Generally when I test trucks, I never really test their full potential but in the case of this Dodge Ram, I really put it through its paces and took full advantage of its power and towing potential.
The drama all started when a contractor left a mess at my house after taking my old garage down for the new garage coming within a few weeks. The wood and shingles that needed to be moved were much more than I had bargained for. But I have to say that this Ram, even with its shorter box and class-3 trailer hitch, worked out to my advantage.
I was given the Outdoorsman Crew Cab 4X4 test truck, which was a fully equipped model with just about every option short of leather. As it was a 4-wheel-drive, getting in and out was not a problem as the truck was equipped with tube-bar steps to get into the cab.
As this was a full sized truck, there was enough room in the front bucket seats and the bench in the rear. One interesting option was the power sliding rear window. This allowed for a great flow of air throughout the cabin of the truck, making air conditioning unnecessary until it was really hot.
The Outdoorsman comes with an interesting feature, which is locking storage bins built into the vehicle’s box. The bins are located on each side of the box allowing you to put tools and small gear into them. These bins are lined in PVC plastic and seal up watertight, as I found out after leather gloves were left in them after a heavy rain. Due to these bins in the top of the box sides, the inside of the box are squared up, not unlike a box liner, not allowing any space under the lip of the box.
Since a liner will not really fit anymore, the truck box is coated in a rough texture of PVC coating, which makes a really tough coating that is impervious to water/snow and non-slip in rain.
This truck was equipped with the all-new Double Overhead Cam 3.6L V6 with variable valve timing. This engine is all aluminum making it light reducing the overall weight of the truck. This engine develops a healthy 305hp and 289lb.ft. of torque, which is very good for a V6 of any kind.
Mated to this is an 8-speed automatic transmission, which is all-new as well. What all this means is a very fuel-efficient pickup truck that is quick and powerful. Towing capacity is 1882kg (4100lbs) which is pretty good for a truck of this size and weight. Stated fuel consumption figures say the truck will get 13L per 100km city and 8.5L per 100km highway. I generally found this to be true, which is a great feature, considering this is a full-sized pickup truck.
What really impressed me about this truck, compared to others I have tested, is its comfort level and great fuel economy, which play a large part in the minds of today’s truck buyers. For those who need the versatility of a full-sized truck and the comfort and luxury of a car, the Outdoorsman is well worth a look at $41,300 base price and well equipped like our test truck at $52,700.
By Glen Konorowski