TALE OF TWO RAMS

DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT THE TWO RAMS IN THE PADDOCK ? I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE A BAD RURAL JOKE ABOUT TWO SHEEP, BUT IN THIS CASE THE RAMS ARE TWO OF AMERICA’S FINEST PICK UP TRUCKS. WE TOOK A DRIVE IN BOTH A WHOMPING 5.7 LITRE V8 PETROL RAM AND ITS MORE SUBDUED DIESEL SIBLING.

On one hand we have the big red RAM 1500 5.7 litre Hemi V8, brash, big and charismatic. On the other hand we have its sibling the big white RAM 1500 3.0 litre V6 turbo diesel, still endearing and with ample performance, but more the conservative, quieter brother who is more frugal, considered and pragmatic.

We started our liaison with the two RAM brothers with Big Red, and it immediately welcomed us in to its capacious, luxury interior. Some in Australia may consider American pickups, like the RAM are just too big for Australia, and particularly our car parks, but get behind the wheel and pretty quickly you adapt to the size of the beast and your brain becomes attuned to driving and parking it.

As most will know the RAM range is distributed in Australia by ASV, a joint venture between Ateco and the Walkinshaw Group. Walkinshaw handle the conversion of the RAMs from their native left hand drive to right hand drive suitable for Australian roads. The pickups come to Australia, completely built up, ready for delivery to a US dealer, before Walkinshaw pulls the car apart in Melbourne and turns it into a right hooker.

This explains the relatively high price for RAMs here, by comparison with the cost in the US. Having said that, when you get behind the wheel and inspect the cockpit and the quality, it is difficult to even believe that the conversion has been undertaken locally. It is a seamless translation and the quality is as good, if not better than from the original factory.

Slip the key into the ignition and fire the big Mopar V8 into life and there is that delightful thrum that you only get from an engine with two banks of four cylinders. Twist the rotary dial gear selector to D, ease away from the kerb and you realise there is a well of power resting under that right foot, and it is eager to gallop away down the road more like a stallion than a RAM.

Smooth, torquey and far more sophisticated than you could imagine, the Hemi V8 that sits underneath that big bonnet, just purrs away and responds instantly when you jab that right pedal, roaring like a sports car and performing like one as well. Herein lies the true beauty of the RAM V8. One moment

it is idling along at particularly low revs, in the highest of its eight-speeds, purring along at 80km/h and the next it can be instantly snapped to warp speed, gathering its large bulk and rapidly accelerating, almost defying physics. It is a remarkable use of old school engine technology, that in the humble opinion of this writer, works particularly well.

The other physics defying quality of the RAM is its handling. The suspension and handling tune is really very good and even when hurried along it turns into corners well, rides over bumps with aplomb and has steering that is sharp and well weighted.

Lets consider the size of the RAM. It is in fact not as big as many imagine, particularly when you measure it against our own home grown (or at least designed) Ford Ranger Raptor. The RAM is 5817mm long, 2017mm wide and 1983mm high. The Ranger is 5398mm long, 2028mm wide and 1873mm high. So the RAM is actually only a bit more than a ruler length or 419mm longer than the Ranger, about 11 mm narrower and is just 110mm higher. Those numbers surprised us and everyone we have spoken to about it. It just seems bigger.

The RAM in particular has struck a real vain of popularity in the Australian market and while it is a bit more expensive than most of the established Japanese and Euro utes, the RAM is also surprisingly competitive. That is probably why they are driving out of showrooms at the rate of about 60 to 70 a week. RAM sold just under 2700 trucks last year, and to the end of September this year the tally was just over 2500.

When you crunch the cost numbers you realise the RAM 1500 V8 crew cab as we tested it, priced from $89,950 plus on road costs is still pretty competitive with the top of the dual cab ute pack. For a start, a bare bones, dual cab Toyota LandCruiser manual GX will set you back about $82,000 plus on roads with a tray, and nowhere near the equipment levels of the RAM. The Toyota HiLux dual cab SR5 wears a tag of about $67,000 and when you look at the likes of Ford’s Ranger Raptor ($76,490), Mercedes X Class 350D ($79,415) and VW Amarok TDI580 ($72,790) the RAM looks like pretty reasonable value, particularly given equipment levels, towing and hauling capacity and overall street presence.

For those 89000 clams you need to shell out for the RAM 1500 V8 Express Crew Cab the biggest attraction is under the bonnet, where the 5.7-litre Hemi pumps out 291kW and a whopping 556Nm of torque.

Of course when you push the throttle down hard and take advantage of all those watts, the fuel consumption will rise appropriately. The fuel economy claimed is an average of 12.2L/100km. The thing

is that when you get it out on the open road and cruising at the limit, in eighth gear ,with the electronic deactivation silently turning off cylinders, the economy improves dramatically and at times we saw the average improved to around 10.9 L /100km on a country road.

The reality is the RAM is not light, tipping the scales at just over 2500kg, so moving hat sort of mass is always going to consume a fair bit of energy.

The alternative is of course Big Red’s more conservative diesel brother. With the Fiat Chrysler family 3.0L V6 diesel under its equally big bonnet. It delivers 179kW of power and 569Nm of torque down at 2000rpm. However here is the rub, the EcoDiesel is only 0.3 of a litre per 100km better than its showy sibling on the combined cycle.

It doesn’t sound like much but the diesel is actually considerably more economical around town where constant stop start and acceleration will see it sip a lot less diesel than the Hemi drinks unleaded.

The EcoDiesel equipped RAM Laramie will set you back $109,950 before on-road costs, so it’s a fair bit dearer, and my tiny brain would need an hour with a calculator to work out if the extra $20,000 could be made back in fuel economy, but our reckoning is the V8 would be a better bet from a range of aspects.

It is easy to forget but the RAM is a full four wheel drive offering a push button selection for 2WD , 4WD High and 4WD Low range. We didn’t get the chance to go off road in either of the RAMs, we were too enamoured with its on road ride and handling capabilities. The transfer works on the go and you can easily slip into 4WD high and back into 2WD at the push of the button.

Another thing about the RAM is that it is very well equipped, in both the Express and the higher spec Laramie.

Inside the cabin you get standard climate control air con, the terrific uConnect multi-media system with an 8.3 inch LED control screen with Bluetooth connectivity, and Apple Car Play/Android Auto, sixspeakers and terrific sound quality.

The Express gets cloth trim for its vast interior seating capacity while Laramie is trimmed in leather. The front seat occupants sit in terrific supportive buckets separated by a mega console, while the bench in the rear seats three and features some nifty convenience items like the seat being able to be folded up, providing a secure, flat, added load area, if you have no rear passengers onboard.

Standard out back is a spray on tub-liner, to protect the load area from damage, and the Express we tested also had the optional RAM-boxes on each side of the tray. These use the space over and around the wheel mound to great effect. The boxes have lockable lids so they are secure

and open on hydraulic struts, are lined with heavy duty hard poly-plastic and they are drainable as well as being fitted with lighting. You can store golf clubs, chain saws, tools or camping gear in them safe in the knowledge they are locked away, or you can fill then with ice and drinks as sort of jumbo eskies. The RAM boxes are so good we are amazed other companies haven’t copied them. Well worth having indeed.

The load area is big and usable although it does seem higher and a little more inaccessible than the average dual cab pick-up. Even with the RAM boxes there is plenty of space although the payload is a little on the light side at 850kg. The towing capacity at 4500kg braked is so far ahead of all of the other Japanese/Euro dual cabs it’s not funny.

The ambience inside the cab on the road is quiet and cosseted. This is not your typical work truck, it is comfortable and very pleasant to be in whether on a long road trip or heading across the city in traffic.

Surprisingly there is very little wind noise, barely any rumble from the tyres and the V8 purr even with a sports exhaust is not intrusive at all. There is also very good NVH characteristics, indicating excellent isolation between the cab and the separate chassis.

The fact is there is a huge amount of room in the dual cab, enough to spread out and relax and an equally impressive amount of storage space, from the massive centre console tub to the door pockets and all of the other nooks and crannies around the cab.

Like the similar Chevy Silverado we tested a while back , the RAM has the sort of space to fit the starting five of the LA Lakers without feeling crowded. The leg room front and back is astounding and if you feel crowded in a Japanese dual cab maybe a RAM should be your next consideration.

In terms of driving dynamics and the physics of a big heavy pick up, the RAM is super impressive. Not only does it accelerate impressively it also stops and steers tremendously well. The big four wheel discs pull the RAM up, whether petrol or diesel, with enormous confidence, while the previously mentioned steering response and overall handling package is very good indeed. It is not a sports car but it is a hell of a lot better than most other pick ups.

On a run west across the Blue Mountains the RAM comes into its own, it is pleasant around town but on a run on country blacktop it really is a joy to drive. It is relaxed, comfortable, eats up the kilometres and handles the bumps and turns with ease.

The RAM 1500 comes with a a threeyear/100,000km warranty along with roadside assistance throughout the warranty period, with the servicing schedule requiring a visit to the mechanic every 12 months or 20,000km.

It is clear the RAM isn’t for everyone. It is big brash and different to what we are used to in Australia but a lot more people are warming to the idea. For us the V8 would be the choice because the buy in price is lower and the fuel consumption gains aren’t big enough to justify the extra investment in our opinion. Apart from that we just love the V8 burble and the instant power on tap the big bent eight delivers.

If you have a big boat, caravan or trailer to tow and you like plenty of space power and refinement then the RAM 1500 is well worth a look, we would have one in a heartbeat.