RAM 1500 Night Edition: Real World Review

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RAM does a good job of providing a variety of trim packages and options to keep customers engaged with the brand -- many automakers are doing this in order to offer truck buyers a unique look and some features tailored to a specific lifestyle. The 2017 RAM 1500 Night Edition is one such example. Our staff spent some time with this full-size truck, and here are some of their impressions.

The Nighttime Treatment

The RAM 1500 is a huge truck, but it doesn't seem quite as big as a Ford F-150. Though we had high hopes for this pickup, we thought our Night Edition wasn't as exciting as other versions of the RAM 1500. It didn't provide us much of a wow factor when we viewed the entire truck. Yes, the 20-inch matted wheels are a nice touch. And the Night Edition package adds eye-catching black accents -- but we weren't very fond of the blacked-out grille. It may have looked better with a body-color grille featuring a black RAM emblem instead.

A Cabin of Compartments

The black interior, with the mix of cloth and leather, was kind of bland. For $50,245 (with options), we would like to have gotten full leather seats or some kind of color accents. In addition, there isn't much the Night Edition provides you in the way of interior aesthetics. However, the highlight of this vehicle was clearly the amount of storage and compartments it has, starting with a great spot where you can put your phone. There are also two hidden storage areas in the floor of the rear seating, which are ideal for storing valuables or items you need for work. One staffer, who liked the interior, said the storage up front was more than adequate but felt the storage underneath the rear seats could have been larger.

The Box

Our Night Edition had the RamBox Cargo management system on the bed. It's a feature RAM has offered for a while, providing additional space for your storage needs. But we weren't crazy about the RamBox, as it didn't really look right on a sporty truck like this one. Unlike the rest of the truck bed, the RamBox is made of fiberglass. And while taking photos of the truck, we noticed there was cracking in the RamBox in the recessed section under the push-button release.

In fairness, our truck is one that many different automotive publications test and photograph and take off-road, so we admit it hasn't been babied. Still, how will RAM owners treat their trucks? We researched this and found it's a common problem for owners who opted for the RamBox feature. Another online complaint about the RamBox is paint fade, although we didn't notice this on our RAM 1500 Night Edition.

The Everyday Drive

We were quite surprised as to how well this truck rides. It's very smooth and doesn't have the bounce in the rear you sometimes get from a big pickup. Of course, this is true of nearly all versions of the RAM 1500; it's one of the most luxurious-feeling trucks available. You don't have to get the Night Edition for a smooth, almost carlike ride. However, if you like the look, the Night Edition could easily be a comfortable and capable daily driver fit for a long commute.

Our Take

Overall, this is not a truck for which we would spend almost $50,000. But currently, RAM is giving $7,500 worth of rebates, which makes the bottom-line price around $43,000. The RAM 1500 Night Edition is a good bit more reasonable and appealing at that price. We like RAM trucks in general and think your money might be better spent on one of the other versions, like the RAM Rebel or RAM Sport.