Pros: Fun to drive!! This will make moving a little more fun, at least.
Cons: The bad design of the front wall/floor area of the bed.
The Bottom Line: I would definitely buy another. It's roomy, good looking, functional and just plain fun to drive. It's gas mileage is good for a truck this size.
This being my 3rd Dodge truck (I have to admit to brand loyalty), is the one that had to grow on me. With each body style change, Dodge pushed the envelope with aesthetics. They felt like trucks, they looked like trucks, and they performed like trucks. The grille is taller and narrower, and a major rake in the windshield line makes this the most aerodynamic of the bunch. This is still the best looking truck on the road today. The grille has even more of a throwback to the Mack semi look, which apparently consumers have come to love. To the point that even Fords tried to look like Dodges, but failed; the Fords look like cheap copies of a refined product. The Chevrolet is just plain ugly, and if I'm going to spend this kind of money for any vehicle, it's going to look good getting paid for.
The seats seem higher than in previous models and the addition of entry/egress handles are more than welcome. This time I chose a darker interior and carpet. While the light gray of the last truck was prettier and seemed heavier, it showed all but the lightest stains. And living out in the country in the Midwest, you want a darker carpet. The plastic of the interior panels is cheap looking in the ST package, but is easily overlooked. The seats are more comfortable in the newer models as well, with wider softer cushions. Face it, we're all getting a little wider and softer, as well. The high back seats also come with adjustable headrests, in back, as well as in front. And they actually contact your head, something needed in case of rear impact.
Gone is the extended cab; instead it was replaced with the Quad Cab. And it's high time. Although the extra room in the extended cab was very nice, climbing in and out of the back of one was a major pain. The seat cushions lift easily to expose formed storage areas under the seats, and lower easily back into place.
When choosing your options, two important ones are almost a necessity: power windows and door locks. The cab is wide and roomy making it hard to reach either the door lock or window crank on the passenger side. A third valuable option is the center armrest/storage compartment. Although the doors have small storage compartments integrated into the interior paneling, they are hard to reach into while driving. They had to make a trade-off somewhere; either narrow the seats or or make the compartments larger. The center armrest/storage compartment was, I have been told, designed with a laptop computer in mind.
A major improvement over the 1993-2001 Rams is in the cup holder. A new custom size to fit adjustment makes the contents in the holder less prone to tipping over, although a slightly deeper one would be nice for those convenience store 32 oz cups.
It took me awhile to get used to the new lines in the bed area and the new white faced gauges, after seeing them in a friend's 2003 Ram 1500. After using them, I did find them easier to read, especially at night. There is less eyestrain, which is important when you're approaching 50 (anything that strains me less has to be a good thing)!
I opted for the base CD player over the cassette player. With so many CDs, I felt that the optional 5 disc changer unnecessary, as I'd still end up swapping a lot of CDs. The stereo controls are easy to operate, even with gloves on (a major coup for Dodge ever since the 1993 Ram).
One major area of concern is in the front bed wall/floor area. The '93-01 models had a lip at the lower front wall of the bed that came over the front of the bed floor where it was spot welded. In the new bed, the front wall extends down in front of the floor and the weld is moved to below the floor level. The resulting seam is filled with sealer then painted over. The first time the sandbags that I use for weight in snowy or icy conditions slid forward and hit the front wall of the bed, the sealer seam was broken the width of the bed, requiring new sealer and paint to repair the bed. Installing barrier boards into the slots in the bed is highly recommended, as is a spray-in bed liner. Aside from protecting the bed of your $30,000 pride and joy, it also adds some grip to the bed to help keep things from sliding around. The new cargo tiedowns are an improvement over the buried under the bed steel rods. The older ones were hidden under plugs that had to be removed to expose the tiedown. The newer ones resemble boat cleats, making a slip knot or half hitch more than adequate to secure your cargo.
I also opted for the towing package. A good choice for those of us who may not be weekend warriors, but the heavier duty receiver hitch will withstand the abuse of pulling something over the cosmetically appealing, but weak bumper hitch. Included in the towing package are: an auxiliary oil cooler, a tow/haul setting on the shifter, which, by observing the standard tach, takes the lockup torque converter out of lockup mode and keeps the engine in the power band. I'm sure mileage will suffer, but you will put less load on your engine.
Driving the 2004 Ram 1500 Quad Cab is nothing short of sheer fun. I opted for the 345 horsepower 5.7 liter Hemi engine. And although it's a far cry from the 425 hp 426 Hemi, it's a lot more refined. Gone are the days of constant valvetrain adjustments and 8 mpg!! Our last truck was a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500, equipped with the 5.2 liter (318 cid), and with judicious (read than sane) application of the gas pedal, I am getting better mileage. And the throaty rumble of the exhaust system makes you feel like a hotrodder again. This new Hemi makes power at relative ease, smoothly and quickly accelerating to 70 mph; a necessity for those rare trips into large metropolitan areas.
Dodge finally replaced the old worm gear steering with rack and pinion. This makes the latest Ram much more responsive. You won't ever confuse the acceleration of the Ram 1500 with that of a Viper, but you won't be looking at the back of any Chevrolet or Fords either. I know, I know, it sounds juvenile, but how many men are really gonna let that Chevy beat you away from the light and cut in front of you to pull into the Wal-Mart parking lot? And just as important as the 'go fast' pedal, are the 4-wheel disc brakes. The 2004 Ram has big rotors, front and back, which is important when you're pulling or putting your bass boat into the lake. Get those drum brakes wet and see what I mean.
This is a man's truck. Big, rugged and fast, with a lot of refinements that will keep mama happy. (When mama's happy, everybody's happy).
The only problem we've had was that an ABS module went bad after 2 weeks, which was promptly repaired under warranty and a balky passenger side seatbelt that locks and stays locked. This will get looked at the next time we make a trip to the dealer for service.
Bottom line: Would I buy another one? You bet. Hopefully Dodge changes the bed design to make the box a little more durable.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 30000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: 5.7L Hemi w/ towing package and limited slip rear axle.
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