2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty First drive

Could Dodge’s timing be any worse in launching its new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups? The economy remains firmly in the crapper, pickups have fallen from 15% to 10% of vehicles sold and the average price of diesel fuel – the lifeblood of HD pickups – stubbornly remains higher than regular gas. Plus, come January 1, all new diesel-powered vehicles will have to meet tough 50-state diesel emission standards that will reduce allowable nitrogen oxide levels by 90 percent from today – this has already caused price spikes of more than $6,000 for big over-the-road trucks from manufacturers like Navistar and Hino.

But Chrysler’s competitors in the HD segment aren’t sitting still either. The new 2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty and updated 2011 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are expected to arrive in the next six months. The Super Duty will feature two all-new engines: a 6.7-liter V-8 Power Stroke turbodiesel and a 6.2-liter V-8 gasser. The GM twins will feature a significantly updated 6.6-liter V-8 LML Duramax turbodiesel. The new Power Stroke and Duramax are also expected to generate significantly more power than the current 350-horsepower, 650 lbs.-ft. of torque that Ford’s diesel does, and the 355-hp, 660 lbs.-ft. that GM diesels do today. Dodge is carrying over its current 350-hp, 650 lbs.-ft. 6.7-liter Cummins six-cylinder diesel.

If all of that sounds bad, in actuality, the timing of the new Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickups probably couldn’t be better, considering the challenges that three-quarter and one-ton pickups face.

If it ain’t broke…

Ford and GM aren’t updating their diesel engines just to be competitive. The more important reason is because their current 2008-10 6.4-liter Power Stroke V-8 and 2007-10 6.6-liter V-8 LMM Duramax engines won’t meet the 2010 NOx emissions standards. While neither has talked pricing yet for their new engines, both are almost certain to be more expensive – like Hino and Navistar – because both are adding new urea-based selective catalytic reduction systems to smother NOx. Urea, also known by the more marketable name Diesel Exhaust Fluid, requires periodic refills – a new maintenance item for diesel truck owners. DEF tanks also add weight, marginally reducing payload capacity, and if the tank runs dry the truck will be immobilized or forced to ‘limp home’ until its urea can be refilled.

A similar EPA mandate for diesels in 2007 forced the addition of diesel particulate filters to meet soot emissions standards that added up to $1,500 to the price of diesel pickups. The filters also hurt fuel economy because they require burning up to 6/10 of a gallon of fuel to incinerate trapped soot.

But Chrysler and diesel engine partner Cummins took advantage of the situation in 2007 to ensure the Ram HD’s 6.7-liter engine would also be clean enough to meet 2010 NOx emissions standards. It’s a move that drew snickers from GM and Ford at the time because the Ram’s DEF-free “Adsorber” catalyst uses expensive precious metals, like rhodium and palladium, to convert NOx to harmless nitrogen gas and water vapor. Those metals peaked in price in 2008, when the global economy was at its hottest, before crashing back down in the last year to much lower levels.

Commodity prices are one reason that the 2011 Dodge Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis trucks will use DEF systems instead of Adsorber catalysts. However, the Ram Heavy Duty pickups remain urea-free for 2010 and, likely, beyond.

While the Dodge Ram HD pickups are keeping the same diesel engine, there’s a bump in price for the Cummins I6 by about $500, up to $7,615. Adding a six-speed 68RFE automatic transmission bumps the price to $8,020. The six-speed manual equipped trucks get a $1,170 price break, bringing the price down to $6,445. Still, Ram buyers won’t be burdened with the extra maintenance task of refilling DEF or adding extra weight to the truck from a DEF tank.

Ford’s current 6.4-liter diesel powertrain costs $7,835 (with a six-speed manual) to $9,325 (with a five-speed automatic) and GM’s current 6.6-liter diesel costs $7,195 plus $1,200 for an Allison transmission. GM no longer offers a manual transmission for its HD pickups and Ford will ditch its handshaker when its 2011 Super Dutys arrive.

According to Chrysler, starting prices for all 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 gas engine Ram HDs will be less than the outgoing model, and all Mega Cab Ram HD pickups – the largest cab in the segment – will also be priced below last year’s models.

Chrysler replaced the HD Ram’s legacy Hemi in 2009 with the updated “Eagle” Hemi that’s rated at 383-hp and 400-pounds-feet-of-torque. It features variable-valve-timing version and active intake manifold runners that help improve low-end power and clean-up emissions. The six-speed manual transmission was dropped for the Hemi in 2009. The five-speed 545RFE automatic gearbox is standard equipment. The Hemi is also carried over unchanged for 2010.

“With our 2010 pricing, we’re going right at the competition,” said Mark Heber, head of Dodge Ram brand truck marketing. “We’re not being bashful at all. We’re going to hit them where it hurts.”

There’s another advantage to Chrysler’s carryover approach. The 6.7-liter Cummins is a proven engine with a three-year history behind it. Early bugs related to the diesel particulate filter have been worked out. Ford and GM, however, are going to have to prove all over again that their newfangled clean diesels will be at least as reliable, durable and fuel efficient as the engines they replace, even if they are more powerful.

The 2010 Dodge Ram HD pickup are more than a carryover powertrain story, though. There’s all new sheetmetal, a new interior and several notable suspension improvements that we were able to experience by driving the trucks first hand.

We flew out to Texas (at our own expense, not Dodge's) to drive the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty lineup in the hills outside of San Antonio – the heart of pickup country.