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 Guys
go gaga over big trucks with big engines. In fact, the bigger, the
better. In which case, the 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 with
a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel engine has to be about as good as it
gets.
Well, perhaps with
the exception of the even larger Mega Cab version of the same heavy-duty
pickup truck, though it's hard to believe anyone would ever need a cab
bigger than the crew configuration. Once you climb up into that back seat,
you could just about live there. Why, we've seen condos on House Hunters
that offer fewer square feet of living space.
And, we have to add,
less luxurious living space, since the Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab we're
driving not only has wood-like trim and leather seats - ventilated in
the front and heated in the rear row -- but also nearly $1,700 of rear-seat
entertainment equipment with Sirius backseat television.
Which brings up the
question: If this is a heavy-duty work truck, why would someone need leather
seats and satellite television? Heavy-duty work trucks are supposed to
be for heavy-duty work, hauling a crew of workers and towing nine tons
of equipment to a construction site.
But I suppose that
if a truck can pull nine tons of construction equipment, it also can tow
a big boat or toy hauler/house trailer, and for such travel you need lots
of room in the leather-covered back seat and even live television so the
children/grandchildren/in-laws don't get restless along the way.
And if you can afford
a big boat or toy hauler, you probably can afford the $49,945 base price
on the 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4, or even the $56,820 as-tested
sticker on the truck we're driving. The options include the special Deep
Water Blue Pearl Coat paint, all that leather, a six-speed automatic transmission,
a power sunroof, roof-mounted clearance lamps, a "media" center
with satellite navigation, Sirius traffic and a hard-drive that can playback
4,250 songs, that backseat television and a rear-view camera so you won't
run over smaller vehicles as you back out of the driveway.
The Dodge Ram 2500/3500
is an "all new" vehicle for the 2010 model year. It features
a hydra-formed and fully boxed frame, increased gross vehicle weight and
gross axle weight ratings, larger front U-joints to deal with an even
larger snow plow. Also new is the Crew Cab cabin.
There are myriad
permutations available - 4x2 or 4x4, 6-foot-4 or 8-foot bed, two or four
rear wheels -- including a choice between a 383-horsepower, 5.7-liter
Hemi V8 or the 6.7-liter, inline six-cylinder Cummins Turbo Diesel in
our truck. This engine provides a mere 350 horsepower, but a whopping
650 pound-feet of torque and 50-state emission compliance.
Heavy-duty trucks
don't come with EPA fuel economy ratings, but the onboard computer says
we've been averaging better than 17 miles per gallon in primarily city-style
driving, and after days of driving the miles-to-empty indicator says we
can keep going for a few hundred more miles before we need to refill the
34-gallon fuel tank.
Climbing up into
a truck with a floor 26 inches above the pavement can be a challenge,
but once you're up there, you not only have a commanding view of traffic,
but are comfortably ensconced in leather and Alpine Premium audio sound.
That's for those
up front, of course. In the back seat, you're probably oblivious to the
outside world unless you're viewing it on the television screen.
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