23/08/2008 10:01. Dodge is known for bucking conventional pickup-truck wisdom. The '94 model polarized everyone with its brazen big-rig styling. For 2009, the Dodge Ram gets perhaps its most significant breakthrough yet: rear coil springs. That's big news, as is the 390 horsepower rating of the revised 5.7-liter Hemi.

But is class-leading power and a new suspension enough to lure more half-ton shoppers to Dodge's lots? With Ford and GM well entrenched in the pickup game and Tundra and Titan nipping at Detroit's heels, Dodge has to do better than good enough. And that's especially true in these, the hardest times yet for the full size pickup market. The verdict from down south? Dodge has created the smoothest riding full size pickup yet. —Tom Morr

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