2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

While the Ram 1500 is aimed at the primary users of light-duty pickups — people who do not routinely tow or haul heavy loads, but need the space or shape for other reasons — the Ram Heavy Duty is aimed at commercial and fleet users, the primary buyers of serious, diesel-powered pickups and chassis cabs.

The 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty continues to use the prior generation’s proven chassis and frame, but with more comfort, higher capabilities, and more body options: Dodge has replaced the Quad Cab with a crew cab, which joins the regular and Mega cabs. There are two cargo-box sizes (6-foot-4-inches and 8 feet), in single and dual-rear-wheel configurations. Even the chassis cabs come in a crew cab version.

2010 Dodge Ram

2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Regular Cab 4X4

2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Regular Cab 4X4

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon

Photos courtesy of Petersen's 4Wheel & Off-Road

Our friends at Petersen's 4Wheel & Off-Road Magazine have just parked a brand new 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon Heavy Duty pickup in their driveway. These are the first pictures we've seen of the production truck since our spies caught pre-production versions a few weeks back.

Like the rest of the new 2010 Ram HD lineup, the Power Wagon features new sheetmetal and an interior upgrade that shares styling and components with the light-duty Dodge Ram 1500. One significant appearance change that we're getting used to: last year's chrome Power Wagon badges are gone, replaced with big vinyl graphics on the tailgate and hood.

The eight-cylinder Hemi-propelled Power Wagon is the only 2010 Ram Heavy Duty model with a 4.56 rear axle, locking front and rear differentials, and electric sway bar disconnect for maximum articulation off-road. It also features BF Goodrich All-Terrain 33-inch tires and 17-inch wheels.

For more pictures and news about which trucks the 2010 Ram Power Wagon will be competing against in 4Wheel & Off-Road's '4x4 of the Year' competition, check out their first look!

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

• Competes with: Ford F-Series, Chevy Silverado
• Looks like: A bigger version of the redesigned Ram 1500
• Drivetrain: 383-hp, 6.7-liter diesel
• Hits dealerships: Late 2009

Chrysler is firing the first shot in what's certain to be a brutal battle pitting three-quarter and one-ton truck manufacturers against each other: It's introducing the new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickups at the 2009 Chicago auto show.


The 2010 model year will be a challenging one for several reasons: The U.S. economy is expected to still be sputtering, with new-truck buyers likely sitting on the sidelines for awhile. The price of diesel fuel (the lifeblood of heavy-duty pickups) shows no sign of losing its 20 percent price premium over gas. Most important of all, though, Ford and GM are also expected to launch updated heavy-duty pickups with new diesel powertrains designed to meet stringent 2010 federal emissions standards that go into effect Jan. 1. The regulations will ratchet down NOx levels to the lowest on the planet — more than 90 percent lower than 2006 levels. NOx is a major air pollutant that contributes to smog, asthma, and respiratory and heart diseases. It's a byproduct of high combustion temperatures.

Chrysler has strategically prepared for 2010 over the past two years. In 2007, it introduced for its heavy-duty pickups an enhanced and innovative 350-horsepower, 650-pounds-feet-of-torque, 6.7-liter six-cylinder Cummins diesel, based on the previous 5.9-liter Cummins engine. The new diesel added a segment-exclusive exhaust brake, like over-the-road trucks use. The 6.7-liter motor not only met new 2007 EPA limits on soot emissions, but it reached 2010 NOx emissions requirements three years early.

On the gas-engine front, Chrysler replaced the Ram heavy-duty's legacy Hemi V-8 last year with the updated 383-hp, 400-pounds-feet-of-torque, variable-valve-timing version that debuted in the 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500. That Hemi is also carried over unchanged for 2010.

Good news for rock crawlers and wheelers: The Hemi-powered Power Wagon off-road version of the Ram also continues next year. It's the only Ram HD with a 4.56 rear axle and locking front and rear differentials.

What has changed for 2010 is almost everything above the Ram heavy-duty's carryover frame. The exterior has all-new sheet metal, and the interior is taken directly from the Dodge Ram 1500 half-ton. The front axle and suspension have also been improved.

"This isn't an all-new truck," said Scott Kunselman, Chrysler's vice president for the Jeep and Truck Product Team. "The 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 are the next steps to improve our heavy-duty pickups."

Though they share the aerodynamic styling first seen in the 2009 Ram 1500, the heavy-duty trucks have taller, more-prominent front ends. It's a case of form following their primary function of towing big loads.

"The light-duty and heavy-duty Rams are significantly separated visually for performance and aesthetic reasons, and for better cooling," said Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's vice president of design. "The cooling we've gained for the heavy-duty we didn't have to do for the light-duty, which is why the grille is smaller on the light duty."

The Ram heavy-duty shares its headlamps and fenders with the 1500. The hood is differentiated to make room for the Cummins diesel. The front bumper has very aggressive stamping. It's a single-piece chrome bumper that wraps around the front fenders to give it a modern look and help aerodynamics.

Like last year's heavy-duty Ram, 2010 buyers will have three cab options, but the middle configuration has been changed. A two-door regular cab model remains, while a new four-door Crew Cab, with bigger back doors and more rear passenger space, replaces the previous, smaller four-door Quad Cab. A new 8-foot cargo box option (a 6-foot, 4-inch bed is standard) should make the Crew Cab Ram HD an attractive choice for fifth-wheel towers. "The Crew Cab has replaced the Quad Cab in the lineup," Kunselman said. "It gets an 8-foot box — a key part of the market we weren't participating in."

Though Dodge eliminated the Mega Cab option for its half-ton Ram, it's keeping the Mega Cab heavy-duty model with best-in-class interior space.

The inside features all the high-quality materials and ergonomic and infotainment options the Ram 1500 has, plus it adds a new integrated trailer-brake controller like Ford and GM offer in their HD pickups. The brake controller eliminates the need for an aftermarket kit to control a trailer's electric brakes for improved towing control.

The external rearview mirrors have also been revised to better facilitate towing. They can be pivoted horizontally or vertically depending on trailer size, and they have larger convex mirrors for better visibility. Turn signals are integrated.

According to preliminary towing and hauling figures, Dodge has raised the front gross axle weight rating from 5,200 pounds to 5,500 pounds on diesel 4x4 pickups, and from 4,700 pounds to 5,000 pounds on diesel 4x2 pickups. Gross combined weight ratings have been improved from 23,000 pounds to as much as 25,400 pounds on some 3500 models. Accompanying the increase in GCWR, max towing has also improved.

The sum of all these changes is a new Dodge Ram heavy-duty pickup that has evolved to better meet the needs of Chrysler's existing customers, and to take competitive advantage of gains already made meeting 2010's stricter and more expensive emissions standards. We expect both GM's and Ford's responses for 2010 to have significantly more power than the Ram HDs, but they'll also likely come with higher initial purchase costs relative to the new Ram than their current trucks are to today's Ram HDs.

The new 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickups go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2009.

2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty

While the Ram 1500 is aimed at the primary users of light-duty pickups — people who do not routinely tow or haul heavy loads, but need the space or shape for other reasons — the Ram Heavy Duty is aimed at commercial and fleet users, the primary buyers of serious, diesel-powered pickups and chassis cabs.

The 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty, available in Fall 2009, will continue to use the previous generation’s proven chassis and frame, but with more comfort, higher capabilities, and more body options: Dodge has replaced the Quad Cab with a crew cab, which joins the regular and Mega cabs. There are two cargo-box sizes (6-foot-4-inches and 8 feet), in single and dual-rear-wheel configurations. Even the chassis cabs come in a crew cab version.

The ride was greatly improved through re-tuned suspension components; handling under a full load was also beefed up, while the gross vehicle weight rating increased by 600 lb to 9,600 pounds (Ram 2500 crew and Mega Cab 4x4 with Cummins diesel). Fluid-filled hydro-mounts under the cab reduce beaming and bounce over rough surfaces. (What are fluid-filled hydro-mounts? Here’s what Dodge said: “C-pillar hydro mounts were added to improve damping through the frame-bending mode frequency in order to better manage shake and after-shake response. The result is reduced shake and improved ride.”)

The new TRX and TRX4 (2WD and 4x4) crew cabs are designed to compete head to head with Ford; they include an anti-spin differential, 4.1:1 axle ratio, 17-inch aluminum wheel with offroad tires, skid plates, and other features. They will be priced thousands less than the Ford F-250 FX4.

The 6.7 Cummins turbodiesel will be essentially unchanged, but with a new particulate feature that slashes nitrides of oxygen by 90%; in the pickups, the engine produces 350 hp at 3,000 rpm, and 650 lb-ft of torque at a stunning 1,500 rpm, just off idle (automatic transmission). With the G56 manual transmission, the Cummins puts out 350 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque; with the chassis cabs, 305 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque.

The Hemi V8 is available, with 383 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, on Ram 2500 only; the Ram 3500 appears to now require the Cummins diesel. While the industry mix for this class is 59/41 diesel to gas, 79% of Ram heavy duty trucks sold in 2008 were diesels, and in most recent years 80%-87% of Ram 2500/3500 trucks were diesels.

Maintenance for the Cummins engine - which is in 90% of the Heavy Duty Rams - includes 7,500 mile oil changes and overhauls at 350,000 miles (100,000 miles more than Ford or GM). It includes an exhaust brake, a major safety feature and unique in this segment the exhaust brake is a $3,500 value, according to Dodge, and provides additional savings with lower brake maintenance. A B20 (biodiesel 20%) version is available for fleet buyers.

Power-wise, the Cummins engine has the same ratings as the Ford Super Duty diesel (though peak torque comes in earlier), while the Silverado’s Isuzu-boosted Duramax diesel has 15 more horsepower and 10 lb-ft more torque. The Cummins has met 2010.5 emissions requirements since launch, and has no diesel exhaust fluid (e.g. urea) requirement.

In chassis-cab service, the engine now meets 2010.5 emissions standards in 50 states, thanks to diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) injection based on urea injection Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) technology. The standard diesel has a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty, the best in its class. The base alternator increased from 136 to 180 amps.

The diesel pickups can be equipped with a G56 six-speed manual transmission with an extra-low first gear ratio, or the 68RFE six-speed automatic that now includes Electronic Range Select, so the driver can limit the highest gear and make manual up- and down-shifts.

The 5.7 liter Hemi is also available, with 383 horspower and 400 lb-ft of torque, somewhat more than in any other Dodge vehicle, partly due to extra underhood space which makes exhaust routing easier. Gas mileage on the 3500 Hemi is up 4%, too. The 545RFE five-speed automatic is the only transmission available with the Hemi; it too has Electronic Range Select.

4x4s get one of two transfer cases: the manual NV271 unit (ST and Power Wagon) or the electric, shift-on-the-fly NV273 case. Axle ratios are 3.42, 3.73, 4.10 or 4.56.

The interior was naturally upgraded, with optional heated/ventilated front seats; heated rear-seats and steering wheel; automatic temperature control; two-tone upholstery; memory seats, radio and mirrors; navigation; adjustable pedals and numerous infotainment options including Backseat TV(tm) with three channels of programming, uconnect tunes with a 30-gigabyte hard drive, and a first-in-segment 10-speaker surround-sound system. Numerous storage options include in-floor storage.

A trailer brake controller is built in. Capacities are up, with Ram 3500 with dual rear wheels, diesel, automatic, and 4.10:1 rear axle sporting a 25,400 pound combined gross weight rating; the 4x4 diesels get an increased front axle weight of 5,500 pounds (for better front weight capabilities including heavier snow plows); and the Ram 3500 can tow 18,500 lb, with a maximum payload of 5,100 pounds.

Five trim levels include ST, SLT, TRX, Laramie, and Power Wagon. The grille, hood, and bumpers are unique to the heavy duty line, but reflect the 2009 light duty Ram with a chromed lean-forward grille; the hood is taller hood for more cooling capacity.

Large external mirrors are new for 2010, giving drivers a more useable area while improving aerodynamics and minimizing wind noise. Depending on trim level, mirrors are finished in black, or black and chrome and equipped with turn-signal indicators, memory function, puddle lamps and adjustable convex mirrors. The larger, 7-in. x 11-in. mirror for trailer towing is standard. These mirrors flip up and out into a vertical configuration for trailer tow use.