Why is there a Classic?

Less issues with the 4th gen. They have been time tested. Not so much with the 5th.

According to Consumer Reports (for what it's worth), the 5th gen drivetrain is more reliable. I could never understand that, since they are pretty much the same. I would think any issues with the 5th gen would be with the 12 inch screen, maybe eTorque, but that's about it. Most of the rest is pretty straightforward.

Davidloveshishemi said:

Less issues with the 4th gen. They have been time tested. Not so much with the 5th.

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The major pieces are the same or not generally an issue (engines, transmissions, suspension, brakes etc). There are no real problems with the 5th gen that aren't in the 4th gen (hemi tick, busted manifolds/bolts).

Only possibly uconnect issues as that's always new every few years, and no guarantee that uconnect is better in the 4th vs a random 5th gen since there are different versions in the 4th gen as well. My uconnect has been flawless, I have the 8.4 with no nav.

So "less issues" is not true in the slightest. When you buy a hemi, you roll the dice, and that's the only thing I'd be worried about as that is pricey and has a higher than average/expected failure rate.

I would say it is primarily due to supply chain issues in getting parts, especially ones specific for the 5th gen. If Covid hadn't hit I bet the "Classic" wouldn't even be available. It's not efficient for a manufacturer to offer two different models of trucks in the same basic class or market for any other reason than they can't build enough 5th gens to satisfy the market. Two drastically different sets of individual parts and two production lines building different trucks greatly reduces the profit margins, one model with "cannibalize" the sales of the other model, but reduced profit margins still make more total money than not having enough trucks to buy to begin with. Think of Ford with all of the trucks they couldn't sell because of a couple of parts they couldn't get. I'm sure if they were in a major model switch and had the opportunity to continue producing and selling "classic" trucks they would have done that also.

I had my 11 ram qc for five years before I traded in on my 21 BTS. At first I wasn't a fan of the 5th gen because to me it looked like a Toyota tundra. When ram came out with the LED head lights on the 5th gen they started growing on me. I still love the look of the 4th gen but my 21 Spitfire orange BTS pulled me in. I still do want to find a 4th gen 2 wheel drive regular cab short bed with a hemi though

PolarisCobra said:

According to Consumer Reports (for what it's worth), the 5th gen drivetrain is more reliable. I could never understand that, since they are pretty much the same. I would think any issues with the 5th gen would be with the 12 inch screen, maybe eTorque, but that's about it. Most of the rest is pretty straightforward.

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I think you hit the nail on the head.

As soon as I saw "Consumer Report" I smile. They are a load of crap that simply echos out data that has been collected. RAM, Ford, GM, and other nameplates are surprisingly reliable, it is always the infotainment system that gives them the reliability issues. Ford pioneered that with their first versions of Sync which killed them in the ratings.

A lot of the issues that get reported are nothing more than the users' inability to correctly use the system, they want a feature to work the way they think it should. If they would just take the time to review the videos and the users' manual, most complaints wouldn't be. My dealer had a young person, a typical tech-savvy kid, go over the Uconnect system and settings. When we got done all my questions were answered. If all dealers took the time to do that, well...

For the record, I bought a 2013 Laramie 1500 and ran it for 9 years before I ordered my 2022 Longhorn optioned out. The 2013 had several software updates in the first year and a half but then the creature features smoothed out. My 2022 has been flawless including the 12" Uconnect, I took delivery back in January of this year.

It's still expensive to run two plants with the same product line in different generations, regardless how much the earlier generation's tooling and development expense is depreciated. They have to weigh how many classic customer sales would not consider the new generation to determine the cost vs. benefit of carrying dual product lines.

HEMIMANN said:

They have to weigh how many classic customer sales would not consider the new generation to determine the cost vs. benefit of carrying dual product lines.

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Right now, it's paying off:

Company wise, it's money and people keep buying them.
My view. I dislike them. All the chrome and badges are ugly. Didn't looked, but I'm going guess they are cheaper as well.
I like the 5th Gen Look, and it's why I purchased it.

If they ever come out with really old ones with RAM Head. I would buy that, but not the ugly 4th chrome things.

BossHogg said:

I think you hit the nail on the head.

As soon as I saw "Consumer Report" I smile. They are a load of crap that simply echos out data that has been collected. RAM, Ford, GM, and other nameplates are surprisingly reliable, it is always the infotainment system that gives them the reliability issues. Ford pioneered that with their first versions of Sync which killed them in the ratings.

A lot of the issues that get reported are nothing more than the users' inability to correctly use the system, they want a feature to work the way they think it should. If they would just take the time to review the videos and the users' manual, most complaints wouldn't be. My dealer had a young person, a typical tech-savvy kid, go over the Uconnect system and settings. When we got done all my questions were answered. If all dealers took the time to do that, well...

For the record, I bought a 2013 Laramie 1500 and ran it for 9 years before I ordered my 2022 Longhorn optioned out. The 2013 had several software updates in the first year and a half but then the creature features smoothed out. My 2022 has been flawless including the 12" Uconnect, I took delivery back in January of this year.

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Not to mention, most foreign car buyers are so enamored, with their own superior intelligence, that they could never admit to making a mistake.
Wife has a friend. Ex-Army Nurse, Super Patriot, Husband was active service Army Doc, at the time, now retired.

This Couple never buys anything American. Not a Single Thing.

Wife asked this friend if she could pick the Wife up, at the Dodge dealership because the Wife's new 2006 Caravan had to go in for recall repair.
This friend proceeded to tell the Wife that we should have gotten a Toyota Whateverthehell minivan, like hers, because she has never had a problem, Toyota's last forever, yada yada.

I laughed so hard, it actually made her mad, because she knew I was laughing at her.

Uh, Patty, did you forget why you got that new van, in the first place? Because your old one was killing you in repairs.
I have taken you to the dealership 3 times to get your new van out of the shop. I know the Wife has done it more.
You bought it after we got ours and this is its first trip in.
For an update, not because it gave us issues.

You're Hypocrisy has never ceased to amaze but your Denial is even more impressive.

Over 16 years ago, Husband is now retired but still nursing at the Govt Brea$t, as a Vet Clinic Doc.
They're split but they are both adamant, Foreign built products are Better.

First off, RAM dropped SPRINT, because Sprint can NOT operate in Canada, Sprint would have to partner with Rogers & the Canadian Gov't kept blocking that.
They went with AT&T, because AT& T has connections in Canada & the rest of the world.
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4TH Gen Rams actually look Country
5th Gen look like someone putting lipstick on a Pig, all that gloss & glitter

Every body seems to be forgetting something
Trump was in the middle of making huge deals with several large corporations. There was going to be HUGE TAX incentives
Chrysler was going to move the Saltillo Mexico Operations up to the USA, the Warren Michigan Plant would become the new location to build all of the Heavy Duty Rams.
RAM 1500s 4th Gens would cease to be made.
All the HD Rams are based on the 4th Gen style.

All Chrysler would have to do, would be to reopen one of the factories that are sitting empty, just to make the Heavy Duty Frames

The sheet metal stamps are already in place at the Warren Plant, they already have the employees trained & in place.

The only down side for Chrysler, would it would cost of Labor

The Tax & other Federal Assistance Programs, would make the difference.
Chrysler could easily sell the Stamping Mill down in Saltillo, but they could move one of their other vehicles assemblies into Saltillo

3 Stamping Presses, moving into place at Sterling Heights

......................................................................................
The only company that had completed a similar deal, was a Toyota Plant that moved to Texas, they had moved from Mexico
Toyota did not move every pickup plant into the USA, there was no advantage to move their TRD plant, it is in Baja Mexico, close to the International Border

I have had Dodge trucks before they were called first, second, third, fourth, and currently fifth "generation". I currently have a 4th gen, RCSB 4x4. I know I'm a "dinosaur" but I would go back to a 1st gen or prior in a heartbeat. But that is just me. My truck is very nice, but I'm old school, and really don't need half the stuff they put into trucks today.

PolarisCobra said:

I think you will find that if you do some pricing, a Classic V6 is very competitive with a Ranger, Tacoma or Colorado. You can get a full size truck with performance on par with the smaller ones, and more room. Or - step up the the HEMI, and get performance they can't match at any price.

When Ram offers a smaller truck, you may see the Classic go away. I think it is about price points.

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Bingo - The Classic is to compete with the smaller trucks as stated above in the price point, since the Dakota was discontinued. For me it was the only way I could get a brand new Reg Cab Short bed and I like the styling. The 5th Gen blended in with the rest of the trucks offered.

CanRebel said:

Company wise, it's money and people keep buying them.
My view. I dislike them. All the chrome and badges are ugly. Didn't looked, but I'm going guess they are cheaper as well.
I like the 5th Gen Look, and it's why I purchased it.

If they ever come out with really old ones with RAM Head. I would buy that, but not the ugly 4th chrome things.

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Be nice. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. I'm sure there are many who think that painted bumpers and blacked out grills are ugly too.

Why I purchased a 2022 classic
-price is a lot cheaper
-like the older bulky look
-would hope since being made since 2009 that they got there shyt together
-less electronics than a 5th fen
-did not want E torque or auto start stop technology

Picked up my factory order yesterday. Love the look of RCSB and the maneuverability is awesome. But from the get-go, the up and down buttons on the left side of the steering wheel don't work. I cannot cycle the EVIC. Going back to the dealership today. I feel RAM skimp on the build quality on the Classic somewhat, the fit and finish is not as good as my 2500 that came out of the same factory.

*Update: I later found out I have to hit the back arrow before it will allow me to use the up and down buttons to change the EVIC pages.

...but I'm old school, and really don't need half the stuff they put into trucks today.

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I agree

I'm sure there are many who think that painted bumpers and blacked out grills are ugly too.

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Chrome baby, chrome!!

CAGEYAR said:

Right now, it's paying off:
View attachment 506034

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"Markup" is not total lifecycle cost for the factory.

sjhdu said:

Picked up my factory order yesterday. Love the look of RCSB and the maneuverability is awesome. But from the get-go, the up and down buttons on the left side of the steering wheel don't work. I cannot cycle the EVIC. Going back to the dealership today. I feel RAM skimp on the build quality on the Classic somewhat, the fit and finish is not as good as my 2500 that came out of the same factory.

View attachment 506055

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Picked mine up yesterday
1. ‘Rotational groan’ @ 50mph, think I chalked it down to MDS. Put it in manual 8 and I think went away
2. Driver window switch has up and down play on door panel (slides not pull up and down)
3. Loose stitch on rear seat

Found that all so far less than 100 miles in

A friends son bought a 5th gen Rebel…I offered on the wheels/tires since they looked good and were wearing Wildpeak AT3’s…He was lifting and going aftermarket. Then I said “WTF!!!! What ******* engineer switched them to 6x5.5!”

Meh no spare wheels for me…