New trucks at work.

[dodge man]

We got two new trucks at work. Dodge Ram 1/2 tons, very lightly optioned, 4x4, V6, 8 speed auto, air, windows and locks. They are on a 3 year lease. My opinion, meh. They are O.K. Part of the problem is they are more plain than our previous Fords. The Fords had a 5.0 and some more options. The v6 in the Dodge does well, the 8 speed helps. They won't really pull 8th gear though at interstate speeds unless you have a tail wind or are going downhill. Mileage is good, high teens, maybe a couple of mpg's better than the Fords.

Overall a good truck except one thing. The shifter knob. I hate it, I'm hoping I adjust. I've driven the thing maybe 20 times and I've tried to get out of the thing while its in gear 4 or 5 times. I'm Ok when I go from drive to park, but when I back up, I tend to put it drive instead of park. The thing usually throws it in park for you and gives a warning. I remember an actor from the newer Star Trek movies got ran over by his own vehicle, I think it was a Jeep Grand Cheroke, probably with a know on the consle. I can see how it can happen.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

We got two new trucks at work. Dodge Ram 1/2 tons, very lightly optioned, 4x4, V6, 8 speed auto, air, windows and locks. They are on a 3 year lease. My opinion, meh. They are O.K. Part of the problem is they are more plain than our previous Fords. The Fords had a 5.0 and some more options. The v6 in the Dodge does well, the 8 speed helps. They won't really pull 8th gear though at interstate speeds unless you have a tail wind or are going downhill. Mileage is good, high teens, maybe a couple of mpg's better than the Fords.

Overall a good truck except one thing. The shifter knob. I hate it, I'm hoping I adjust. I've driven the thing maybe 20 times and I've tried to get out of the thing while its in gear 4 or 5 times. I'm Ok when I go from drive to park, but when I back up, I tend to put it drive instead of park. The thing usually throws it in park for you and gives a warning. I remember an actor from the newer Star Trek movies got ran over by his own vehicle, I think it was a Jeep Grand Cheroke, probably with a know on the consle. I can see how it can happen.

For the life of my, I do not know what Chrysler-Fiat is thinking with their shifter. Ford's fly-by-wire shifter is indexed like a traditional shifter but the Chrysler-Fiat-Jeep shifter is the worst. It is worse than the shifter in my Infiniti, yet another shifter that I don't like because it doesn't index right and you can find yourself in reverse when you thought it was in park and so on.

All to say that this wheel didn't need to be reinvented.

 

[dodge man]

I remember in the late 70's Ford started putting the horn on the end of the turn signal stalk. The Fairmont comes to mind. Bad idea, just like the shifter.

 

[Thomas]

I like the looks of it,is that factory rear bumper?

Last Dodge I own 1973 D100 short bed slant 6 3 speed on the column.:thumbsup:

 

[dodge man]

I know they make a model called a "Tradesman" that has similar bumpers. I actually think ours is a model level below a Tradesman, probably ordered for us as kind of a plain jane truck. Instead of them being chrome bumpers, they are just painted steel. These trucks have rubber floor mats also, which is one thing I really like with how much mud we track in them.

 

[JJZ 109]

I remember in the late 70's Ford started putting the horn on the end of the turn signal stalk. The Fairmont comes to mind. Bad idea, just like the shifter.

Remember the old Mopar rim blow horns? My mom's '71 Dart Swinger had one.

 

[dodge man]

Rim blow wheels are considered a desirable option on collector Mopars.

 

[mopardude318]

I had a 2013 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi, 2 wheel drive, quad cab, with the 8 speed. It was a good truck. you get used to that nob, I thought it was weird at first but soon it will be fine. I sold the truck last year, I don't know what the heck was in my mind when I bought it, I don't know WHY on earth I bought a 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive...Never again. they just don't perform for the tasks I need.

I also have a 2014 Jeep grand Cherokee, no nob, it has a console shifter, but there are no "detents", you would push the button on the shifter with your fingers and move the lever to DRIVE position, and the shifter would default back to the middle position. That has confused many people, and also unfortunately resulted in the death of that young star trek actor.

Now they redesigned it, there is a P-R-N-D detent, and the shifter stays where ya put it.

I had a rim blow in my 1970 dart swinger, sold it with the steering column for $150 bucks...Still have the car though, along with a '68 Barracuda Fastback! Love me some MOPAR!

 

[Monster5601]

I may be in the minority but I like the rotary shifter, painless to get use to and I for one appreciate the additional room in the center console from removing the shift lever. My HD has the column shift and I wish RAM would add a roratery shift to the HDs as well.

 

[mjw357]

I remember in the late 70's Ford started putting the horn on the end of the turn signal stalk. The Fairmont comes to mind. Bad idea, just like the shifter.

Yup, we had a 1980 ? Fairmont, I remember driving it one time and needing the horn in traffic. Almost comical, pounding on the center of the wheel and no horn.