Dodge Ram Heavy Duty @ 2009 CAS

MORE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW @ INSIDELINE.COM: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/chicago/2009/index.html?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.* The 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty might just be the polar opposite of what Chrysler LLC has been talking about for the last several months. Forget for a moment tiny little Fiats and Chrysler's own extended-range electric showcars. The company is using the Chicago auto show to unveil its biggest offerings — biggest in terms of physical size, anyway. How does 259.4 inches of Heavy Duty sound to you? That's more than 21.5 feet long, the distance between the front and rear bumpers of the crew cab with a 169.5-inch wheelbase and an 8-foot bed. It is a monster. Also monstrous is the torque output of the 6.7-liter Cummins inline-6 turbodiesel; it grinds out 650 pound-feet of torque at a low, low 1,500 rpm. This engine, which Dodge expects will power 90 percent of Heavy Duty models (both 2500 and 3500 series trucks), also produces 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm. The 3500 offers a maximum towing capability of 18,500 pounds and a maximum payload of 5,110 pounds. The other available Heavy Duty motor is — surprise! — a Hemi. It's a 5.7-liter V8 making 383 hp at 5,600 rpm and 400 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. It comes standard with a five-speed automatic transmission. The near-countless permutations available even in just the heavy-duty segment of pickups means we cannot detail specifications on all models. But offerings include four different axle ratios; three cab styles (regular, crew cab and Mega Cab); two cargo box lengths (6-foot-4 and 8-foot); and five trim levels (ST, SLT, TRX, Laramie and the off-roader Power Wagon). The crew cab arrangement is new to the Ram Heavy Duty and (says Dodge) will make the Ram a formidable competitor in the heavy-duty segment, since this cab size makes up about 50 percent of HD sales, industrywide. All Heavy Duty models get a bigger front grille and hood louvers. And unlike the 1500 series, the 2500 and 3500 use big ol' leaf springs in the rear. If all