Dodge Ram Long Hauler unveiled

...Dodge has rolled out a concept ute that could pull a trailer from Darwin to Adelaide without refuelling.

It's called the Ram Long Hauler and is, at this stage at least, a one-off. Dodge started off with a regular 5500 Ram crew-cab ute, which is the big daddy of the range and used for the toughest jobs.

They then stretched it to a monstrous 7.3 metres long. It weighs in at a hefty 4220kg.

Engineers developed a secondary fuel tank that fits between the chassis rails. And just in case that wasn't enough, they added another tank to the ute bed.

All up, the long-distance Ram has a huge combined fuel capacity of 643 litres. The exact range would depend on what you wanted to tow and Dodge doesn't provide any figures. But the Pickuptruck.com website reckons it would have to manage somewhere between 2600km and 3218km lugging something pretty heavy.

To cart around all that fuel, and whatever you want to tow, you'd be wanting a fairly powerful engine under the bonnet.

The Ram has a grunty 6.7-litre Cummins in-line, six-cylinder turbo diesel with 1085Nm of torque. It works with the proven Aisin four-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels but can also power a four-wheel drive set-up.

There is also a Dana 110 rear axle with dual wheels that helps bolster the ultimate ute's lugging ability.

The adjustable air- suspension, meanwhile, makes for a super-smooth ride. Dodge took the regular model's Crew Cab passenger area and turned it into the much larger Mega Cab, which aims to provide optimum comfort for the chosen quartet on those long hauls. That's right _ it has only four seats.

The rear seats, with footrests, are fully adjustable. There are a fridge and tray tables, as well as some US-spec super-sized cup holders in the rear, and WiFi to ensure full connectivity.

It would appear Dodge has thought of everything to ensure the big Ram doesn't have to stop until its massive tank runs dry.

Well, everything except the toilet breaks, that is.