2011 Dodge Ram

We're sitting on 10-way power adjustable, heated and cooled seats swathed in rich black leather. Our hands are tight around a comfortably thick steering wheel, wrapped in the same luxurious leather, and heated against the cold.

We're not in a Mercedes S-Class.

In back, the passengers are watching live TV and listening to it on headphones. That way, they don't interfere with the rich sound we're getting from the 506-Watt Alpine stereo system, with its 10-inch subwoofer.

We're not in a BMW 7-Series.

The acceleration from the 5.7-liter V8 is smooth, with plenty of low-end torque and a big punch to close holes in traffic when we need it.

But we're not in a Jaguar XJ.

We're up. Way, way up. In a friggin' Dodge Ram.

What's going on here?

It's a luxury vehicle in every imaginable way. It just happens to be a luxury vehicle that can tow over 9,000 pounds, haul almost 2,000, and travel smoothly over the worst roads you can find.

The Dodge Ram 1500 Sport Crew Cab we've been given is enormous. It seats four, with more interior volume than any large sedan, and a five-foot-seven-inch bed in the back. It doesn't fit in parking spaces (well, maybe they paint those bigger in Texas). But it looks seriously badass.

In dark red (Inferno Red Crystal Pearl, if you ask Dodge), it has an enormous power bulge in the hood (a $775 option) and a broad shoulder-line that makes it the best looking truck on the market. The classic Ram gunsight grille has been canted forward here, making the truck look like aggressive – it's trying to get in someone's face. 20-inch chrome wheels add polish.

The exterior has a few hidden tricks, too – the RamBox storage compartments alongside the bed, for instance, are like two lockable trunks. It's a lot of storage space, but smart owners don't just use them for groceries. They're waterproof. We've seen them filled with ice and bottles of beer for a tailgate party.

The outside, though, isn't this truck's best feature. Dodge has made a real effort inside, and the results are amazing. Looking at the option list, you could be fooled into thinking it was a European luxury sedan. It doesn't actually feel like one, though. It's too spacious. You could park a Smart car in the space between the driver and front passenger, and the rear-seat passengers have nearly as much footroom as those up front.

The materials are a serious upgrade from anything available on a full-size truck just a few years ago, and the touchscreen entertainment and nav interface is one of the easiest we've seen. The 10-way adjustable seats, power-adjustable steering wheel and power-adjustable pedals make it easy to find a comfortable driving position from which to look down on traffic.

And you will look down. This thing is absurdly tall. We can almost look at truckers from eye level. The first time we get out, we nearly fall – we were expecting the ground long before it actually came.

And then, there is the drive. We keep fighting the urge to call it "car-like." Can a nearly 5,000-pound truck actually be easy to drive?

No, but this one comes close. The key is the suspension, which is unlike that in any other full-size truck. Where everyone else uses mechanically-simple 1930's-style leaf spring technology, Dodge has built actual coilover rear springs into today's Ram. A truck with an independent rear suspension. It's the first in the world.

The effect is tremendous. Handling is actually subtle. You don't get bounced around the cabin, even on rough roads. We're still not taking corners like it's a sports car, but it's hard to believe this is a truck.

That big 390-horsepower Hemi V8 doesn't struggle to pull the big truck around, either. Acceleration is smooth and forceful. Fuel economy is atrocious, but it could be worse – the truck deactivates four cylinders when holding steady at highway speed, so you have a powerful V8 when you need to accelerate and a efficient four-cylinder when you're cruising. It's undetectable. You only know it's happening if you set the screen to show you engine performance.

Our only complaint is that it's strapped to a five-speed automatic transmission, when competitors moved on to six speeds long ago. We can't escape the sensation that the gearbox is holding the engine back.

But that's our only significant complaint. The Ram 1500 is a little bit of everything – a Mercedes-style luxury cabin with a truck bed and the capability to go almost anywhere.

Would we really buy a full-size, crew cab pickup for the city? Probably not. As smooth as it is, it's still built for Texas-sized parking spots. But the Ram has us thinking about it.