Spectacular handling from Ram full- sized pickup
Over the years, my horse friends have seen me pull up to the barn in everything from tiny hatchbacks to sports cars worth as much as my house. Rarely do they rate a second look. But show up in a new truck and everybody notices.
Of course, the Ram doesn’t exactly blend modestly into the background. That big- rig prow’s been a statement maker of the highest order since it first debuted in 1994. My friends and I were at the Royal Winter Fair’s Horse Show where it was on display, and it stopped us in our tracks. Back then, our go- to truck was a 1989 Dodge Power Ram, a snub- nose, bulldog of a truck that was tough as nails, but rather short on creature comforts. A pickup with tractor- trailer presence, and all the comfort of a sedan, was an idea that we could get used to.
Hauling things — particularly large things that tend to move about — generally means poor fuel economy. We’d wryly joke about the “cost per hour” when comparing fuel consumption, and unless we wanted to move up to a bigger, costlier heavy- duty rig, there was no fuel- efficient diesel option available. Until now. Ram’s 2014 introduction of the industry’s first light- duty diesel truck was welcome news for truck owners. Nissan has recently unveiled a new Cummins Diesel powered Titan for 2016, but it’s more of a “tweener,” slotting somewhere between the 1500 and 2500 Heavy Duty models.
It’s a good time for truck shoppers, with cutthroat competition producing more “industry firsts” across the segment. Ram was leading the Heavy Duty towing wars until Ford upped the ante with its stupefying 14,608 kg ( 32,205 lbs.) max rating. The Ram EcoDiesel has a perfectly respectable 9,200- lb. tow rating. But the new F- 150 boasts a staggering 12,200 lbs., the Chevrolet Silverado up to 12,000 lbs. and the Toyota Tundra 10,000 lbs.
While it may lag behind in max tow capacity, the Ram EcoDiesel makes up for it in fuel efficiency, with L/ 100 km ratings of 8.8 highway and 12.1 city, compared to the Ford F- 150’ s 9.2/ 10.9, Chevy Silverado’s 10.6/ 14.9, and the Toyota Tundra’s 14.2/ 18.5 ratings. The EcoDiesel even outshines the recently driven compact GMC Canyon’s 9.2/ 13.9 L/ 100 km, and that truck tows only 7,000 lbs.
While other companies have chosen to turbo- charge their power plants to achieve optimum fuel efficiency, Ram has developed several technologies that lower consumption: reducing parasitic load on the engine, fuel- saving start/ stop, improved aerodynamics ( including active grille shuttering and self- lowering air suspension) and now the segment- exclusive EcoDiesel.
My tester, a 2015 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4, garnered more attention at the stables than the Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet I showed up in last summer. In rich chocolate brown with plenty of chrome bright work, it’s an attractive beast.
The cabin is positively voluminous. Its overall design theme is blunt and chunky, from the flat planes of the dashboard to the squared- off centre stack. The Laramie features wood trim and stitched cowhide, evoking a rancher image that’s ideal for the horsey set.
The multimedia U- Connect interface features a huge 8.4- inch touch screen, voice recognition, real- time fuel price display, Wi- Fi hot- spot recognition, satellite and navigation, and iPod and other media compatibility. There’s a slick seven- inch integrated gauge cluster with a different startup theme for each trim level.
This is an easy interior to live with. Aside from all the comfort features, the centre console offers tons of room with large cubbies for cellphones and sunglasses, and a gigantic, leathercovered console bin.
Push the start button, and the 3.0- litre diesel fires up with a refined purr. It’s light years beyond the oil burners of my youth, with their stench and clatter. Although the 240- horsepower sounds a bit anemic, it puts out a healthy 420 pound- feet of torque.
It’s mated to Chrysler’s ZF eight- speed transmission, which is perfectly geared to make use of the diesel’s powerband. My only beef with this combination is the silly dash- mounted rotary dial. Although it frees up space to produce that enormous centre console, it’s a fiddly setup and hard to get used to.
It’s a wonderfully smooth powertrain. There’s a hint of turbo lag at low rpms, but the relatively small- displacement EcoDiesel never feels overwhelmed, thanks to the 420 lb- ft of torque available at 2,000 rpm.
In town, there’s no getting around the fact that this is a huge truck. On the highway, however, the Ram is one smooth cruiser, thanks to its air suspension ( another industry first) that not only improves aerodynamics and helps with load levelling, but gives it the well- damped behaviour of a sedan.
The EcoDiesel’s aerodynamic profile doesn’t make it the ideal off- roader, with its front splitter, and low ground clearance. However, we tackled three kilometres of unplowed cottage road in Bancroft with absolutely no issue. Even better, it returned an average 9.3 L/ 100 km for the 188 km round trip, the last leg of which was accomplished with 4- LO engaged.
I put well over 600 km on the Ram EcoDiesel during my weeklong road test, and only burned through one tank of gas. That impressive fuel economy, however, is offset by the diesel’s $ 4,600 premium.
Still, this is one truck I’d happily park in front of my barn.