Ram lands 1500 Laramie Sport in Oz

RAM Trucks Australia has announced the introduction of a new 1500 variant this week, the Laramie Sport joining the hard-working pick-up range from $136,950 plus on-road costs.

According to the American truck’s importer and converter, Ateco Group, the 1500 Laramie Sport “blends a modern intuitive interior with a ruggedly striking exterior”, the latter featuring colour-coded bumpers, grille and mirrors, and newly designed 20-inch alloy wheels.

The Sport variant also includes the useful RamBox lockable cargo management system on both sides of the tub, which Ram says is ideal for easy access to tools or to fill with ice to create your own portable Esky.

Inside, the Sport is characterised by a black headlining and black carbon-fibre effect dashboard garnishing.

Standard equipment includes a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-path detection, forward collision with active braking, a 360-degree parking camera system, parallel and perpendicular park assist, lane departure warning, adaptative cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and more.

Under the bonnet, the 1500 Laramie Sport features the familiar 5.7-litre HEMI V8 petrol unit found elsewhere in the range.

Delivering 291kW and 556Nm through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the unit includes an eTorque mild hybrid system for greater fuel efficiency, as well as cylinder deactivation and idle-stop functions. Fuel consumption is listed at 12.2 litres per 100km on the ADR Combined cycle.

The Ram 1500 offers up to 800kg payload and 4500kg braked towing. However, you will need to note that the vehicle’s Gross Combination Mass limits the former significantly when towing at the limit.

Available at 68 Ram dealerships nationally, the 1500 Laramie Sport is offered in three paint colours – Bright White, Diamond Black and Granite Crystal.

“Australia’s favourite premium full-size pick-up truck now sports a new edition,” said Ram Trucks Australia national manager, Jeff Barber.

“The 1500 Laramie Sport full-size pick-up combines all the benefits of a ute with the comfort, space and premium finishes of a luxury SUV. This unique proposition allows a range of customers to travel business class, whether they’re towing, on work sites, on family road trip adventures, or even doing the school run.”

Mr Barber says Ram Trucks Australia is now the biggest vehicle manufacturer in Australia, and that the conversion specialists have set a record-breaking run to the end of the 2022-23 financial year with a “massive” 1172 units sold – up 85.2 per cent on the same time last year.

During June, the model outsold a range of competitors within the broader 4x4 pick-up category, including the Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota LandCruiser.

2023 Ram 1500 pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.