How Ram’s New Work And Play Truck Stacks Up Against The Competition

With prices of new vehicles in the US rising all the time, it’s become harder than ever to purchase a brand-new full-size pickup truck that can be enjoyed every day without breaking the bank. Options like the Ram 1500 Tradesman are available, but they look like entry-level options and don’t come with as much equipment as you’d like for $40,000. Ram has decided to fix this issue by resurrecting the Express name for the 1500, one that was used on the brand’s work-ready products between 1939 and 1947.

Is it enough to hold off the likes of Ford and Chevrolet in the extremely competitive truck sector, though? This is how the 1500 Express fares against its similarly priced full-size pickup truck competition.

The Ram 1500 Remains One Of The Most Popular Full-Size Trucks In The US

The Ram name remains as potent as it ever was, the nameplate having first made its debut way back in 1980. Since then, a total of five generations of the model have been developed, with the latest fifth-gen DT variant making its debut in 2019. It was beefed up and could work harder than its predecessor, and also featured a more refined range of engines and interior equipment. The number of trims was also slimmed down from 11 to seven as Ram 1500 looked to make the process of choosing one simpler.

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It remains a solid choice against the likes of the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado 1500, though it still sits behind these in terms of sales. In 2024, Ford managed to shift over 765,000 examples of the F-150, while Chevy carted off a little over 560,000 Silverados to new owners. Ram, by comparison, managed to sell around 373,000 of its offerings, half what Ford achieved.

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If Ram can replicate the 1500 recipe in the midsize segment, it has a good chance of eating into Tacoma sales. The 1500 is still the most comfortable and luxurious pickup in its class; those qualities may mean less in the more price-sensitive midsize segment, but Ram has what it takes to surpass its Toyota rival.

Wanting to try and close the gap, Ram is going on the offensive by expanding its 1500 trim range to try and steal back some customers from its American rivals. The 1500 Express is the first of 25 further product announcements over the coming 18 months, illustrating how far Ram intends to go to close the gap.

The Ram 1500 Express Fills The Gap Between Work And Pleasure

The Ram 1500 Express model line has been introduced as the spiritual successor to the 1500 Classic, which was discontinued in 2023, and it goes on sale later in 2025. The Classic aimed to offer maximum value for money, being a little more expensive than the entry-level Tradesman but coming with more kit and upmarket esthetics. The Express starts from $42,400 without destination fees for the smaller Quad Cab version with rear-wheel drive, placing it bang in the middle of the Tradesman and Big Horn variants. The larger Crew Cab RWD will set you back $45,150, while the four-wheel-drive versions of either start at $46,250 and $49,000, respectively.

All Expresses come with Stellantis’ trusty naturally aspirated 305-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 as standard, though the more powerful 420-hp 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six can be specced for an extra $1,695. When teamed with the Crew Cab body, the Hurricane-equipped 1500 Express can tow up to 11,550 pounds.

The 1500 Express Looks The Part

The main difference between the Express and the slightly cheaper entry-level Tradesman is visible from the outset, with the former finished in a commanding black paint scheme with the Black Express package specified, which adds $995 to the price and is only available with the 4×4 powertrain. The Black Express’ road presence is further enhanced by a lack of badges to help it exude more mysteriousness, as well as a gloss black grille and body-colored bumpers that give a more upmarket look. A set of 20-inch wheels, a set of side-steps, a sports hood, and an enlarged seven-inch driver’s display cluster complete the package. More colors should be available, should you not opt for this package, but either way you get painted bumpers, so it doesn’t look like a base-level workhorse.

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On the inside, the Black Express gets adaptive cruise control, black-bezel LED headlamps, as well as nifty Liquid Graphite and Gridiron cabin trim to complement the outside. You’ll also get some extra safety systems as standard, such as automatic emergency braking and pedestrian automatic braking. We haven’t seen the Express without the Black Express package yet.

The Ram 1500 Express Compares Well To Its Bitter Rivals

Whichever way you look at it, the Ram 1500 Express is well priced, considering you get a four-door Quad Cab as the smallest body configuration and not a two-door Regular Cab. The closest Ford F-150 in cost is the XL, which will set you back a little less than the Express as a slightly smaller Super Cab, or almost $2k more as a bigger Super Crew. As far as the Chevy Silverado 1500 is concerned, you’ll need to settle for the entry-level WT trim, which is essentially the equivalent of the Ram 1500 Tradesman, in a comparable Double Cab.

This means you’ll get a utilitarian look, with steelie-style wheels and a basic white paint job with unpainted bumpers. You also get fewer toys, with the Silverado only having standard cruise control and not adaptive like the 1500 Express, and even then, it’s $300 more. That said, the Silverado’s TurboMax engine produces a little extra power at 310 hp, and a truckload more torque.

The F-150 Comes With A Similar Amount Of Kit

In terms of looks and standard equipment, the more expensive F-150 STX ($45,015 MSRP in Super Cab) is a closer match to what the 1500 Express offers. For a kick-off, your extra cash will get you larger infotainment and driver’s information screens, with both being a gargantuan 12 inches in size. Ford’s 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, also brings a little more power, with 325 hp being sent rearward, but a lot more torque, just like the Chevy, thanks to turbocharging. As far as the esthetics go, while not looking as striking as the 1500 Black Express, the F-150 STX still comes with a set of styled 20-inch wheels and partly-colored bumpers, which give it a more upmarket look than the Silverado WT.

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Like the Chevy, it also lacks tech like adaptive cruise control, despite costing more than the Ram. For the price, the Ram 1500 Express fares excellently against both its similarly priced rivals, even if it lacks outright grunt.

The Ram Makes A Compelling Argument In The Lower-End Full-Size Truck Segment

As a result, the Ram 1500 Express is set to be a very canny purchase when it releases later in 2025, especially for those not looking to do frequent heavy work. It looks more premium and commanding than either the similarly priced Ford or Chevy options, and it comes with a comparable level of kit as the Ford despite costing over $2,000 less. The Ram has also shown itself to be more dependable than either of its rivals in recent times, with RepairPal reporting that you should only have to spend around $691 per year keeping it sweet. The Chevy should cost you $714 over the same period, while the demanding Ford should cost around $788, nearly $100 more than the Ram.

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This point is further illustrated by the National Highway Transport Safety Administration, which reported that in 2024, the Ram 1500 had the fewest number of customer complaints leveled at it, with 32. The F-150 RWD followed close behind on 44, while the Silverado had a concerning 109 complaints filed against it. The Silverado had the fewest recalls with two, while the 1500 and F-150 were recalled three and seven times, respectively. Considering how cheap and how much kit the 1500 Express offers for the cost, and how dependable it is against its biggest competition, it’s set to be a very smart purchase indeed. For those looking to tow heavy equipment though, the optional Hurricane engine is a must.

Sources: Stellantis, Ford, Chevrolet.