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As the former owner of a 1996 Ram 3500 and the present owner of a 2005 Ram 3500, I've been awaiting this introduction for quite some time.  It was going to determine whether I hung on to my 05 or started saving for a new one. In my blog post on the 2009 Ram 1500, I noted three things that I hoped would appear on the 2010 Ram HD, and it looks like I scored on all three.  The front bumper is indeed fully separate from the body (unlike the 1500) so that auxiliary equipment like plows and winches can be installed easily.  The ST model offers an all-vinyl interior that you can get dirty.  And the front springs in particular have been uprated and it now appears that they may permit a snow-plow package for the diesel pickups (a Dodge first, Ford has offered it for years). As for the truck itself...

The excuse for getting rid of the floor-mounted 4-wheel-drive shifter was to improve front seat legroom and reduce floorspace clutter.  As such, my 2005 Ram may be the last truck I own with such a floor shifter. Then I saw the new trucks introduced at NAIAS, the 2009 Ram 1500 and F150.  Both have introduced these huge full center consoles with floor-mounted automatic transmission shifters (the Ram is pictured to your right)... especially odd for the F150 which no longer offers a manual transmission...

The last thing a misbehaving child wants to hear on a road trip... New Jersey is thinking about coming back there.  The state assembly has introduced bills that will strengthen the existing seat belt law to include adults in the rear seat(s), and to raise the fines for not securing a child from $20 to as much as $500. Most of us with sense buckle up as it is, so such a law should not intrude on the majority o drivers.  But it will be interesting to see if these bills face challenges, and on what grounds.  There was also no immediate information as to whether the proposal would apply to cars for hire, such as taxis and limos...

The 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 and Ford F150 were revealed today at the North American international Auto Show.  As a current Ram owner and former F150 owner, I certainly feel qualified to offer my pair of pennies on these new designs.  So here goes: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 I like the evolutionary design changes on the exterior.  The lines are cleaner, getting the aero value back down to where it was with the 1994 design.  I understand why the grille is no longer attached to the hood, but i will miss that.  I also have a problem with the rear "uni-bulb".  My 2005 Ram has separate rear turn signals/hazard lights, and since I drive in the dark every work night, complete lighting is very important to me.  A single bulb can be misconstrued by inattentive drivers, plus you lose brake light function when hazards are on - only the high-mount brake light actually functions in this situation.  There is certainly enough room in the new truck to allow for separate rear turn/hazard lights.  I think Dodge made a good move by creating a crew cab over continuing the oversized Mega Cab.  They may lose some bragging rights, but the truck will be a lot easier to handle.  One thing I find very annoying though - on both the quad and crew Cabs, the rear seat cushion is cut down in the center - this makes child-seat placement almost impossible - especially for a rearward facing infant seat, as there's not enough cushion to support it. Which leads me to the rest of the interior.  I like the new dash and gauges. The front seats clearly have improved bolstering for more back and side support, which is appreciated by those of us who make long commutes.  The increased number of storage bins will be useful for most buyers, and the materials used are definitely an upgrade.  But I have my complaints, too.  Still using the beige upper interior, no matter what color seats/dash/carpet you order (see my blog entry "Every day is a gray day") tells me the effort to improve the interior is only half-hearted...

Most consumers don't order their cars... they look over the dealer inventory and find what comes closest to what they want.  Conversely, truckers order exactly what they want right down to the tire tread on each axle. Heavy duty pickups are getting caught in the middle.  Because of the surge in sales of full size pickups over the last 15 years, manufacturers have increasingly followed the lead of cars and make their trucks available in large option "packages".  This saves costs by reducing the number of configurations and cutting build time.  And with the notable exception of Ford, whose heavy pickups are on a completely separate chassis and body, these cost saving measure are shared over the entire line.  This option package mentality is understandable for small and midsize cars because of the volume and lack of profit margin...

Vehicle interiors used to come in all kinds of colors.  Between 1972 and 2001, my dad's vehicles had the following colors (in order):  green, brown/tan, navy blue, brown, black/gray, black, navy blue.  He almost bought a car with a red interior instead of the first blue one. But lately, there has been a disturbing trend that new vehicles have an incredibly limited selection of interior colors... almost the modern day equivalent of the Henry Ford Model T line: "you can have any interior color you want, as long as it's gray." I find it ironic, and to an extent, embarrassing, that manufacturers are being incredibly daring with exterior paint, but so ultra-conservative with interiors.  For 2008, the Dodge Ram will offer bright orange and bright yellow paint...