To step away from my role as a mature, tasteful and informative automotive editor for just a moment, I’d like to put forward a simple point I’ve always believed to be indisputable fact: If you can’t pull tail driving a vehicle called the Ram Power Wagon, it’s time to tap out and head for the monastery.
Fortunately, these lower gas prices and the public’s insatiable desire for bigger vehicles means said testosterone dripping machine will remain in Dodge’s lineup in 2017.
During the press preview days here at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, Dodge released its latest beast on stage and in action — demonstrating the brute force of the automaker’s longer standing rival to the Ford Raptor that emerged out of NAIAS 2016 in Detroit.
However, while the Raptor is an amped up truck build for speed and sport, the Power Wagon debuting at the Chicago Auto Show is constructed for towing, cargo carrying and brute force over challenging terrain.
Also: 2016 Chicago Auto Show: 2017 Nissan Armada
Unlike the Raptor – or most other pickups you can name — the Ram Power Wagon has its roots in war time. It was built by request for men defending our great country from the Hun and still carries that trench warfare worthy toughness.
In keeping with that directive, this war wagon packs the classic Hemi V8 – a 6.4 liter version capable of 410 horsepower. Modern technology lets the Power Wagon tap down four cylinders when all eight aren’t needed — but let’s hope that’s never necessary.
Speed isn’t enough for a truck forged in the echoes of combat. It has to be able traverse terrain that would kill a mountain goat. So, Dodge takes an already heavy duty Ram frame and adds more than 14 inches of ground clearance for the special Bilstein shock absorbers to work in tandem with rear coil suspension.
The coolest feature that sets this snorting throwback apart from the standard Ram is the 12,000 pound winch tucked under the back bumper. Here’s hoping that winch and the truck sporting it are powerful enough to pull the truck making business even farther away from the eco-conscious malaise that threatened to swallow it.
