RAM 3500 Reviews

Big US monster trucks are about to make a big comeback on Australian roads.

James Stanford road tests and reviews the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel pickup in the US.

Under the ministrations of after-market and performance equipment specialist Mopar's Underground team, four of the giant Rams were given the full bling treatment for their stint at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.Mopar chose the new Dodge Ram 1500 as the subject for its makeover and came up with the TRXtreme, the Sportsman, the R/T and the Mopar Street Package.Each has its own character but each also underscores the off-road capability of the core product.The TRXtreme started life as a quad-cab TRX-4 off-road truck before the boys from Mopar went to work. First up was an extra 12cms of ground clearance to fit in the forged 20-inch wheels wrapped in knurly BFG 37X12.50s.Making sure the big truck doesn't go unnoticed is a bright yellow paint job with mudsplash theme, a set of flares, tube step, telescoping mirrors and a special tray accessory system to store all the off-road kit.For the R/T the theme was performance and to that end the donor Ram Sport's 5.7-litre HEMI V8 was just the ticket. A cold-air intake kit to keep the engine breathing and a Mopar dual exhaust system with a performance rumble lifted the game while an air suspension kit dropped the ride. The classic B5 Blue colour scheme with carbon fibre accents worked with the body kit to elicit a Dodge Charger look.For the Sportsman it was about the unique blowing-leaves paint scheme and lots of storage options for the active outdoorsman. There is the exclusive RamBox storage system, filled with plenty of outdoor gear. In addition, the bed rail system holds a cargo rack for additional cargo capacity.The vehicle gets the right stance with 20-inch wheels and 33-inch tires.For the Street Package Mopar looked at the urban warrior. Again using the Sport as a starting point the addition of Blackberry paint, a body kit, 22-inch polished Alcoa forged wheels, high-style hard tonneau cover and tuned dual exhausts take it to the next level.