A Closer Look At The Cheapest New Ram Truck On The Market

By Kyle Francis

Perhaps your trusty pickup truck is starting to get a little less dependable, and the time has come for a bit of an upgrade. Or hell, it's been long enough since you've taken delivery of a new workhorse, and fancy spicing up your life with something new. Thankfully, there's plenty of choice when exploring the full-size truck market at the moment, with homegrown options from the likes of Chevrolet, Ford and RAM taking on foreign rivals like Toyota.

Higher-end versions can get pretty expensive though, and sometimes all you need is the cheapest base variant if you simply need an effective work truck that nobody else has left their mark on. RAM's 1500 Tradesman is one of the lowest-priced on the market, so it's well worth consideration.

The RAM 1500 Sits At The Lower End Of The Fullsize Truck Arena

When it comes to splashing as little of your hard-earned money on a new big truck as you can get away with, the RAM 1500 Tradesman is one of the best ways of doing so. For $42,120, you'll net yourself a base Tradesman spec in quad-cab spec, which features a naturally aspirated Pentastar V6 engine that sends its power the way of the rear wheels. The only way of getting such a machine cheaper is by heading to your local Toyota dealer, which can supply you with a similar Tundra double cab with a similarly-sized 6.5-foot bed for $41,260. Chevrolet and Ford's comparable Silverado and F-150 options will set you back a little more than the RAM, with base MSRPs of $42,995 and $43,935, respectively.

The Standard 1500 Comes With A Decent Chunk Of Power

Your base 1500 will come packing a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 engine that is bolstered by RAM's eTorque system, which is a form of mild hybrid that takes some work away from the engine to help boost fuel efficiency. As a result, the RAM can make use of 305 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque, which is channeled to the rear axle via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The mild hybrid system ensures it won't bankrupt you as far as keeping it running is concerned, as it manages an average MPG of 22. For a truck the size of the 1500, that's pretty solid.

When combined with the vehicle's tough body-on-frame construction, you'll have a truck that can tow up to 7,660 pounds, while at the same time dealing with 1,770 pounds of maximum payload.

The 1500 Tradesman Comes With The Equipment Needed To Keep You Comfortable

Being the entry-level version of the 1500 family, the Tradesman doesn't exactly stand out when it comes to the goodies you'll be lavished with. Still, you'll get the basic stuff needed to keep you comfortable as you transport around your family or cargo. Climate control is included in the base price, as is an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system supplied with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. There are no massaging electric leather seats here, though the standard vinyl-trimmed chairs suffice for a work-focused machine such as this.

Handily though, the 1500 Tradesman does get outfitted with plenty of scuff-protecting trim throughout the cabin, which should help keep it in decent condition no matter how punishing the worksites it has to visit.

Don't Expect Any Sexy Styling

This no-frills approach continues when you cast your gaze across the outside of the 1500. You'll have to hand over just shy of $300 if you want it finished in anything other than white, while just short of $700 will be needed if you want to upgrade from the standard utilitarian steel wheels to a set of alloys.

The body is styled to be functional rather than expressive too, with the plastic bumpers and grille working with the steel wheels to signify that this version is at the bottom end of the 1500 range. Still, who cares about having pretty body-colored bumpers when they're only likely to get wrecked on dusty work sites and such.

Sources: Chevrolet, Ford, RAM, Toyota.

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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.