with metal buckles reminiscent of saddlebags. Leather surfaces extend to the console lid, armrest uppers, steering wheel, and shifter. Buyers may choose between dark slate gray and russet or dark brown and light pebble-beige interior colors.

The interior also sports burled walnut wood grain surfaces, an exclusive instrument cluster that Chrysler Group hopes will remind you of fine jewelry, and additional western filigree accents. Even the floor mats are unique, with a barbed-wire pattern, removable snap-in carpet inserts, and a polished metal Ram Laramie Longhorn edition badge that is a dead ringer for a rodeo belt buckle.

The Longhorn edition will be available in five color combinations and can be had on 1500, 2500, and single- or dual-rear-wheel 3500 models, Crew Cab or Mega Cab, short- and long-wheelbase models, in two- or four-wheel drive.

The Longhorn edition will be a nice complement to the other burly Ram introduced recently, the Outdoorsman. The Outdoorsman is aimed at hunters, anglers, and campers, and thus puts the emphasis on towing capability and features such as exterior lighting upgrades.

Outdoorsman 1500 models come with 32-gallon gas tanks for extended range, and 2500 and 3500 models come with 35-gallon tanks. All models sport all-terrain tires.

The coolest feature is the Mopar "RamBox Holster," a gunrack and fishing rod holster that secures rifles and rods in the RamBox. The RamBox Holster will have a retail price of $205.

Between the Outdoorsman, aimed at the flannel-shirt and camp-stove crowd, and the Longhorn edition, the Ram brand is making a serious play for distinct, identifiable subsets of the pickup market. Will it work?

We'll know soon enough. Outdoorsman models are already available, and the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition goes on sale the first quarter of 2011.