Burly sheet metal hides fire-breathing drivetrain and next-generation suspension design.
In the battle to build the world’s best full-size pickup truck, there can be only one victor. In order to stand tall in what is the most competitive vehicle market in North America, the engineers and designers at Dodge have created one of the more ruggedly handsome and startlingly powerful truck platforms available.
The result is the Dodge Ram, a vehicle whose very appearance makes a powerful statement, even before the ignition key has been turned. The Dodge Ram (MSRP $22,420) is beautiful in the way El Capitan is beautiful – an encapsulation of raw strength through the molding of primal elements, substituting steel and iron for rock and granite. The design invites both appreciation and admiration in the minds of truck buyers who can immediately sense the impressive capabilities that the Ram’s shape suggests. A bold billboard grille embraced by gently arching front fenders gives way to the slab sides of the passenger’s compartment and the cargo area, silent monuments to the strength embodied under the skin of the pickup.
The Dodge Ram has become known for its powerful HEMI V8 engine, and the notoriety is not without cause. The 5.7-liter mill grinds out 390 hp and 407 lb/ft of torque thanks to hemispherical combustion chambers and aluminum cylinder heads. Not only is the engine brawny, but it has brains, too. An efficient management system shuts down up to four of the engine’s cylinders when under light load. This allows for an excellent highway fuel economy rating of 20 mpg along with 14 mpg city. In fact, the large V8 is just as efficient as both the smaller, 215-hp 3.7-liter V6 and the entry level 310-hp 4.7-liter V8. Part of this above average fuel economy can also be linked to the decision to sculpt the Ram’s bodywork to offer the least amount of drag possible. A four-speed automatic transmission holds down the fort when it comes to shifting gears on V6 editions of the Dodge Ram while both V8s are equipped with a five-speed auto.
The Ram’s suspension system accomplishes a rather difficult task not attempted by many other trucks – combining the comfort and response of rear coil springs with the high towing capacity most pickup buyers expect. Lighter than standard leafsprings and far better in an off-road situation, coil springs at all four corners are the secret to the Ram’s poise and smoothness even over rough surfaces. HEMI-equipped trucks are capable of towing up to 9,100 pounds with this forward-thinking setup. The vehicle’s available four-wheel drive system can be combined with such items as skid plates, heavy-duty shock absorbers and tow hooks in order to make wilderness excursions like a walk in the park.
There are three different bed lengths available when ordering the Dodge Ram (5 feet 7 inches, 6 feet 4 inches or 8 feet) to match the three different cab designs: Regular, Quad or Crew. Both Quad and Crew cabs feature four doors with the rear doors and passenger compartment larger on the latter bodystyle. An innovative feature called the RamBox is available on the smallest of the three beds, transforming the empty space along the top of the rear fenders into a fully usable and lockable storage unit. This creates a virtual “trunk” of almost 15 cubic feet, a feature not duplicated by any other brand of pickup.
Inside, the Ram can be ordered as a basic work truck with cloth seats, a vinyl floor and a minimum of options, or it can be fully decked out to serve as a virtual land yacht. The top-of-the-line Laramie trim offers such niceties as dual climate controls and options like a sunroof, navigation and heated leather seats. An available Alpine surround-sound system combines with SIRIUS Satellite Backseat TV to provide rear occupants with plenty to keep them occupied during long road trips. The vehicle’s wide center console and the expanded rear-seat room available in the Crew cab make it the ideal mobile meeting spot for business travelers and professionals accustomed to taking their offices with them.
Not only does this full-size pickup look the part of the toughest kid on the block, but it also backs it up with outstanding power, competitive towing and hauling ratings and a ride quality that cannot be matched by trucks with less sophisticated suspension designs. It’s going to be difficult to park a more capable vehicle in the driveway than the Dodge Ram.