What do you do after visiting the RV dealer "just to look," but a 24-foot travel trailer follows you home, and you don't own a vehicle powerful enough to pull it? You start doing homework, as a friend of mine did when she bought such a rig for retirement travel.
Vehicle choices are limited when it comes to having the heft and grunt to pull larger trailers with a 5,700-pound GVWR (gross-vehicle weight rating) or heavier. This size category is considered lightweight, but towing it takes more of a heavy-duty truck-like vehicle with the power, spring ratings and tow package. Most family-class SUVs and minivans are rated to pull 3,500 to 5,000 pounds. Full-size pickups and long-wheelbase SUVs (such the Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada or Chevy Suburban) are popular choices for large trailers and toy haulers.
And now Ram offers a 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel for its half-ton pickup. The engine has 240 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and a considerable 420 foot-pounds of peak torque at a low 2,000 rpm. Torque is the power that will get the mass moving. And the Ram-diesel duo is a formidable train when adding up the truck's curb weight of 5,624 pounds and the 3-plus tons of a trailer and gear.
The EcoDiesel V-6 is rated for 19 mpg city, 27 highway and 22 mpg combined. I averaged 22.3 mpg, though I did no towing. The 26-gallon fuel tank provides a decent cruising range, even at 19 mpg.
So far, Ram is the only light-duty pickup with a diesel option. And the $4,270 diesel option seems like a good power source for weekend adventurers. Today's tester, a Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4X4, had a starting price of $46,285, including the $1,195 freight charge. With options, including the EcoDiesel, an eight-speed automatic transmission ($500), the 3.92 rear axle ratio ($75) and more, the truck cost $53,855.
As equipped, it was trailer-ready for a gross combined weight of 13,750 to 14,750 pounds. The diesel option also includes an 800-ampere engine-cranking battery, heavy-duty cooling, Selective Catalytic Reduction for emissions control and a filler for the diesel-engine fluid in the fuel door.
Ram has another completely capable hauler in its 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 gasoline engine. With its 395 horsepower, 410 foot-pounds torque and 3.92 axle ratio, it's good for almost 20,000 pounds. Fuel on the recommended midgrade is 14/20 mpg with the six-speed automatic.
Ram truck guru Nick Cappa says, "If fuel economy is important, nothing is beating the Ram EcoDiesel right now." If you can afford the fuel, the sportier feel of the Hemi makes it more fun to drive.
At almost 20 feet long, it's no ballet slipper in tight quarters, but it has parking-assist assets, such as front and rear ParkSense, which gives tones to alert that something's about to be crushed, and the ParkView rearview camera. There is no front camera, though Cappa says that it's being considered. And there's no "marriage saver" tailgate camera, such as on the heavy-duty Ram, to assist with trailer hitching.
The Laramie model is almost posh in its provisions. The Crew Cab has huge interior space. The cabin is very well-soundproofed, and the ride is relatively calm with no weight in the bed. There are such features as power-adjustable pedals with memory presets, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, power 10-way driver's seat and six-way passenger seat.
There are acres of useful storage areas, as well as a huge padded armrest console, cup holders, voice-command navigation and the Uconnect infotainment system for apps, texting, Bluetooth connectivity and more. Ten-gallon-size sun visors slide and have lighted mirrors. And grab handles at the front windshield pillars are very helpful.
The back seat is accommodating with its flat floor, almost 40 inches of headroom and almost 35 inches of legroom. The seat bottom folds up, and a fold-down platform provides secure storage for gear not going in the trailer or truck bed. There are two pen-like lights on the underside of the seats for fumbling in the dark and two in-floor storage bins that are small but usable.
Trailering assets include Trailer Sway Control to slow the wagon train in a straight line, no matter how unbalanced the trailer was loaded and Trailer Brake Control, which adjusts how much braking force goes to the trailer brakes to help align the train in stopping and evasive maneuvers. Beefy four-wheel disc brakes have 13.2-inch vented discs front and 13.8-inch solid discs rear.
My friend bought a Land Rover Discovery LR4 to pull her new trailer. It has the power and tow capacity, and it will be a handy vehicle for exploring from the campground. All she needs now are some lessons in towing.
2016 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4X4
—Body style: full-size five-passenger pickup with 5-foot 7-inch box
—Engine: 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6; 420 foot-pounds torque at 2,000 rpm
—Transmission: eight-speed automatic
—Fuel economy: 19/27 mpg city/hwy; diesel
SPECIFICATIONS
—Fuel tank: 26 gallons
—Payload: 1,330 pounds
—Front head/leg/shoulder room: 41/41/66 inches
—Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 39.7/34.7/65.7 inches
—Length/wheelbase: 229/140.5 inches
—Curb weight: 5,624 pounds
—Turning circle: 40 feet
FEATURES
—Standard equipment includes remote locking, heated steering wheel, heated and vented front seats, power 10-way adjustable driver seat, power six-way adjustable front passenger seat, power lumbar, locking tailgate, nine-speaker Alpine audio system, power-adjustable pedals with memory, 7-inch multiview cluster, overhead console with garage opener, rear power-sliding window, second row in-floor storage bins and fold-flat seat for storage, 20-inch alloy wheels, bi-function halogen headlights, fog lights, power-folding side mirrors, chrome grille and bumpers, six air bags and trailer sway control
PRICING
—Base price: $46,285, including $1,195 freight charge; price as tested $53,855
—Options on test vehicle: 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel engine, $4,270, which includes 800-amp engine-cranking battery, heavy duty engine cooling, SCR emissions system, 3.55 rear axle ratio and dual rear chrome exhaust tips; eight-speed automatic, $500; leather-trimmed upholstery with heated second-row seats, $500; Laramie protection package, $150, which includes tow hooks, transfer case skid plate and front suspension skid plate; 3.92 rear axle ratio, $75; LED bed lighting, $100; Uconnect 8.4 GPS navigation, $600, with SiriusXM traffic and travel link; 275/60 20-inch OWL tires, $225; front and rear ParkSense, $395; trailer brake control, $280; spray-in bedliner, $475
—Assembled in Warren, Michigan.
—Warranty: three years/36,000 miles basic; five years/100,000 miles powertrain
Mark Maynard is online at mark.maynard@sduniontribune.com. Find photo galleries and more news at Facebook.com/MaynardsGarage. To find out more about Mark Maynard and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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