Nobody seems to like or buy regular cab, short bed pickups anymore, but you could still get them from the Big Three if you wanted to. That’s starting to change, though, as Stellantis looks to be the first to send off the configuration. The regular cab, 6-foot, 4-inch bed Ram 1500 Classic will not return for 2023, per Mopar Insiders.
Up until now, optioning a single-row cabin and the shortest box was possible on the Tradesman and Express trim levels. Going forward, you’ll have to choose either an 8-foot bed or a Quad or Crew Cab, which is going to cost more money either way. A longer bed will only set you back a few hundred dollars extra, but a longer cab runs up the sticker by at least another $6,000, taking the 1500 Classic right up against the $40,000 threshold.
This one hits close to home. I’ve hardly been the biggest booster of trucks on this website (more specifically, the idea that everyone needs one), but my first car when I got my license was my brother’s ’97 Dodge Ram 1500. Short bed, standard cab, because back then your only alternative was the slightly more spacious Club Cab. Those were the best looking pickups. They were also handy for high schoolers and college kids who didn’t want to be stuck driving their friends everywhere, all of the time. You really only had space for one passenger, because your pals would rather die than suffer the indignity of sitting in the middle.
Meanwhile, the current “DT” Ram, which has been with us since 2019, has never offered a single cab. The writing has been on the wall for a very long time. Ford and Chevrolet will still sell you alternatives, to their credit. Mind you, with Ford you’ll have to settle for an XL or XLT spec F-150, and in the General’s case, the only way to get such a Silverado is in Work Truck guise. Pickups always look best on steelies though, so maybe that’s not a huge loss.
Much like the last gasp of the Charger and Challenger, you’ll need to act fast if you want to snap up a Ram in the Jalopnik-approved body style before they’re all gone. Actually, you’ll have to act even faster. While Dodge’s muscle cars will get a proper model year’s worth of production in 2023, the best Rams will reportedly wind down this coming January.