Top tow truck of 2016
It’s easy to take one look at the Ram 2500 Laramie and go off on a tangent about oversized Americana and engine brakes. Feel free. We’ve done that a lot.
But the Ram does actually have a serious purpose.
The 2500 can tow 6989kg with the correct towbar hardware, which makes it potentially useful to a number of industries - construction and marine spring to mind - where it can serve as both day-to-day transport and serious heavy-duty tow machine.
It’s an expensive pickup for sure, but it could potentially replace two vehicles in a company fleet. In that respect it’s unique in the Kiwi ute world. It’s a tough truck and if you want anything with a greater towing capacity you’ll have to go and buy an actual, truck.
Ram is an American icon and our version is the result of a collaborative right-hand-drive build between the factory and American Special Vehicles (ASV) in Australia.You might call it a ‘‘conversion’’, ASV prefers the term ‘‘remanufacture’’. Whatever, it’s an impressive job.
The vehicles are shipped from Mexico with Kiwi-specific infotainment systems and the like, and key parts have have been redesigned and remanufactured by ASV (steering box, for example) for RHD.
We’ve stuck to the Ram 2500 here as it’s the one we’ve evaluated, but there’s also a 3500, with leaf springs instead of coils at the back. It carries more in the tray (1700kg) but tows less (6170kg). The Ram can be as serious as you need it to be.
$163,000 6.7-litre turbo-diesel straight six with 276kW/1084Nm, 6-speed automatic, all-wheel drive.
Official figure not available, not exactly thrifty: 17.4 l/100km for our test.
Price: economy: Powertrain: Fuel