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Ram 2500 Heavy
Duty Review: According to Chrysler’s
demographics, I am the typical customer for the new 2010 Ram 2500 Heavy
Duty pickup. Yup, that’s right, sex (male), age (mid-fifties), income
(decent), married (85% of buyers are). I enjoyed driving my Inferno Red,
diesel-equipped truck, but writers don’t need monster trucks to commute
to their cubicles.
Winner of the 2010
Motor Trend Truck of the Year award, the Ram is a long-standing model,
but has recently been separated from the Dodge brand in Chrysler’s
post-Fiat purchase, post-bankruptcy marketing strategy.
The truck is big. It
has a 140-inch wheelbase (a midsize Honda Accord’s is 110.2 inches) and
is nearly 20 feet long. It stands six feet, three and a half inches high
and weighs more than 3-1/2 tons.
My SLT model tester was
very comfortable once I climbed up into it. Although the design, inside
and out, is appropriately rugged looking, it’s softened by silvery trim
and chrome accents on a very attractive dash and doors. Accommodations
include nicely contoured and supportive seats with heating and power
adjustments, dual gloveboxes and a huge laptop-swallowing center
console. And, it’s very quiet in there as you’re rolling along.
One advantage of
sitting up so high is the bird’s eye view of traffic ahead. There is no
more wondering about what’s causing that 5 p.m. delay on the bridge
approach. As I traveled over the San Francisco Bay Bridge, I could see
the progress of the new Eastern Span as never before. I wonder how many
of the guys building the bridge own and drive Rams.
A mighty truck needs a
powerful engine, and the Ram offers two. The 5.7-liter Hemi gasoline V8
engine provides 383 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque through a
manual or automatic six speed transmission. That’s very competitive. But
90 percent of Dodge / Ram Heavy Duty buyers opt for the 6.7-liter
Cummins Turbo Diesel powerplant. My tester had it, and it is nothing
short of amazing. Don’t let its 350 horsepower rating other you; it has
650 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s great for passing on the freeway, driving
uphill, towing, and stump pulling. Plus you can order four different
rear axle ratios on the Ram depending on the model and how you’re going
to use it.
The Ram comes in five
different levels: ST, SLT, TRX, Laramie and Power Wagon. You can get it
in a short standard cab, the industry leading Mega Cab, which is huge,
and the Crew Cab with its four full-sized doors.
The Crew Cab is new
this year and my tester had it. The rear seats fold up easily for
carrying big loads inside and features closed storage bins below.
The truck box comes in
6.4-foot or 8-foot lengths. Luckily for me, my tester had the shorter
one, because even with it, parking it was challenging. The optional
ParkSense system warned me before I flattened or dented someone or
something.
Feeding a Diesel is
easy. My local Chevron was just one of the many available sources, and
the price fell between regular and premium at $2.93 a gallon. My tester
earned 14.8 miles per gallon, and that’s not too bad considering its
mass and power.
Today’s ultra low
sulfur diesel fuel is not near as stinky as the old stuff. I got a tiny
drop on my hand during a fill up and it didn’t bother me on the way to
work, although I did wash my hands as soon as I could. Carry a little
package of Handi Wipes just in case.
The EPA’s Green Vehicle
Guide gives the Diesel Ram a 3 on the Air Pollution score, unsurprising.
No Greenhouse Gas score was provided, even for the 2009 model. However,
the truck uses a particulate filter and absorber catalyst to filter out
soot and nitrous oxide, the traditional undesirable outputs of Diesel
engines.
The big heavy duty Ram
is a towing ace. Its tow / haul mode switch enhances capability. The
standard exhaust brake prolongs brake life and it gives you more
confidence and safety when you’re hauling a heavy load on a downhill
grade. And the optional Trailer brake control (my tester had it)
provides better driver control in trailer towing situations.
Pricing, as in all
pickups, varies enormously depending on configuration, engine, trim
line, and options. My SLT Crew Cab 4x4 Big Horn Edition started at
$38,480, but by the time you added in the Cummins engine, six-speed
automatic, premium interior package, Big Horn regional package, parking
sensor, upgraded media center with 30-gigabyte hard drive
(With 6,700
song-capacity!) and more, my tester MSRP price hit $52,250. The base ST
standard cab with no extras starts at only $28,165, including shipping.
I would not recommend a
Ram as your daily driver unless you’re heading directly to the
construction job site, but the Ram Heavy Duty pickups can really pull
their weight when you need them to.
By Steve Schaefer ©
AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Ram 2500 Heavy
Duty Review is provided by: Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net. “Tony the Car
Guy” is an automotive writer, editor and
publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question or
comment for Tony send it to
TonyLeo@pacbell.net or visit AutoWire.Net at
www.autowire.net - And remember: “ You Are What You Drive ”
Ram Home Page
Column Name: Ram Heavy
Duty pickups can really pull their weight
Topic: The 2010 Ram
2500 Heavy Duty
Word Count: 941
Photo Caption: The
2010 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty
Photo Credits: Ram 2500
Internet Media
Series #: 2010 - 20
Download
the Microsoft Word version here:
2010 Ram 2500 HD
Download the Original Image File here:
2010 Ram 2500 HD
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