These trucks make up the best group of heavy-duty pickups ever produced by Chrysler, which took all of the great things about the 2009 Ram 1500 and applied them to the big rigs to make them better.
While much of the company may feel like it is in shambles, Ram's tank is full. (And please, kibosh that commercial. Whenever I hear it on the radio, I have to pull over at the next rest stop.)
Honestly, (and this is just between you and me), the Ram 2500 is an absolute thrill ride. The diesel engine booms with more authority than a Downriver cop, and it's more comfortable than a Bloomfield Hills living room. It is Cass Corridor gritty and Royal Oak refined. Welcome it to the neighborhood.
I may not use a heavy-duty Ram for all of those things callus-handed drivers need in a 2500 -- or even a 3500 dually -- but I can certainly appreciate it.
I don't tow anything, so I don't need a truck that can pull nearly 17,000 pounds, and the only thing I could use the expansive bed for is carrying firewood. But even if the logs were petrified, they wouldn't weigh 5,100 pounds, the max payload for a dually.
So no, I'm no heavy-duty man. But as I cruised in the Ram 2500, I felt like one. "Finished with that Coke bottle? I gotta spit."
Ram 2500 is refined power
Even empty, the Ram 2500 is remarkably smooth and quiet. The acceleration is quick and, if you don't pay attention to the speedometer, you'll find yourself hitting an easy 80 mph.
The engine options for these big trucks offer plenty of power. The 5.7-liter Hemi belts out 383 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Then there's the 6.7 diesel cranking out 350 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. The Earth doesn't need that much torque to spin.
And the Cummins diesel is Earth-friendly with its high emission ratings and ingenious exhaust brake. Push a button and you can feel the exhaust brake kick in, slowing the vehicle without a worry or having to touch the brake -- even with a big load tugging behind you.
I know your team at Fiat is supposed to inundate Chrysler's engineers with great diesel technology and all, but I think there are some pretty good ones here, too. Improve this 6.7-liter and I'll sign up for the Marchionne fan club -- probably the first person in Michigan or the media, if you haven't read the papers.
The real trick to this truck is its refinement.
From the outside, it looks big and mean, while keeping its Dodge bubbled fenders and wide stance. The huge grille, hood louvers and massive bumper make it look like it could eat Alfa Romeos by the fistful, as if they were Tater Tots.
Interior is fully loaded
It's the interior that puts this Ram on par with the other heavy-duty trucks. It's comfortable and complete.
Previous Ram trucks had seats that felt like they were plastic-wrapped plywood. Now they're futuristic. Capt. Kirk's chair doesn't even come with heating and cooling ventilation.
When you sit behind the heated steering wheel and look out over the big cabin, you see craftsmanship throughout. The stitched dash, the big gauges and easy-to-use controls provide comfort and confidence. (There are some gaffes; the stereo system includes a USB and auxiliary connection on the dash. It's almost 2010 and those essential devices need to be properly stored in the center console.)
There's a sense of organization throughout the cabin. There are 42 storage spaces -- one in nearly every possible spot -- demonstrating that a design crew never stopped looking for ways to improve the vehicle.
Additionally, the big Rams lose the Quad cabs, which many people thought were just really tight-fitting crew cabs. Pickups with second rows need to seat a work crew, not just the kids, and the true crew cab models do just that.
Then there's the Mega Cab models that offer more room than business class, complete with reclining seats. No one else can boast 44.2 inches of legroom in the second row of a just about anything. To provide you a little perspective, if you doubled that legroom, you'd almost match the 90-inch wheelbase of the Fiat 500.
While loaded with high-tech features, few are frivolous. The backup camera mounted in the rearview mirror is ideal and makes hooking up to a trailer as simple as making a pizza Margherita.
All the features a hard-working man needs come with this truck, and a few of those little luxuries that just make the day a little better: Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone operation (something that in the future will be required), remote start and keyless entry, back-up sensors for parking and a list of safety features that would make any mother rest easy.
Since the day our '06 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 drove off the lot, the factory steering has never given that tight-on-center feel. Factor in 60,000 miles, a 3-inch suspension system, and 35-inch tires and we've only aggravated the steering situation. Until late 2007 the Dodge Ram 3/4- and 1-ton trucks were equipped with a Y-link (also known as a Haltenberger) steering setup. One of the drawbacks of the Y-link is that it allows the toe to change as the front suspension cycles since the tires are connected to the steering box through two separate links, in the shape of an inverted Y.
