2002 Dodge Ram 1500

Hard to believe that it's been over eight years since Dodge unleashed an all-new Ram pickup. Introduced in 1993 as a 1994 model, that innovative Ram's massive front end and dominant fenders had a like-it-or-hate-it personality. A lot of people liked it, and the Ram hasn't looked over its shoulder since.

While most new trucks have lower-than-ever stances, the 2002 Ram rides taller than ever, partly because of 17-inch tires and wheels. Sport models even offer a 20-inch tire/wheel package.

Prior to '94, Dodge was having trouble getting anyone except diehard Mopar fans to even consider a Dodge truck. It was time for drastic change. The Ram did the job and more. In fact, it changed the way virtually everyone looked at the full-sized pickup market. Both Ford and General Motors took notice and scrambled to update their respective pickups.


For 2002, Dodge's second-generation "new" Ram simultaneously looks forward while referring to the past. At the press introduction, Dodge displayed an impressive collection of various models and years of pickup trucks. Confident of their own place in history, Dodge included many non-Chrysler trucks in this vintage lineup alongside examples of its famous "Little Red Truck" and two 1936 flatbed farm trucks. (One looked like it had been decomposing in a hay field for decades, and the other was a totally restored model from the Chrysler Museum.)


A glimpse at the past helped look toward the future, as we climbed into the expanded cab of the 2002 Ram 1500 (1/2-ton) pickup. Although the differences aren't radical, changes are immediately evident, especially when the '02 Ram is parked alongside its predecessor.

All interior dimensions?on both regular and extended-cab '02 Ram 1500s?have increased over previous-generation Ram 1/2-tons.

To match the '02 Ram's even-larger front grille and wider-shouldered front fenders, the cab "borrows" three inches of bed space, making the interior all-around roomier and permitting Quad Cab models to have four front-hinged doors. The new dash design is pleasant to the eye and gently curves over the instrument panel. All the gauges in the IP are easy to read with black numerals on white faces. A newly designed center workstation makes storing typical on-the-roadwork stuff easier. A small ergonomic change is moving the storage compartment's latch mechanism from the driver's side to the front of its door.