2009 Dodge Ram 2500

Until recently, Dodge was known for building outrageous high-performance muscle cars, including the Challenger and Charger, with brashly named trims—Hellcat, anyone? Dodge is still finding its footing during the transition to electrification and stricter emissions laws, with plans for electrified and turbocharged muscle yet to materialize in dealerships. The Hornet compact SUV is based on the Alfa Romeo Tonale, and is available as a plug-in hybrid. The Durango SUV soldiers on, largely unchanged from 2011 and still based on the same design as the 2011-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most alarmingly, it lags behind more modern vehicles in crash tests. Dodge sits near Chrysler at the bottom of our used car reliability rankings.

Like other heavy duty versions, the 2500 has a stiff ride that bounces passengers around. Choosing this heavy duty work truck over the regular 1500 lets you opt for a Cummins 5.9-liter diesel six-cylinder engine. Chrysler's 5.9-liter V8 and, for 2003, a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 was also available. The crew cab's rear seat is tight and upright.