swap to the brand new hemi to the old truck! w0ot!

 

I'm with you, some VERY nice improvements on the 4th Gen over the 3rd Gen, but also some things I don't like nearly as much.
I have a buddy who bought an '09, QCSB 4x4. Great power, and it takes curves like a sports car, but we towed with it, and it handled like total crap. Kept fighting to hold a load steady, to the point that after 20 miles you are fatigued from driving with just 5k or so of weight. I was also AMAZED how low the rear sank with only a 350 lb tongue weight.

I guess the things that make it a better daily driver make it a lousy "truck", better speed and handling unladen, but worse for towing and/or hauling...

 

Comparing to my old 05, which was also a RCSB Sport Hemi 4x4 with 3.92s

09 gets 2-3 more MPG (real world) over my 05. Of course y'all know 05 was the last year for no MDS, so that combined with the new Hemi and areodynamics is the MPG difference.

Power, very noticable difference. Go hit a dealership and drive one.

Over all height is taller on the 05, however it really is more cab height. The cab was "cut off" or for you old schoolers, chopped. Yes, this was for areodynamics. I would rather it was just taller by that 1-2".

Panel fitment much better on the 09. Gaps much better and does not even exist in places where it did on the 3rd Gen.

Ride, it is better, but I do not think it is leaps and bounds better.

Lift assist on the gate is cool. I did not even know I had it until I closed the gate and thought to myself, damn that thing is light.

Grill, both have pros and cons. Like the grill going up on the 3rd gen, makes it easier to work on, but the in place grill is more sturdy....

Sides of 3rd Gen looks better, front is a draw, rear of 4th is better, especially with the dual exit exhaust/bumper option. Hood on 4th has a more agressive cowl. Color key handles and mirrors on sport is nice. Of course these are opinion.

Interior of 4th is nice. If it comes with the center console it actually has useable cup holders. Hand free bluetooth, AC adapter, lots of storage. SOme of these will not appeal to some, but if it does they are really nice. EVIC also nice. Finally tire pressure sensors, critical digital info on oil, temp, tranny, ect.

ESP, most 4th gen owners do not like it. You can partially disable while in 2WD. Disabled far enough to leave to long black marks on the road, which is good enough for me.

Headlights suck on the 4th gen, not as good as the 3rd. Fogs make up for them, but if you get a truck witout fogs you are hurting.

I guess the best thing I could say about them is if there was a "new" 08 next to a new 09 on a lot, and the price was the same, or even if the 08 was a grand lower, I would pick the 09 when all things are considered.

 

A lot of good stuff here. I guess I want to know what audience dodge was going after. Obviously they felt that their towing image with their previous trucks wasn't doing them enough good so maybe they wanted to target a different audience and grab some of the honda ridgeline and titan lovers. That's what the new Ram feels like to me, a Titan. I remember thinking the Titan was very quick, but was just a little bummed out about the interior space. The Ram feels like an American version of the Titan, kind of sleek and lower to ground, but offers the amazing horsepower and unique dodge looks. With this said, if I see a 4th generation black dodge ram with the 20" wheels and dual exhaust for a reasonable deal I'd be hard pressed to not look at my options!