You knew this was bound to happen, Fiends. After all, I am a product of the south, and around these parts, there’s nothing as American as a big ol’ honkin’ pick-up truck. Of course, what you see above is about as far from the jacked up, rusted out products of the ‘70s prowling high-school parking lots. No, this is the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab, and beyond its sharp new front end, it boasts an all-new interior designed to prove Chrysler’s making progress on the quality front. How does it stack up? Hop the jump to find out.

Dodge has always done a good job of making its vehicles look as intimidating as possible, and the Ram is no exception. For 2009, the Ram gets an updated front end with a leaning hood and bold, vertical grille. Stylized headlights and sculpted fenders give you an impression of muscle and speed. The combined effect is a really attractive truck that breaks out from the blocky, full-size pick-up pack. When I say full, size, I mean it. This thing is huge – over six feet tall and 12 feet long. Be prepared to do some climbing when it comes time to slide into the saddle.

While the top of the line Laramie is packed with all kinds of neat tech do-dads, one of the coolest features is the decidedly simple but incredibly useful optional Ram Box bed. Fork over an extra $1,895, and Dodge will be happy to set your truck up with two locking, weather tight boxes in the rear fenders. These suckers can store 120 cans of whatever beverage you prefer, and since they also come with drain plugs, you can load ‘em with ice, too. While this makes the Ram Box the ultimate tailgating accessory, it also gives you a secure spot to store tools or other goodies. There is a downside, though. You lose around four cubic feet cargo space from the bed as a result.

Power comes courtesy of a 5.7-liter V8 engine with 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque. The engine is bolted to a 5-speed automatic cog box, and the combo is good for a surprising 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway. Those digits aren’t likely to impress any Honda owners out there, but they’re pretty good considering the Ram’s 9,100 lb towing capacity.

So what about that interior? We got to spend some time with both the GMC Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade, and we have to say this pick-up’s interior is on par with those lux rides. There’s gorgeous wood inlay on the center stack and handsome, chrome-bezel vertical air vent elements. The steering wheel is meaty with excellent quality leather, and the cheap painted plastic from years past is nowhere to be found. Speaking of leather, the heated and cooled front seats are stitched in contrasting-color thread to help add a splash of class, and the back seats get the same treatment. All in all, it’s hard to believe this truck is built by the same company responsible for the Charger.

Laramie trim nets you a buffet of tech, including a bangin’ Alpine stereo system with XM radio, reverse camera, park-assist system, a heated steering wheel and uconnect phone and tunes. Throw in the excellent interior materials, and you can start to see where all the money goes. Base price on this rig is $40,020, though ours was optioned up to a loftier $48,315 with destination.

On the road, it’s clear from the get-go this is a truck first and foremost. That means you can expect a pretty stiff ride and a decent amount of road noise. Chalk that up to rear springs meant to handle serious loads. As you might guess, there’s plenty of acceleration on tap, and between the LSD and traction control, all of it gets to the ground without any real drama. Thanks to the Ram’s height, there’s a good amount of body roll during emergency maneuvers, but the steering is well-weighted and slow enough to keep you from getting into too much trouble. Excellent brakes keep things under control, too.

As far as tow rigs go, the Ram seems built to please, and the Laramie trim makes it easily as nice as mega lux utes costing tens of thousands of dollars more. With its solid towing capacity reasonable fuel economy, the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab could easily serve double duty as a family hauler and track-rat puller – something not too many vehicles can manage with ease.