Notre-Dame-de-la-Merci, Quebec — It may now bear a different name, but that commanding 4x4 pickup truck which took us in and out of the woods through deep snow sure felt awfully familiar!

Here’s a surprising piece of information: so far in 2010, sales of the Ram pickup truck are up by nearly 80 percent! (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)

As a result of all the restructuring at Chrysler, the Ram 1500 now operates under a separate brand. That’s right: no more Dodge for you! A bit odd, don’t you think? Real truck guys across North America will likely take a dozen years before they stop using that household name (from John and Horace Dodge) in reference to the Ram.

Fortunately, the marketing shift doesn’t really affect the core attributes of the vehicle. Exterior styling remains unchanged for the 2010 Dodge, er, I mean Ram. Same thing for its model lineup and configurations — and you know there’s more than a handful of them, including 2- and 4-door cabs (Quad and Crew), three different bed lengths (5'7", 6'4" and 8') and seven trim levels (SX, SXT, SLT, TRX, TRX4 Off-Road, Sport and Laramie). Need to catch your breath?

Three available powertrains
As for powertrains, the Ram 1500 offers "only" three. Both the 310-hp, 4.7L V8 and the 390-hp, 5.7L V8 are mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, either with 2- or 4-wheel drive.

Some 2WD models instead rely on a 215-hp, 3.7L V6, which obviously proves more fuel-efficient. Make no mistake: fuel economy continues to be the Achilles’ heel of the brand’s 8-cylinder engines — HEMI or not— with an average of roughly 14 L/100 km according to Transport Canada. No wonder why V8-powered Rams find themselves among the biggest gas-guzzlers on the market right now.

Of course, it’s to be expected given the nature of these trucks, also among the hardest-working machines in the industry. The stronger Ram 1500s can tow up to 4,740 kilos (10,450 lbs) while carrying a payload of 362 kilos (1,900 lbs).

The cabin will now appeal to younger drivers thanks to MP3 compatibility and an auxiliary input jack. (Photo: Chrysler)