Driving Impressions
reviewed by
We've driven every engine the Ram has to offer at one time or another,
and we love the V10's amazing torque. But we must caution you that it not
only costs $975 more than the standard V6, but that its gas-mileage performance
over the life of the truck may put you in the poorhouse. If you don't absolutely
need the V10 engine for big-load heavy duty work, we recommend the 5.9-liter
V8, which has been in the Dodge system for ages, as has the less muscular
5.2-liter V8. And for that matter, the basic V6 in the standard 1500 series
is a stout-hearted hauler in its own right.
Having said that, the optional V10 in an unladen Ram 2500 4x4, will
rip across an intersection faster than any other truck on the market, and
its league-leading 450 pound-feet of torque are mighty handy for anything
from off-roading to hauling four-horse trailers--up to 13,000 pounds. Only
the optional turbodiesel engine comes close in torque, at 440 lb.-ft.,
and will certainly offer better fuel economy and durability over the long
haul.
The front suspension on a Ram 4x4 is a coil spring setup with four leading
arms, a track bar and a stabilizer bar to keep the front axle assembly
located fore and aft and side to side, and the rear suspension is a conventional
leaf spring/live axle setup to carry the loads. We found that at this weight
rating in a 4x4 the suspension was choppy with no load, and the heavy duty
nature of the suspension places the body so high off the ground that shorter
passengers had trouble climbing in and out, even with a grab bar on the
A-pillar. No problem for a tall, macho guy, but certainly for kids, pets
and significant others.
The one thing we didn't like about the Ram's dynamics was the steering,
which was light enough and quick enough, but had a dead space on center,
and seemed to require constant adjustments during straight ahead travel.
It's not a problem in town, but freeway wander is a small but persistent
trait at higher speeds.
The disc/drum brakes, on the other hand, were exemplary in their power
and straight-stop behavior.
Over frost heaves, potholes, snowdrifts and ice the Ram was remarkably
and utterly free of squeaks, rattles and shudders, a tribute to an excellent
chassis design as one of the reasons it has been getting such high quality
marks from J.D. Power, Strategic Vision and other survey companies.
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