the Ram brought features to the truck market that were simply unavailable previously.

The interior is exceptionally roomy, with lots of head and legroom, and particularly

generous shoulder and hip room. There are storage spaces almost everywhere, with big

map pockets in the doors, a recessed tray in the top of the instrument panel, a handy

shelf in front of the passenger and a large glove box with an additional shelf inside.

Especially noteworthy is the innovative center armrest. Folded up, it's a seat back

for the center passenger. Down, it forms a writing surface on the lid, or lift the lid

to reveal compartmented storage for pencils, a clipboard, tape cassettes, coins,

sunglasses--you name it. It's one of the singularly great features available on any

truck in the market.

In the rear of the Club Cab is more good news. Even though the back seat won't be as

comfortable as in a full-size 6-passenger sedan, it's better than in other extended

cab pickups. The seatback isn't quite so close to vertical as in some of the

competition, and both upper and lower cushions are larger; the result is a seat upon

which three people can actually consider riding for more than just a trip around the

corner. For additional utility the seat bottom cushion folds up and out of the way.

But, unfortunately, the floor under the rear seat isn't flat or level, so it's not as

convenient for loading toolboxes, an ice chest, or big, rectangular luggage. A flat

floor in the rear would have been nice.

An important consideration with any interior is how well it contributes to the ease of

the driving task, and the Dodge Ram scores well on this point. The instrument panel

layout is logical and modern, controls are easy to reach and operate and instruments

and other information sources are clearly visible. And, another thing people will

like; typical for Chrysler products, the Ram has great cupholders.