The New York Auto Show hosted the world premiere of the meaningfully updated 2013 Ram 1500 pickup truck that brings a raft of improvements, the most important of which are the presentation of a new Pentastar V6, an eight-speed automatic transmission, a freshened up interior and several fuel saving technologies such as the stop-start system.
We’ll start our tour of the 2013 Ram 1500 with the new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine that’s rated at 305HP and 269 lb.-ft. of torque, delivering 42 percent more horsepower, 13 percent more torque and at least 20 percent better fuel economy over the outgoing 3.7-liter V6.
The new V6 is mated to a standard eight-speed automatic transmission dubbed TorqueFlite 8 that replaces the older V6’s four-speed auto. The new 8sp automatic will also be available next year on the tweaked 5.7-liter V8 HEMI that delivers an additional 5HP for a new total of 395HP.
All 1500s equipped with the 8-speed unit ditch the column or floor shifters for a new rotary knob placed on the right-hand side of the center console.
New fuel saving technologies include a stop-start system that is said to improve fuel economy by up to 3.3 percent, or about one mile-per-gallon to the truck’s city drive cycle, along with a thermal management system that quickly raises engine and transmission fluid temperature, and active aerodynamics, including grille shutters and air suspension.
It’s worth noting that the available four-corner air suspension automatically lowers the vehicle’s ride height by up to 1.1 inches in “Aero Mode” to improve fuel efficiency by up to one percent. Overall, the system has five settings including Normal, Aero, Off-Road 1, Off-Road 2, and Park.
Ram says that it has reduced the truck’s weight without affecting payload or towing capability. For example, the frame is 30 pounds lighter thanks to the use of advanced high-strength steels, the new cross-members in the bed eliminate 7 pounds, the new aluminum hood save 26 pounds while the Pentastar V6 and 8sp auto reduce the weight by another 76 pounds.
On the outside, the 2013 Ram 1500’s styling has been tweaked with a new, taller front grille and redesigned bumpers, running boards, and headlamps with LED fixtures for parking and turning.
Inside, Ram has improved the interior with higher-grade materials and better fit and finish, along with all-new HVAC controls and multimedia systems. The truck also gets a new 3.5-inch vehicle information screen in the instrument cluster.
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