Michael Browning•13 Nov 2017

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Tow Test: RAM 2500 Laramie

RAM, bam, thank you Ma’am… Latest Laramie 2500 pick-up makes light work of loads

There’s no substitute for power, so the saying goes and when it comes to hauling a heavy caravan, that’s a truism for the latest Dodge RAM 2500.

Imported by American Special Vehicles (ASV), the iconic Mexico-built trucks are comprehensively re-engineered and remanufactured to right-hand drive in Melbourne on a purpose-built production line.

Given their ability to haul fifth wheel caravans weighing up to 6942kg and make easy work of the latest crop of heavyweight off-road vans, while boasting a three-year, 100,00km warranty and a nationwide dealer network, they are ideal heavy-duty tow tugs.

The reality is that if you want to tow one of these monster vans, you have little choice but to go truck shopping, as even Lovell’s latest GVM upgrade for Toyota vehicles top out at 4200kg for the LandCruiser 79 Series Cab Chassis single cab and 3800kg for the 200 Series wagon.

But should you – or could you – consider a RAM for lighter towing duties? After all, the $139,500 ask for the basic RAM 2500 Laramie is not much more than you’ll pay for a GVM-upgraded Landcruiser Sahara or a Land-Rover Discovery TD6, and somewhat less than the cheapest Range Rover.

Stand out in the crowd

If you’re worried by ‘street cred’, you shouldn’t be. Our Brilliant Blue RAM drew more positive looks and comments in the main streets of toffy Noosa Heads and Port Douglas than the latest Rangie could ever hope for.

And it’s not just its sheer bulk, massive 3577kg kerb weight and 6.7-litre straight-six Cummins turbo-diesel engine producing 276kW of power and small town-moving 1084Nm of torque.

The RAM has something that few other vehicles can claim – a road presence that demands respect, whether it’s that bulging bonnet that fills your rear-view mirror, the command driving position that puts you on eyeball level with many professional drivers, or the serious real estate its 6 x 2 metre size demands. Yes, the RAM is not just a truck; it’s a statement.

It looked very much in charge ahead of our 4.5 metre-long Trakmaster off-road caravan and it didn’t take long to realise that its size, while clumsy in a shopping centre carpark, was an asset on the open road.

For a start, its laden weight, with a large toolbox of recovery gear, our Engel fridge, Weber Baby Q, assorted chairs, tables and ground-matting in the RAM’s vast 1939mm x 1295mm tray, weighed nearly a tonne more than our relatively lightly-laden Trakmaster behind.

What that meant was that the RAM was totally unmoved by the turbulence of oncoming B-Doubles and Road Trains and immune from the suction effect of overtaking large vehicles – not that we experienced much of the latter. I think in 4200km of towing on major coastal or inland roads, we were passed by less than half a dozen trucks and not many more cars.

Wide view

The RAM’s two-metre body width was also an asset ahead of our 2.1-metre-wide caravan, as the Laramie’s big mirrors gave us a clear view of what was left in our dust, without the aid of extensions.

While the RAM’s 3797mm-long wheelbase results in a massive 13.38 metre turning circle that requires several bites to get into most car spaces and the aid of a side street to perform a U-turn, its unexpected benefit was that the caravan tracked exactly the same arc as the RAM around corners.

Whereas you normally have to watch your caravan cutting a corner or riding over the rim of a roundabout, we simply pointed the RAM where we wanted to go and the caravan followed obediently in its wheel tracks.

More good news – as you’d expect from a Big American, the RAM is effortless to drive. You need the long side-step and the A-pillar grab handle to hoist yourself into its big, five or occasional six-seater leather-clad cab, but once you’re there everything is at your command: six-way adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats, an electrically adjustable steering column, power-adjustable pedals, a tilt/slide sunroof and a sliding electric back window, a nine-speaker Alpine audio system with sub-woofer, a dashboard with a large 20cm central screen that displays a comprehensive vehicle information system and vision from two rear cameras – one for the cargo area and another for reversing/hitching.

OK, your travelling companion may be much further away than usual, but the extra sound deadening added by ASV as part of their re-engineering of the RAM for Australian conditions is impressive, so conversation is still possible at all speeds.

Wired for appliances

One feature we particularly liked was the 240-volt, 100amp three-pin power socket in the dashboard that allowed us to run our Engel 45-litre portable fridge while travelling and also for short periods when stationary provided the accessory switch was left on.

All this technology has been transferred seamlessly from left to right-hand drive by ASV, with the exception of one regularly-used feature: the foot-operated parking brake is on the right-hand side. This means you have to learn to left foot brake, or transfer your right foot from the brake pedal – annoying when you’re trying to hitch up.

Hitching up is otherwise easy via the tailgate-mounted rear camera and you can then turn your attention to the RAM’s other thoughtful towing aids. Use a standard 50mm ball, or DO-35 pin if you want to tow up to 3500kg; use a larger 70mm ball or DO-45 pin if you want to pull up to 4500kg.

There's also a pintle hook or you can connect to a load bed-mounted turntable if you want to enjoy its full 6942kg potential.

Even more impressively, with any of these combinations you still have the RAM’s 913kg payload available for a boat rack, an outboard engine, tools, a generator, fish freezer and other assorted caravanning or camping gear you might want to take on holiday.

Built for towing

As you’d expect of a vehicle designed to haul, there’s a built-in electronic brake controller on the lower dashboard, with a slide to adjust the braking force.

However, it’s the RAM’s standard two-mode exhaust brake activated via a dashboard switch that really adds to its towing ability. ‘Automatic’ (green light) cuts in automatically when you lift off the accelerator, helping to reduce your speed when you hit town speed limits with a caravan attached.

If you then hit the brake, it gives you full exhaust braking and stops your speed increasing, which is really useful if you’re heading down a steep hill.

The ‘Full Exhaust Brake’ mode (amber light), as its name suggests, applies full exhaust braking to slow you from any speed.

The final player in this braking technology trio is a separate button marked ‘Tow/Haul’ which effectively enhances the exhaust braking effect by making the shifts in the six-speed transmission more aggressive, particularly when down-shifting via the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ switch on the steering column mounted transmission selector.

If you’re heading down a really steep hill, like the one that drops you into the Lockyer Valley from Toowoomba, or the Bulli Pass, then you can cap your descent speed to a safe limit without any need to touch the brake pedal.

Also really cool is that you can monitor the exhaust braking applied through one of the screens on the central dashboard monitor.

Dual-range capability

The dual range Chrysler six-speed transmission features a dual-range Borg Warner transfer case with shift-on-the-fly control. As we spent all of our towing timed on dry bitumen, we left the transmission in its two-wheel-drive mode, but 4WD – either high or low range – would need to be engaged on slippery or sandy surfaces.

With ‘only’ a 250kg ball load and less than 100kg in its load bed, the RAM five-link coil sprung rear end reacted badly to the undulating and generally poor inland New South Wales and Queensland roads, bucking and pitching with the same caravan in tow that my Land-Rover dealt with drama-free three months earlier.

The RAM also steers more like a truck than a large SUV and is a little less precise in this area than a Landcruiser 200 Series, which in itself is another dimension removed from the relative precision of the latest Land-Rover Discovery. It’s not a problem and the long wheelbase at least ensures that it tracks well on smooth surfaces.

We did venture off onto a corrugated side road at one stage and I can confirm that this is not RAM territory. This is a big, powerful bitumen tow tug and not an off-roader; less than smooth surfaces will set it dancing and steering and braking on these roads require some early decisions to be made.

Obviously, the suspension settings are designed for much heavier loads in mind, but after the final 875km travelling day of our tow test, my neck and shoulders were quite sore.

Optional storage options

Perhaps we should have carried a heavier load to truly evaluate the RAM’s capability, but the optional RamBoxes and adjustable load bed barrier fitted to our review Laramie encourages people to carry less.

Two 152cm-long lockable boxes capable of holding 243 litres of cargo straddle the wheel arches on each side of the RAM, with drain holes in each box allowing them to be filled with ice and used as beer fridges (holding up to 140 cans per side), or as bait boxes/fish-freezers.

A clever multi-adjustable load divider in the load bay allows quite small items, such as shopping, to be quarantined to the rearmost section of the tray, where it can be accessed easily via the rear tail-gate.

What’s the point?

So, is there any point to the RAM unless you’re planning to haul a large caravan, or 5th wheeler? Strangely, yes.

The biggest surprise of our 4200km round trip from the Gold Coast Hinterland to Port Douglas and back was the fuel economy delivered by the big Cummins diesel.

Step on the accelerator and it’s easy to get an instantaneous fuel economy reading approaching 30L/100km, but drive it sensibly around the posted open road speed limit, with the rev counter hovering between 1300-1400rpm in sixth gear, letting the big straight six’s massive torque do the work, and it’s truly impressive.

Arriving in Port Douglas via the coast-hugging Bruce Highway, with its interminable roadworks and irritating 50km/h town speed limits, we achieved 18.2L/100km over 2012km at an average speed of 75km/h.

The entire 4177km round trip, returning via the slightly longer, but easier inland route, with relatively few towns, roadworks and traffic, dropped our overall consumption to 15.7L/100km at the same average speed.

To put that in perspective, that’s less than one litre per 100km worse than our 850kg-lighter Land-Rover achieved with the same caravan and payload.

Then, without the caravan or other items, the RAM averaged 8.5L/100km for the 67km trip back (mainly by freeway) from our home to Brisbane. The Land-Rover would not have done better on the same road.

So, do you need a RAM? Unless you’re planning some heavy haulage, or really want some road respect, probably not. But for some inexplicable reason, it was a buzz!

Dodge RAM 2500 Laramie 4WD Crew Cab

Engine: 6.7-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel

Power/torque: 276kW /1084Nm

Transmission: 6-speed Chrysler automatic with Borg-Warner transfer case

Towing: 3500kg-6942kg (depending on hitch)

Price: $139,500; as reviewed with optional RamBoxes $142,900

Tow Test: RAM 2500 Laramie

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