Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Heavy Duty Ram Is A True Beast
By ED MURPHY
Day Automotive Editor
Published on 11/20/2004
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=C6A185A6-C04C-4730-BC45-5DACA8B95830
Got work? I got your truck. Its formal name is the 2004 Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab SLT, but most who rode in it simply referred to it as “The Beast. ”
Heavy duty and proud of it, this big brute from Dodge is designed with commercial use and a full day's work in mind. It should not be confused with the more civil and civilized pickups that are found in suburban neighborhood driveways. This thing eats those puny pickups for breakfast.
Designed to haul, tow or drag anything up to and including Cheop's Pyramid, this bad boy stands tall and raises a ruckus the moment you turn the key.
The test truck backed up those intimidating looks with a high output Cummins Turbo Diesel engine that produces 305 horsepower at 2,900 rpm along with a stump-pulling 555 ft. lbs. of torque at 1,400 rpm. Heck, that's barely above idle speed.
Hitch it up to anything you want. Cummins-powered heavy-duty trucks have a Gross Combined Weight Rating of 23,000 pounds, best in class. The 2500 4x4 model sent for review had a gross vehicle weight rating of 9,000 pounds, can handle a 2,220-pound payload and tow up to 13,050 pounds. As durable as it is powerful, the Cummins Turbo Diesel has a life-to-major overhaul interval of 350,000 miles, more than a 100,000-mile advantage over the competition.
Sounding like a Mack Truck at startup, the tester's 5. 9-liter, in-line six-cylinder Cummins Diesel snorts, growls and grumbles at idle. Lay into it, and the engine howls as it sends the 6,780-pound vehicle flying down the road.
Yeah, it's noisy, and doesn't make any apologies for it.
Standing 78. 5 inches high, 79. 9 inches wide and 227. 7 inches in length, the short-bed version of the Ram sent for review cast an imposing shadow. And all that mass made climbing into the test truck, with its high front axle providing its 9. 3-inches of ground clearance, a challenge in itself. Getting out required you to simply turn and drop, although a bungee cord would have made life easier.
The Quad Cab design means it has four sedan-like doors and seating for up to six large adults. The rear seat has a 60/40 split, allowing you to have both people and gear share the cabin. The seat cushions fold up to create a tall storage area from floor to ceiling.
Something you'll appreciate after a long, hot day of working on the job site: The rear windows open all the way down. Also, the tester came equipped with the sliding back-of-the-cab window that does a great job of moving offensive air out of the cabin.
Once inside, you find the interior to be roomy and surprisingly comfortable. Those not requiring a third passenger up front can fold down the center “business console,” which is about the size of a piece of Samsonite luggage, can hold a laptop computer and includes fold-down dividers. For those wishing to use their pickup as a rolling office, it has two power outlets located in the instrument panel and another in the storage console.
The tester's white-faced gauges were easy to read – day or night – and the climate and audio controls were centered in the dash and a cinch to operate. The temperature control included two slide rules, allowing the two front-seat passengers to find comfortable settings.
The ride is better than you'd expect on smooth surfaces, but gets pretty choppy on the uneven stuff. That has to be expected from a vehicle designed to be a true beast of burden.
Considering the type of work expected of one of these vehicles, the majority sold will most likely be the four-wheel-drive variety. A simple turn of a knob moves the truck from conventional two-wheel drive into four-wheel high or low mode. It's sure to get you in or out of anyplace you want or need to go.
The 2004 Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab SLT sent for review had a base price of $31,375 and had just about every option you could order, bringing the bottom line to $44,565.
At that price, let's just figure this to be the boss's truck.
By ED MURPHY
Day Automotive Editor
Published on 11/20/2004
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=C6A185A6-C04C-4730-BC45-5DACA8B95830
Got work? I got your truck. Its formal name is the 2004 Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab SLT, but most who rode in it simply referred to it as “The Beast. ”
Heavy duty and proud of it, this big brute from Dodge is designed with commercial use and a full day's work in mind. It should not be confused with the more civil and civilized pickups that are found in suburban neighborhood driveways. This thing eats those puny pickups for breakfast.
Designed to haul, tow or drag anything up to and including Cheop's Pyramid, this bad boy stands tall and raises a ruckus the moment you turn the key.
The test truck backed up those intimidating looks with a high output Cummins Turbo Diesel engine that produces 305 horsepower at 2,900 rpm along with a stump-pulling 555 ft. lbs. of torque at 1,400 rpm. Heck, that's barely above idle speed.
Hitch it up to anything you want. Cummins-powered heavy-duty trucks have a Gross Combined Weight Rating of 23,000 pounds, best in class. The 2500 4x4 model sent for review had a gross vehicle weight rating of 9,000 pounds, can handle a 2,220-pound payload and tow up to 13,050 pounds. As durable as it is powerful, the Cummins Turbo Diesel has a life-to-major overhaul interval of 350,000 miles, more than a 100,000-mile advantage over the competition.
Sounding like a Mack Truck at startup, the tester's 5. 9-liter, in-line six-cylinder Cummins Diesel snorts, growls and grumbles at idle. Lay into it, and the engine howls as it sends the 6,780-pound vehicle flying down the road.
Yeah, it's noisy, and doesn't make any apologies for it.
Standing 78. 5 inches high, 79. 9 inches wide and 227. 7 inches in length, the short-bed version of the Ram sent for review cast an imposing shadow. And all that mass made climbing into the test truck, with its high front axle providing its 9. 3-inches of ground clearance, a challenge in itself. Getting out required you to simply turn and drop, although a bungee cord would have made life easier.
The Quad Cab design means it has four sedan-like doors and seating for up to six large adults. The rear seat has a 60/40 split, allowing you to have both people and gear share the cabin. The seat cushions fold up to create a tall storage area from floor to ceiling.
Something you'll appreciate after a long, hot day of working on the job site: The rear windows open all the way down. Also, the tester came equipped with the sliding back-of-the-cab window that does a great job of moving offensive air out of the cabin.
Once inside, you find the interior to be roomy and surprisingly comfortable. Those not requiring a third passenger up front can fold down the center “business console,” which is about the size of a piece of Samsonite luggage, can hold a laptop computer and includes fold-down dividers. For those wishing to use their pickup as a rolling office, it has two power outlets located in the instrument panel and another in the storage console.
The tester's white-faced gauges were easy to read – day or night – and the climate and audio controls were centered in the dash and a cinch to operate. The temperature control included two slide rules, allowing the two front-seat passengers to find comfortable settings.
The ride is better than you'd expect on smooth surfaces, but gets pretty choppy on the uneven stuff. That has to be expected from a vehicle designed to be a true beast of burden.
Considering the type of work expected of one of these vehicles, the majority sold will most likely be the four-wheel-drive variety. A simple turn of a knob moves the truck from conventional two-wheel drive into four-wheel high or low mode. It's sure to get you in or out of anyplace you want or need to go.
The 2004 Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab SLT sent for review had a base price of $31,375 and had just about every option you could order, bringing the bottom line to $44,565.
At that price, let's just figure this to be the boss's truck.
Last edited by a moderator:
