Manufacturers
seldom place really big, heavy-duty pickup trucks in
media press fleets, because members of the media tend to
run into things. A few years ago, a big six-wheel "dualie"
pickup was sent back to Detroit before I ever even saw
it, because colleagues kept crunching the extended rear
fenders.
So a tip of the hat to Dodge for
including this 2010 Ram 3500 in their test vehicles
because I cheerfully admit to a boy-from-Tennessee love
of trucks, the bigger the better.
And this one is big, with an overall
length of 248.4 inches, slightly less than two and a
half Smart ForTwos. The rear seat of the MegaCab is more
like your living room sofa, especially given the Sirius
"Backseat TV" service, which, as the name
suggests, can't be seen from the driver's seat. Good: If
there was ever a vehicle that demands a driver's
undivided attention, it's this one.
This Ram 3500 is powered by a
6.7-liter — that's 408 cubic inches — six-cylinder,
turbocharged diesel, which pumps out an unremarkable 350
horsepower. But diesels are properly measured not on
horsepower, but on torque, which is the measure of
pulling power. This engine has a locomotive-like 650
pounds of torque. We hooked up a 6,000-pound trailer to
the Ram, and it seemed to say, "Trailer? What
trailer?"
Diesels are also known for durability
— Dodge expects this Cummins to go at least 350,000
miles before an overhaul — and, for their size, fuel
mileage. While the EPA doesn't rate heavy-duty vehicles,
we averaged more than 16 mpg.
This Ram is four-wheel-drive, with
several electronic settings: Rear-wheel-drive for dry
pavement; all-wheel-drive that kicks in if the onboard
computer senses tire slippage, and full-time
four-wheel-drive, both high- and low-range. But it
really isn't much fun off-road, given its size and
weight and tires designed more for pavement than mud.
Getting up into this Ram almost
requires rappelling equipment, and once you're in the
leather-clad driver's seat, you are almost eye-to-eye
with 18-wheeler drivers. Dodge has done an excellent job
of muting the diesel noise, and the ride is far less
jarring than you'd expect. Interior appointments are
nothing short of luxury-level, which should not come as
a big surprise, given the price and list of options.
Trucks such as the Ram 3500 Laramie
MegaCab are targeted at a very narrow market. I don't
need one, but I sort of envy those who do.
———
2010 DODGE RAM 3500 LARAMIE MEGACAB
Base price: $50,645
Price as tested: $56,420
EPA: N/A (heavy-duty trucks aren't
rated)
Details: Front-engine,
four-wheel-drive, four-door pickup truck with a
6.7-liter, 350-horsepower turbocharged Cummins diesel
engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
