2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon Road Test Video

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published January 13, 2010

3:4 min

Do you need to haul a whole heap of heavy stuff through forests and over boulders? Well, you're going to need something serious for that. You're going to need the 2010 Ram Power Wagon.

Despite a name that makes it sound like the next Magnum, the Power Wagon is essentially a hard-core off-road package for the heavy duty Ram 2500.

With the Power Wagon, you get some serious off-road preparation like a two-inch lift in ride height, off-road tires, skid plates, a winch. And to get plenty of off-road traction, there are Bilstein dampers, a front stabilizer bar that can be deactivated for more wheel articulation, electronically locking front and rear diffs with a shorter final drive ratio. And a trailer hitch if you want to pull something.

Like the regular 2500 pickup, this version of the heavy duty Ram has leaf springs rather than the coil spring suspension of the half-ton Ram. This provides a stiffer ride, but also allows for more load capacity. The switch to recirculating ball steering from the 1500's rack-and-pinion reduces violent wheel kicks when traveling on rough terrain.

It's not a high-speed desert assault weapon like Ford's Raptor. Rather, think of the Power Wagon as a go-anywhere forest-service utility vehicle. It excels at low speeds thanks to its generous ground clearance and plentiful suspension articulation made possible by deactivating that front stabilizer.

Power comes from a 383-horsepower 5.7-liter V8 with a five-speed automatic transmission. Taking your Power Wagon to a drag strip will yield a 0-60 time of 8.1 seconds and a quarter mile of 16.2 at 82.9 mph. Taking your Power Wagon to a slalom will look ridiculous.

The Power Wagon can tow 10,300 pounds, so having good brakes to stop it all is important. From 60 mph, it stops unladen in 141 feet with no fade to speak of. The pedal has plenty of stroke, which is good for creeping over boulders but can be unwieldy in traffic.

Once you make the tall climb into the sky-high cabin, you'll find the same quality interior found in the half-ton Ram that's drawn plenty of accolades. Apparently, even forest-service workers like to be pampered.

The Ram Power Wagon isn't the sort of truck you slap dubs on and roll through suburbia. No, it's a heavier duty version of a heavy duty truck that'll take you to and through whatever terrain you need to tackle.