Earlier this year, Ram revealed a pair of new 1500 models: the stripped-out Tradesman work truck and the slightly more expensive, marginally better equipped, and flashier Express model. The two trucks have low base prices, standard Hemi V-8 power, and extensive option sheets—but they lacked any body choices. Today, Ram announced that for 2012 the 1500 Tradesman can now be had in Heavy Duty (HD) guise and the Express can be had in Crew and Quad cab form (last year the model was regular cab-only).
1500 Tradesman HD
The 2012 Ram 1500 Tradesman HD is regular cab-only and can only be had with two-wheel-drive and an 8-foot bed, but has higher maximum payload and towing ratings than the non-HD Tradesman. The HD is still a half-ton truck, but its 3100-pound payload and 11,500-pound towing capability put it closer to three-quarter-ton territory; those capacities represent increases of 1440 and 1100 pounds, respectively, over a standard Tradesman with an 8-foot box. The Tradesman HD’s increased brawniness comes courtesy of a Ram 2500 HD frame, heavy duty axles with eight-lug hubs, and the company’s HD-spec 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine, producing 383 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque here. The Tradesman HD also features a beefed-up cooling system, larger brakes, and a heavier-duty six-speed automatic transmission.
1500 Express
To expand the appeal of the 1500 Express—which is basically a dressed-up Tradesman wearing 20-inch aluminum wheels, body-color bumpers and front grille, and fog lights—Ram has added the option of a four-door Crew or Quad cab (the difference between the two is rear door length—the Crew’s rear apertures are full-size while the Quad’s openings are half-size). Whereas the regular-cab Express’s interior is sparse, the Crew and Quad cab models boast standard power windows and door locks, automatic headlights, six-speaker audio system with an auxiliary input, and front and rear floormats. Buyers can even choose between vinyl or cloth for the seat covers and either vinyl or carpeting for the floor (cloth seats and carpeted flooring is optional on the regular cab Express).
Of course, a bevy of Mopar parts are available to buyers looking to customize their Express trucks no matter the cab configuration, and the four-door Expresses are powered by the same 390-hp, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 as the regular cab Express and standard Tradesman. The higher creature feature content baked into the Quad and Crew cab Express trucks do translate to higher base prices—$28,050 is required for the Quad cab, and a more-spacious Crew cab model will set you back $30,210. That is quite a jump over the $23,080 2012 Express regular cab, but only slightly more expensive than Quad and Crew cab SLT models powered by a smaller, 310-hp 4.7-liter V-8. Chrysler hasn’t released pricing on the 1500 Tradesman HD, which is due to go on sale in early next year. The 2012 1500 Express trucks be available in dealerships soon.
More RamBox
In addition to the three new 1500 variants, Ram also announced that its innovative RamBox bed storage compartments are now available on 6 foot, four-inch beds—previously it could only be paired with five foot, seven-inch units. Regardless of bed size, RamBox is a $1295 option on all trim levels, but still cannot be had on longer 8-foot beds.
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