DODGE
There's the Dodge Ram Quad Cab 4x4 equipped with the 24-valve diesel and six-speed manual transmission. While the Dodge Ram is a true brute in this form, it is also very refined. However, to say that the comfortable, ergonomic interior is car-like is akin to calling a Scarab offshore powerboat yacht-like. Both are thoroughbreds just waiting to be unleashed.
The Dodge Ram manual diesel is not for your average truck buyer. This truck is a true workhorse, although it has more in common with a Clydesdale than a quarter horse. The powerful exterior styling is the perfect covering for the truly brutish powerplant and drivetrain. The 24-valve 5.9L I-6 diesel produces 230 hp at 2,700 rpm and 450 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. Combined with the new six-speed manual transmission, this motor feels like it could pull down a mountain. In our tests on the way to Moab, it proved that it could pull up a mountain. Up the steepest mountains that I-15 and I-70 had to offer, the Ram pulled a '98 Cherokee on a 1,300-pound trailer as if they weren't even there. The true difficulty was keeping the Ram truck and trailer under the legal limit as we sped past gas rigs struggling up the grade.
A few great things about towing with the Ram are the fullsize trailer mirrors and the factory-installed electric trailer brakes. For our tow test, hooking up the trailer was simply a plug-and-play situation. The two other trucks we drove for testing didn't have trailer brake controllers and would have required a trip to the shop to have them installed. We found that not only did the Ram make hooking up a trailer easy, but the trailer made towing the Cherokee easy, too. The slight tongue weight the trailer provided made the Ram settle in and track straight. In fact, towing the trailer was more like joining two parts of the same machine; the trailer followed along like a box car on rails.
The power of the 24-valve diesel was exceptional, and the turbo really spools up quickly, providing additional power just when it's needed. The new six-speed manual transmission rounds out the package and shines when pulling a heavy load uphill from a dead stop. In these situations, the new Sixth gear, really a new gear between Second and Third in the old five-speed, nicely complements the engine's torque curve. We never found a situation where the Dodge was lacking the correct gear. Admittedly the six-speed makes for a lot of shifting, but we found that unladen, the Ram could start out in Second gear and skip Third.
In towing tests just south of Moab, our test rig turned in a respectable average 0-60 towing time of 35 seconds. While this number may seem slow compared to some trucks, it is important to remember we were pulling a load and shifting through six gears in less than a minute. A lot of the delay was just the time required to shift. We don't find this a concern since the Dodge Ram felt capable of towing twice the load and more with the same performance. The fact is, even when we had reached 60 mph, this truck was no where near the limit of its acceleration. Fuel economy while towing was good too. On our round trip from Los Angeles to Moab, we averaged 12.85 miles per gallon while towing our Cherokee on a trailer.
While the Dodge Ram is a true truck, the interior is very stylish and homelike. It seemed as if everything was placed in the same location we would have chosen if we had been able to design it ourselves. The radio and HVAC controls are easy to reach and logically placed, and the gauges are in the best locations for quick, unobstructed glances. This helps you keep your eyes on the road since you don't have to visually hunt for a gauge each time you want to check the fuel level or speed.
Around town, with the trailer off, the Dodge Ram was no less comfortable to drive and really scooted along. Overall, the Dodge Ram Diesel six-speed is a fun truck to drive. It exudes a powerful image that it more than upholds on the road. The Dodge Ram instills a sense of confidence, both while empty and when towing heavy loads, on the flats or in the hills, over straight ground or in the mountains. This is a work truck with style.
