One of the largest and quickest growing segments of the American new car market is the last half of the nineties was the full size pick up truck. Huge and brutish, these vehicles sold on their macho image rather than their utility – massive carrying capacity and the ability to tow enormous weight were merely side issues to the all important business of looking tough on the quite roads of suburbia. These vehicles were not about subtly, economy practically of discreet charm. The pick up trucks were huge, throbbing power house of industrial engineering which screamed for attention. None of them ever looked tougher than the bull nosed Dodge ram. Some 20 feet long and 2573 kg unladen it was available with a range of options that made the mind boggle. There were 200 possible drive train combinations two or four wheel drive was just the beginning. It also featured all kinds of labour saving additions to make the driver think he was driving a luxury saloon. The engine was powerful with 7997 cc, separate chassis were included with Disc/ drum brakes. Its have three speed automatic transmission along with independent front and live axle rear suspension. Top speed is 113 mph, it reached 0-60 in just 8.5 seconds.
However, it was in the engine department that the Ram truly made other trucks that were supposed to be its competition look puny. The basic power plant was a V6 but, for just a few hundreds dollars more, buyers could upgrade to an 8 liter V10. This meant Golf GTi type acceleration and a top speed electronically limited to 113 mph. for thriftier motorists, there was always the V8.
A huge amount of the information is wrong, likely because this wasn’t written by an American, or anyone who has experience with these trucks.
First, the cost of the SRT10 (the Ram with the V10 described) was substantially higher than the price of the ‘regular’ rams.
Second, this truck had far more than three gears; most had four, at least.