All-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Selected 'Best New Pickup Truck' in Canada by AJAC
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All-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 beats out new 2009 Ford F-150 for 'Best New Pickup Truck' accolade
WINDSOR, Ontario, Oct. 24 -- The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 today was named the "Best New Pickup Truck" by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The announcement follows an intensive week of vehicle evaluations performed by professional automotive journalists at the annual AJAC Test Fest in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
"We thank AJAC for this recognition which confirms that the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 is the best pickup truck in Canada," said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, Chrysler Canada. "The all-new Dodge Ram offers bold exterior design, benchmark interior, best-in-class ride and handling, 35 new or improved features, and more than 35 safety features. Dodge Ram 1500 delivers more truck for less money and is the best value crew cab in Canada."
The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 includes more than 35 new or improved features when compared to the previous light-duty Dodge Ram. These features include:
-- Three cab configurations including Dodge Ram's first-ever crew-cab
size model
-- Significantly upgraded interiors with segment-first surround-sound
audio system
-- First-in-segment coil-spring, five-link rear suspension fitted to a
solid rear axle provides the required towing and payload capability,
with ride and handling unexpected in a pickup truck
-- New 5.7-litre HEMI V-8 provides more horsepower (390 hp) and torque
(407 lb.-ft.), with increased fuel economy of +5 percent
-- Best-in-class aerodynamics - .387 Cd - helps improve fuel economy and
performance
-- First-in-segment, RamBox(TM) cargo management system that includes
versatile, weatherproof, lockable, illuminated, drainable storage
bins; pickup bed dividers; 2-foot bed extender; and cargo rail system
with sliding, adjustable cleats
-- First-in-segment, factory-installed 4-inch dual exhaust styled
dramatically into the rear bumper
-- First-in-segment store-in-the-floor bins
-- Nearly twice as many storage bins (42) than the previous model (26)
-- 35 safety and security technologies, including standard front and rear
side-curtain air bags, four-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS),
Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Electronic Roll Mitigation,
Trailer Sway Control, All-Speed Traction Control, Class-exclusive Hill
Start Assist and Brake Assist
The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 defeated the new 2009 Ford F-150 for AJAC "Best New Pickup Truck". This recognition follows on the heels of another important accolade earned by the Ram this week - the Texas Auto Writers Association "Full-size Pickup Truck of Texas".
The Dodge Ram 1500 recorded Canadian sales of 2,393 for the month, an increase of 48 percent compared to September, 2007. Calendar-year-to-date (CYTD) sales of the Ram reached 33,752, an all-time record for the vehicle.
About AJAC
At the annual AJAC Test Fest Canada's top automotive journalists are divided into teams to evaluate categories of vehicles by driving each entry back-to-back on the same roads and under the same conditions. A best new vehicle is determined for each category. Each category winner is then under consideration for the Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards which are announced at the Canadian International Auto Show held in Toronto every February.
