A Truck Load of Entertainment
Words: Ross Ruehle
If there’s one vehicle that just flat out oozes Americana, it is arguably: the pickup truck. Whether for work, play or anything in between, Americans hold a special place in their hearts for pickups.
Who among us can’t conjure up images of a ratty old pickup banging along a dusty country back road with everything under the sun bouncing around in back from “beverage” cans to dogs. Once the sole domain of the domestic automakers, some foreign producers have nibbled around at the edges of the market, but for many Americans a pickup isn’t a pickup unless it wears a Dodge, Ford or Chevy logo.
The Dodge Brothers actually pioneered the pickup market in the earliest years of the 20th century. The young Dodge boys found immediate success when they began producing cars in 1914. Soon after, the public and Dodge dealerships began asking the Dodge Brothers to produce a truck. After extensive testing, the brothers determined that a light “commercial car” could be made on the existing car chassis and assembly line without disrupting car production.
In October of 1917, the first Screenside Commercial Car emerged from the company’s Hamtramck, Mich., factory into the waiting arms of the public and the U.S. Army, which used them as a basis for military ambulances. This first truck was built with heavy screens between the bed sides and roof (hence the name Screenside). It featured a half-ton capacity and was built on the successful 114-inch passenger car wheelbase. Power came from a small four-cylinder engine—laughable by today’s standards. A fully enclosed panel version followed closely behind.
The rest as they say is history.
Today, pickups are essential to construction and many other trades. From humble beginnings in the Detroit area, today’s pickups are marvels of sophistication, advanced technology, rugged looks and brute power. But history has taught automakers a valuable lesson about the evolution of pickup trucks: They’re not just for work anymore. Today, pickups are hauling boats and campers along with cinder blocks and tool kits.
When Dodge fired the latest salvo in the pickup wars last fall with the all-new 2009 Ram, designers were careful to listen to what America was saying: We want trucks that dovetail with our active lifestyles. That’s why the new Dodge Ram is packed with advanced technology and entertainment features unimagined just a decade ago.
The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram offers cutting-edge technology and convenience not found on any other trucks. No other truck on the market offers innovative entertainment features like SIRIUS Backseat TVTM and MyGIG® Multimedia Infotainment System.
SIRIUS Backseat TV™: Live TV Programming
SIRIUS Backseat TV offers Ram buyers TV programming (some of it live) from Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. Talk about a quick way to bury the line, “Are we there yet?”
The system operates via an in-vehicle satellite video receiver and an additional antenna mounted on the vehicle’s roof. Programming is displayed on the vehicle’s rear seat video screen while the channel name, program title and rating are displayed for mom and dad on the center stack screen. So everyone’s happy, the kids can enjoy SIRIUS Backseat TV while the adults listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio up front.
When the vehicle is in Park, programming can be displayed on the Ram’s MyGIG screen for front seat viewing.
Tuning in to MYGIG
The Dodge Ram is available with a variety of audio systems, including the innovative MyGIG multimedia navigation, audio, entertainment and communication system from Harman/Kardon. Ram owners can use a touch screen or voice commands to control MyGIG’s features. The system also includes a 30-gigabyte hard drive where music, photos and voice messages can be stored.
Chrysler LLC is the first company to offer an integrated music jukebox in North America. The system is supported by GracenoteTM music-file management and automatically adds song, artist and album information to music files. In addition to navigation software and mapping, the hard drive holds approximately 2,400 songs, or put another way, more than 150 hours of music.
MyGIG’s voice dialogue system recognizes more than 100,000 words. The navigation has both 2-D and 3-D bird’s-eye view of roads and multiple route calculations. Maps and guidance are displayed on a 6.5-inch VGA thin-filament-transistor (TFT) display that allows for viewing from angles up to 180 degrees.
Now That’s Entertainment
The Dodge Ram also offers a rear-seat video entertainment system (VES). The system allows rear seat passengers to enjoy movies, music, video games and MP3 players. The VES consists of an overhead-mounted DVD player with an 8-inch LCD screen, a battery powered remote control and two wireless, multi-channel headsets. The system plays DVD, WMAs, MP3s and audio and video CDs.
When the Ram’s VES is not playing a video, the video screen displays information in a split-screen format with two channels. The VES remote control is designed to control either channel by the use of a selector switch on the control.
uconnect™ Hands-Free Communication System
uconnect uses Bluetooth® technology to provide wireless communication between compatible mobile phones and the vehicle’s onboard receiver. uconnect control buttons are integrated into the Ram’s radio head unit. Features include:
- Voice dialing
- Audio address book
- Emergency calls and towing assistance
- Audio system mute
- Call transfer
- English, French and Spanish language options
- Multi-phone recognition
Work Hard. Play Hard.
The 2009 Dodge Ram is a truck that’s not afraid to get its axles dirty. It was designed from the ground up to work and work hard. But the next time you see a new Ram at the country club or boat launch ramp, remember this: There’s more to life than work.
What’s in a Name?
The origin of the word “pickup” is simple. Pickup trucks are vehicles with which you can pick up loads of materials and supplies. Pickups are used the world over. In Australia and New Zealand, they are referred to as “utes,” a take on the term utility vehicle. In South Africa, pickups are referred to as “bakkies,” with Egyptians refer to them as “half trucks.”
Legend has it that in the early 20th century, a man who was just scraping by approached an auto manufacturer and said, “Why can’t you design something that I can use to take my family to church on Sunday and my pigs to market on Monday?” Like most legends, there’s probably a kernel of truth somewhere in this one. While that exact conversation may have never taken place, the logic seems solid.
