2010 Motor Trend Truck of the Year: Ram Heavy Duty Star Power: The Hardest-Working Truck in Tow Business
December 10, 2009
By Allyson Harwood
Despite the effects of the Great Recession on personal-use
truck sales,
there is still demand for pickups ready to do hard work. The heavy-duty
truck market has gotten smaller, but the guys who buy those pickups are
fiercely loyal to the segment-they need the extreme capability these
hard-working haulers provide. Some may wonder why anyone would own a
truck that can tow nearly 20,000 pounds, but for a lot of people in
construction, those who transport vehicles or goods, and those with
ranches, this is just a part of everyday life.
Within
the next few months, the heavy-duty category will heat up, as all three
manufacturers have all-new offerings coming. The Ram Heavy Duty is the
first to market, and it's already ahead of the game. When
Ford
and GM's all-new heavy-dutys come out, both new diesel engines are
going to require urea injection to meet emissions requirements that
take effect January 2010. The Ram Heavy Duty's Cummins inline-six
turbodiesel, which puts out an impressive 350 horsepower and 650
pound-feet of torque, met those requirements -- without urea -- over a
year ago.
Instead, the Ram 2500 and
3500 use a NOx adsorber with precious metals that convert the NOx into
inert gases. Not only does this mean the Ram's emissions and exhaust
systems are less complex than those in the upcoming
Ford Super Duty
and Silverado/Sierra HD (which could improve reliability and help keep
maintenance costs down), it also means that, at the dealership, the Ram
will very likely have a price advantage over its competitors. And while
in this size category diesel is king, there are plenty of heavy-duty
truck buyers who prefer gas power. The 5.7-liter Hemi, the Ram's base
engine, has the most horsepower (383) and torque (400 pound-feet) of
any V-8 in its class -- and only the Ford Super Duty's V-10 has more
torque than the Hemi, but it still has less horsepower.
Read more:
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/truck/112_1002_2010_motor_trend_truck_of_the_year_winner_ram_heavy_duty/index.html#ixzz0aKe1z44X