Fresh off the positive reaction the Ram Tradesman pickup truck received at the Chicago Auto Show this month, Ram announced today that it will add a new 1500 truck to the line-up targeting first-time buyers looking to customize their ride. Code named “Adventurer,” the upcoming truck with be priced like competitor’s V-6 offerings, while packing a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with 390 horsepower feeding a 3.55:1 rear axle ratio.
The Adventurer will be finished with a monochrome paint scheme, with a body-colored grille accented by black honeycomb inserts, body-colored front fascia, and body-colored rear fascia with chrome-tipped dual exhausts. It will be further outfitted with fog lamps and 20-inch aluminum wheels with locking lug nuts. Truck gear counts a locking tailgate, cargo lamp, rear-bumper step pad, 6 x 9-inch side-view mirrors, and rear wheel-well liners.
The cabin features a work-horse vinyl 40/20/40 split-bench seat, and buyers will have a choice of vinyl or carpeted floor covering. The assumption seems to be either that buyers will appreciate the savings, or replacing these basic perches with something more custom. Otherwise, the truck does have basic feature amenities, such as air conditioning, four-spoke tilt steering wheel, six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with auxiliary input, automatic headlamps, behind-the-seat storage bins, and tinted glass windows.
On the option front, the Mopar catalog is brimming with equipment to dress up and hot road the Ram, and most other Chrysler Group models. Among the accessories, Ram highlights a cloth 40/20/40 split-bench seat, Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth, rear-view auto-dim mirror, remote USB port, sliding rear window, remote keyless entry, Sirius radio, floor mats, rear-axle ratios (3.21, 3.92), anti-spin differential, engine block heater, and trailer brake controller.
The Adventurer will be offered in 4x2 and 4x4 configurations, with pricing to start at $23,830, including the $975 destination charge. It goes on sale the second quarter of 2011.
The studio photos are of the Adventurer.
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