Ram 700 by Fiat may be the small truck we've been waiting for

Sat, 01 Nov 2014

It seems like auto buyers throughout the whole world outside of the United States and Canada have a plethora of small pickups to choose from to fit their needs. In fact, there's one just south of the border that might be perfect for many American consumers – the 2015 Ram 700.

The little, front-wheel-drive pickup is a badge-engineered version of the Fiat Strada, which is also sold in Mexico. The powertrain is limited to a 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 115 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque with a five-speed manual gearbox. However, buyers can choose between either a two-door, two-passenger body or a three-door, four-person version (pictured above and right) that's also available with a locking front differential. While the 700 isn't big, the two-door version still offers a cargo capacity of up to 1,554 pounds, and opting for the three-door still allows for 1,433 pounds of goods.

Prices for these little trucks aren't bad either. The two-door is priced at 182,900 Mexican pesos ($13,576 at current rates), while 241,900 pesos ($17,955) gets customers the three-door.

There is the possibility that a car-based, front-wheel drive pickup like the 700 might cross the border eventually. Fiat was spotted testing a heavily camouflaged example of the Strada in Michigan months ago. Is it a bit difficult to imagine these 700s lined up next to the 1500 and its HD siblings at modern Ram dealers in the US? Perhaps, but we like options. In any case, you can get all of the details about these trucks from the company's website for the Mexican market (obviously in Spanish).

By Chris Bruce