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Why the Ram 1000 dual-cab is definitely not the Toyota HiLux rival you've been waiting for...

Ram has pulled the covers off the a new mid-size ute it's calling the Ram 1000, but you shouldn't get too excited just yet. 

The ute, which does slot below the 1500, is definitely not the new mid-size truck flagged by company boss Mike Manley earlier this year, and that is expected to take the fight to vehicles like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in Australia.

 That vehicle is still very much under development, and we're yet to see a concept version of it. 

This truck, on the other hand, is based on the Fiat Toro, itself built on the same platform as the Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, and the Fiat 500X, and it destined for South and Central American markets including Bolivia, Colombia and Costa Rica.

That said, it's a clever little truck, promising a payload of around 650kg in its 1.5m-sq bed, and a towing capacity of 400kg. 

Under the bonnet lives a 1.8-litre petrol engine good for 95kW and 170Nm, which is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels (for now).

At 4915 mm in length, 1,844mm in width, and 1729mm in height, it's a daintier truck than we're used to in Australia, and so a local launch is, at best, a minuscule possibility.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to...
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