1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Review Summary & Specs

Summary & Specs

reviewed by

There's no doubt that the Ram is strong enough in many areas to steal

sales away from Ford and Chevrolet. Dodge has an excellent overall package

here, and in the three years it has been on the market, the engineers and

designers have added significant upgrades each year to make it even more

competitive in the blazing-hot full-size truck market.

The only omissions are the lack of a passenger-side airbag and the absence

of a third-door option, a la Ford and GM.

The Ram SLT Lariat 4x4 base price--about $25,000--is competitive, a

tad more than an equivalent Chevrolet K2500 4x4 and quite a bit less than

the Ford 2500 4x4 XLT, but as you can see from the price box, a truck like

this one can reach $30,000 quite easily with all the options checked.

While we enjoyed the big-time torque of the V10, and recognize that

some buyers need it, our pick for a family street truck would be a 1500

4x4 with the 5.9-liter V8 as a much less expensive alternative. Not to

mention a truck that leaves no doubt about what it is and what it can do.

Broad shoulders indeed.

Specs

Specs as Tested