Ram 1500 Night Edition
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Looking for a used or new car?
Why wait to customize your new truck when the factory will do it for you?
Add to the seemingly endless supply of factory-custom truck packages the new Ram 1500 Night Edition, which makes liberal use of black paint to cover most of the traditional shiny parts. There's a menacing black grill, black door badges, a big black "RAM" emblem on the tailgate that would probably be visible through a blindfold, and 20-inch painted aluminum wheels - black, of course.
Unlike some manufacturers, who have gone for the full black-on-black look, the Ram 1500 Night Edition designers know when to put away the paint buckets. While you can indeed order an all-black Night Edition, the package can also be paired with silver, white and red as the primary color. The only chrome parts you'll find on the exterior of a Ram 1500 Night Edition are the lug nuts.
Given the popularity of pickups in the Chattanooga market, standing out from the crowd is sometimes a challenge. The Ram 1500 Night Edition is one way of expressing individuality.
Under its unique black-out packaging is a regular Ram 1500 Crew Cab 4x2 pickup in Sport trim, which is already a pretty sweet ride. Four-wheel-drive is available, as are several cab configurations and bed lengths.
Our short-bed, crew cab with rear-wheel drive, has an MSRP of $50,245, which includes about $10,000 in options and destination charges. Ram 1500s range in base price from about $26,000 to $52,000 with enough option packages mixed in to make the price points nearly infinite.
STYLING AND COMFORT
Like all full-size, American-made trucks, the Ram 1500 Night Edition is massive. The driver who delivered our tester noted that he almost needed a ladder to climb into the big Ram. Indeed, step bumpers would have helped us with mounts and dismounts. We had to grab the steering wheel and execute a grunt and a hop to launch ourselves into the driver's seat.
Viewed head-on, the 1500 is toughened-up considerably by the menacing black honeycomb grill. It's easily the most dramatic part of the $395 Night Edition package. The $775 Sports Performance Hood with blacked-out air intakes creates the impression of a snarl.
The crew-cab makes the design a bit front-heavy, as the massive second row seats stretch the cab well past the mid-point of the vehicle. The 20-inch wheels - painted black, remember - add even more toughness, although at a distance the details wash out and the truck seems to simply be floating on air.
A mere detail - but one that stands out - is the giant black RAM emblem on the tailgate, which is legible from about a half mile away. Massive storage compartments cut into the walls of the truck bed are equally useful for tools or iced-down beverages.
The cab itself is huge - its most distinguishing feature being a center stack big enough to contain an entire family picnic. Meanwhile, the padded arm-rest shelf is big enough to spread out the whole buffet. The standard high-back bucket seats in front are heated, as is the steering wheel, a real perk in sub-freezing weather.
Options include a 9-speaker Alpine premium audio system (a bargain at $345), tri-fold bed cover ($545), an eight-speed automatic transmission upgrade ($500), a 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi engine ($1,250), and a Uconnect telematics system with navigation ($700).
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
With the powerful V-8 Hemi engine making 410 lb.-ft. of torque, the Ram 1500 is capable of towing more than 10,000 pounds. To be clear, that's five tons, which should cover most people's needs. The big V-8 also has a beefy idle note, which broadcasts its power.
Otherwise, the Ram 1500 is remarkably mannerly and quiet during normal cruising. The big pickup moves along on the highway with no sounds of stress from the engine compartment.
If you are moving up to a full-size truck for the first time, make sure your test drive includes a trip to a retail parking lot. Today's half-ton trucks are so massive that parking them can be a challenge. The Ram 1500 is so tall, and its hood is so massive, that it's hard to thread the needle into tight parking spaces. Expect only about a foot of clearance on both sides.
BOTTOM LINE
If it's a tough-looking, full-size truck you are seeking, the Ram 1500 Night Edition is a good choice. Its $50,000-plus MSRP is about the price of admission to the factory-custom club these days. But if the truck serves double duty as your work office and your family transportation, a case can be made that it's well worth the money. Expect about 17 mpg in combined city and highway driving.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.