Dodge Ram Pick-up Range
There will be UK pick-up owners driving around out there feeling pretty sure of themselves right now. On this side of the pond, you can buy a Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200 or similar model and drive it away fairly safe in the knowledge that youll be driving a pick-up thats amongst the biggest, most imposing things on the road, short of buses and HGVs.
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One day soon theyll be self-righteously handing a leaflet to a sheepish motorist in a modest, diesel-powered compact 4x4 when theyll glance up and witness their worst nightmare idling menacingly a few cars back in the traffic. The Dodge Ram makes no apologies: its a massive truck with a choice of two gargantuan engines and an abundance of attitude. Anyone trying to hand the Rams driver a leaflet detailing the effects of global warming would find their cautionary words obliterated by the industrial throb of the leviathan motor. It would take a fairly tall protester just to wave that pamphlet on 4x4s and pedestrian safety above the Rams towering grille without getting so close that their duffel coat is sucked in through the bonnet scoop and ingested by the V10 lump. The Dodge Rams environmental and ethical credentials are certainly questionable but it does represent an almost unbelievable amount of metal for the money.
Two models are being offered to UK customers, an entry-level Laramie 1500 Quad Cab priced at £25,995 and the mighty SRT-10 Quad Cab which retails at £37,995. These prices are excluding VAT because the Ram is classed as a commercial vehicle but both models have space to seat five. Opt for the Laramie and you get a piffling 5.7-litres of HEMI V8 that produces 375bhp but the SRT-10 employs the services of the 8.
3-litre V10 engine from the Dodge SRT-10 supercar which is known as the Dodge Viper in the US. This is a pick-up truck with 500bhp and 525lb/ft of torque at 4,200rpm. Its capable of hitting 150mph while the 0-60mph sprint time of 5.6s is in the same ballpark as luminaries like Vauxhalls Astra VXR, the Porsche Boxster and Audis S4.
"Power and performance of Dodge Ram magnitude is completely alien to pick-up buyers in this country."
Power and performance of Dodge Ram magnitude is completely alien to pick-up buyers in this country. Nissans Navara is powered by a 174bhp 2.5-litre diesel engine and thats about as much grunt any of the mainstream manufacturers have seen fit to offer so far. Of course, theres good reason for this.
Youll be lucky to extract an average fuel consumption in double figures from the SRT-10 model and that will have the traditional UK pick-up market of self-employed business people and company car users running a mile. Its also worth noting that only the 5.7-litre Laramie derivative has four-wheel drive transmission, with the SRT-10 diverting its tyre-shredding power solely to the back wheels. Trying to take this pick-up off-road would be an ill-advised move - unless youre a landscape gardener needing to dig an ornamental trench in double-quick time.
The Ram measures-in 65cm longer than a Nissan Navara, Plus its also 18cm wider and 14cm higher. Most UK motorists would class the Navara as a big vehicle but the Ram completely redefines such perceptions with its unprecedented bulk. Needless to say, the vehicle doesnt lend itself to use on twisty country roads or in congested urban areas. Show it a quarter mile of drag strip and youd be in business but the Rams width, indecent power output and left-hand drive configuration mean it can be more than a bit of a handful when accurate cornering or tight manoeuvring is called for.
Wheelspin is available upon request but more usually, it turns up completely uninvited. The automatic gearbox displays an unnerving tendency to kick down a ratio at random and often inopportune moments, lighting up the rear wheels and sending your heart into tonsil territory. Some buyers will decide that all the inconvenience is worth it, simply for the raw adrenaline rush that comes from depressing the dash-mounted starter button and giving it some gas. Even the 5.
7-litre V8 Laramie is savagely quick while the SRT-10 boarders on the ridiculous. Both vehicles use the same primitive 5-speed automatic gearbox. You couldnt call it subtle but the Dodge Ram certainly has presence out on the road. The huge grille could have been designed expressly to disconcert supermini drivers who see it looming in their rear-view mirror with its sheer four-section design.
Below it, theres a large bumper with gaping air-intakes and above, the SRT-10 models add a bonnet scoop like a whales blowhole. Seeing over it all from the drivers seat isnt easy. Each of the Dodge Ram models comes very well-equipped, with the Laramie featuring 17" alloy wheels, rear seats that fold flat to create extra storage space, ABS brakes, air-conditioning, a 6 disc CD autochanger, 6-way electrically adjustable heated leather seats and a Thatcham category 1 alarm. The SRT-10 model can be easily differentiated from its sibling by its bonnet scoop and the 22" alloy wheels. It also features twin exhausts, lowered suspension, a removable rear spoiler and a 508-watt Infinity sound system that should be enough to blow the cobwebs away. All models come with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty which gives officially-imported Ram models a distinct advantage over the unofficial alternatives that have found their way to the UK. Limited numbers of Dodge Ram pick-ups are available through Chrysler dealerships in this country.
The importers arent holding out much hope of racking up significant sales and when you examine the vehicles credentials, you can understand why. The prohibitive fuel consumption and substantial dimensions of the Ram mean that few UK businesses are likely to see it as a viable commercial pick-up. We know that there is interest in the Rams massive performance out there because there has been a small market in unofficially imported models for a few years now but theyre being purchased largely as leisure vehicles and for their novelty value. Certainly, if youre intent on making a statement, there are few vehicles that do so more emphatically than the Dodge Ram pick-up.
Exactly what that statement is, will be a matter of opinion.
Facts At A Glance PICK-UP: Dodge Ram pick-up Range
PRICES: £25,995 - £37,995 +VAT
PERFORMANCE: [SRT-10] 0-60mph 5.6s / Max Speed 150mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [SRT-10] (combined) 11mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Front and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 5784/2029/1897mm
