as the previous Ram. We don’t have any plans to compete against Ford or Toyota for max towing. It’s rare that people tow a 10,000-lb trailer. Buyers towing that much recognize the mass of the truck helps tow a big load, so they buy a heavy duty. Most of our buyers will tow around 5,000-lbs. and infrequent towing might be 7,500-lbs.,” says Mr. Kunselman.

The Ram won’t have an optional tow package. Every Ram will have standard tow/haul mode and 4-pin and 7-pin connectors integrated in the rear bumper, out of harm’s way.

Unlike the 2009 Ford F-150, an integrated trailer brake controller will not be available as an option. Frequent towers will have to make do with an aftermarket kit if they want better control over their trailer’s brakes.

Four rear axle ratios will be available: 3.21, 3.55, 3.92 and 4.10. Super low 3.21 is new for 2009. 3.92 and 3.55 are the most common ratios. 4.10 will only be available for a regular cab HEMI with 20-inch wheels.

Summary

There will be inevitable comparisons between the 2009 Ford F-150 and 2009 Dodge Ram. The new F-150 still retains its position as the more capable of the two haulers. But Dodge has come from so far behind to close the gap in many areas and to break new ground in others that the Ram has to be recognized as the more revolutionary of the two trucks.