The new cabins are similar to the newly redesigned Ram 1500, with all manner of personal-use conveniences and optional electronic enhancements. The HD Ram pickups ride strikingly smoothly and quietly for 1-ton trucks, and include standard airbags, front and side, for all cabs. tires and underbody protection to die for. Meanwhile, it?s a good truck to drive every day, and you can tow up to 10,300 pounds or carry 1,940 pounds in the bed. All Power Wagons are Crew Cab short beds, with SLT trim and powered by the gas HEMI. They start at $38,480, and the Power Wagon Package of upgrades adds about $6,500 on top of that. We had a chance to do considerable off-road driving with the Power Wagon, and can confirm it has tremendous traction, good ground clearance, and with the swaybar disconnect, a suspension that can By ordering a 3500 Crew Cab longbed 2WD dually, towing of up to 17,600 pounds becomes possible, with a gross combined weight rating of 24,500 pounds. The 6.7L Cummins is standard in the Ram 3500, supplying 650 lb-ft of torque at 1500 rpm, with your choice of six-speed automatic or granny-low 6-speed manual. With the manual, and 4.10 gears, your crawl ratio would be 66-to-1. conform to really rugged terrain. Axles are AAM Tru-Locks, front and rear, with 10.5-inch ring gear and a mechanical helical-gear limited slip in the rear, just in case it rains. The Power Wagon Package also includes a 180-amp alternator, fog lamps and the Class IV trailer tow package, plus graphics and such. Overall, the truck is considerably more comfortable, rides smoother and is much quieter inside. The other unique Ram, the Mega Cab, is also back for 2010. With 44 inches of leg room and buckets that recline to 37 degrees, the Mega Cab creates limousine-like second-row seating. It?s the longest, largest cab of any pickup truck. The new Ram HD pickups are littered with convenience features-the Bluetooth, the backup cameras, the electronic brake upgrades, the garage door opener, power adjustable pedals, the 30-gig hard drive, satellite TV, heated seats, surround sound ? all of that, depending on the trim level. One feature we like is the engine immobilizer that will shut off the engine if someone tries to start it with any key but yours. On dually pickups, The coil-spring/live axle front end is durable and will be easy to lift. Ride quality is improved by the addition of fluid-filled hydromounts that help isolate the cab from the frame. The rear suspension is a leaf spring, live axle setup. the rear wheel fenders are now integrated into the box stamping, so they are metal ? not fiberglass ? with no seam. Driving the new Ram reveals the biggest difference between the old and the new. The new cabin is remarkably quiet, with very little wind or engine noise, even with the towing mirrors flipped outward. And ride quality is greatly improved. The suspension is still based on straight axles, front and rear, with leaf springs out back and coil springs up front. But the shocks have been re-tuned, and there are new, fluidfilled hydro-mounts that help keep jiggle to a minimum. With nothing in the bed, you?ll still know you?re in a pickup truck, but if you didn?t know better, you?d think it was a half-ton. With the introduction of the new Ram 3500/2500 pickups, we?d say Dodge has caught up to the competition...and with the Cummins and their new capability ratings, maybe even leapt to the front. Pricing is, in many cases, lower than the model it replaces. For example, a Regular Cab 2500 4x2 with 8-foot box has an MSRP of $28,165 (including $950 designation charge). That?s $1,970 lower than the same 2009 model. A Crew Cab with 6-foot, 4-inch box starts at $39,430, which is $40 less than the Quad Cab it replaces. Mega Cab pickups start at $36,865. ?
Fundamentally, the Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups are about hauling capacity. Here are the highlights:
? Up to 25,400-pound gross combined weight rating ? Payloads up to 5150 pounds ? Front axles rated to 5500 pounds for better plowing capability ? Standard class IV receiver hitch MARCH 2010 ORA / 9
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