The recent launch of Ford Maverick has shaken the pickup truck market a lot. Suddenly, many buyers want a small pickup that’s comfortable and easy to maneuver. The demand is so big that Ford can’t make enough of these. So, it’s no wonder that other carmakers are working on their compact pickups, which should attract a lot of customers as well. One of these models will be the 2024 RAM 1200, which will be RAM’s player in this segment.
From what we know so far, this will also be a unibody pickup truck. This means it will be based on a crossover and that will offer superior ride quality, along with a spacious cabin, refined interior etc. At this point, the officials are still quiet about details but the new pickup will mostly share most of its parts with Jeep Compass.
The new pickup is already in development and it is expected to arrive by the end of this year, eventually in the first half of 2024.
2024 RAM 1200 Design
So, from what we can see, RAM will take the same design approach as Ford did with the Maverick. In other words, we will see a compact, unibody pickup truck, with the main task to find a sweet spot between comfort and utility.
Therefore, the first thing that comes to mind is the platform. From what we know so far, the company won’t experiment much and it will build the new 2024 RAM 1200 on a familiar Small Wide 4×4 platform. This means that most of the parts will be shared with Jeep Compass, and that could actually be RAM 1200’s big advantage over Maverick.
Namely, this means that RAM engineers could easily implement Jeep’s 4×4 drivetrain, which would offer superior off-road performance. While the Maverick features a crossover-like all-wheel-drive system, the 2024 RAM 1200 would come with a proper full-time 4×4, as well as other off-road features, such as low-range gearing and a variety of selectable traction control modes for different surfaces.
Exterior
When it comes to exterior design, we don’t expect any surprises. In this aspect, things would be pretty much the same as in the case of Ford’s unibody pickup. This would mean a crew-cab layout, with a relatively short bed. In the case of Maverick, the bed is good for 4.6 feet, while the wheelbase goes around 121 inches. So, we should see similar proportions.
When it comes to styling, we presume that a lot of inspiration would be taken from the full-size RAM 1500. This particularly refers to the front end, where we expect to see similarly designed headlights, grille etc. The rest of the body would mimic the bigger sibling as well.
Interior
Here is another aspect where the new 2024 RAM 1200 could have a big advantage over Maverick. Namely, Ford’s new pickup doesn’t look particularly inspiring in terms of interior design. It is rather functional, mostly wrapped with low-rent materials. On the other hand, RAM is known as a company that offers well-designed, sometimes even luxurious cabins, so we expect to see some of this in the new compact truck as well. As a result, the build quality should be better, while the materials should be nicer. Finally, we should see a decent portion of tech and convenience features.
As we’ve already mentioned, the new pickup would come exclusively in a crew cab layout, which means we should see a couple of spacious and comfortable rows of seats, which both accommodate adults with ease. Also, the cargo bed should be similar to the Maverick’s one, which is 4.6 feet long.
2024 RAM 1200 Engines
When it comes to the powertrain, there are different options for the 2024 RAM 1200. Of course, one of them would be the familiar 2.4-liter inline-four from the Compass, which puts out around 180 horsepower. A good alternative would be a smaller 1.3-liter turbo-four, which offers 177 horsepower. However, this engine is more efficient and offers notably better fuel economy.
One of these two would serve as a base engine. Other than that, we expect at least one upgrade to be offered. That could easily be the 2.0-liter turbo-four with 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, while some sources also speculate about the plug-in hybrid. That model would use the same setup as the Compass PHEV, which is available in Europe. That model combines a 1.3-liter turbo-four with an electric motor, for a total output of 240 horsepower.
All engines would probably come with a 9-speed automatic transmission.
2024 RAM 1200 Release Date and Price
As we’ve just mentioned, the 2024 RAM 1200 is expected to arrive sometime late this year, or in early 2024. When it comes to the price, most sources suggest around 25.000 dollars for base versions.
