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New car reviews » 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab

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Better than: An old ratty truck
But not as good as: Simon & Simon Power Wagon
GRM Bang For The Buck Index: 52.13  

Yes, another Dodge Ram truck has passed through our hands. This one, however, was fitted with several Mopar accessories: rear DVD player, custom seat covers, mag wheels, bed cover, etc. It’s true, Mopar’s offerings aren’t limited to the Viper, SRT-4 and ‘Cuda.

Unfortunately we don’t have a detailed list of these add-ons, so we can’t provide any specifics. We can relay the info that was on the official window sticker, as our truck had the 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel ($7615), six-speed automatic transmission ($405), limited-slip differential ($325) and ParkView rear camera ($200). Its GVW rating was 9600 pounds.

Other staff views:

David S. Wallens Editorial Director:

If you need a big, honking truck, the U.S. manufacturers are still ready to deliver. I’m not thrilled that the Mopar seat covers didn’t fit so well, though. Let’s hope that’s something limited to our particular test truck.

Tom Heath :

I’m not sure about this one. It seemed like a really nice truck that was let down by dealer-installed parts. When it came to us, I was surprised by the amount of features that didn’t seem to work; the third brake light was inoperative, the headrest mounted DVD players wouldn’t come on, and even the horn didn’t function. I was most disappointed by being unable to engage the exhaust brake, which is a pretty compelling feature in a consumer-oriented rig like this.

All of these components or their connectors run through the passenger compartment, so I’m going to hypothesize that everything worked from the factory but the folks who did the custom seat material left a few plugs undone when putting the interior back together. At least I hope that’s what happened.

From a performance standpoint, the big Ram never left us wanting for more power. We loaded it up with gear from our visit to the PRI Show, but the truck didn’t seem to even notice a bed full of magazines and booth display equipment.

If you’re shopping for a tow rig the Ram is absolutely worth a look. Just don’t get the custom interior.

Steve Chryssos Associate Publisher:

I’m a strong proponent for the use of add-on parts. But in the case of this Dodge, more is definitely not better. Someone must have checked the “erroneous speedo” and “busted horn” boxes on the dealer option sheet. Or perhaps the extra tall, Toyo Open Country off-road tires were causing grief. The installer never compensated for the tire diameter increase. The tread pattern was causing the tacked-on goodies to vibrate themselves loose. Appropriate for a stripped down work truck, the Open Country tires are out of place on a hyper-optioned “toy” like our test truck.

Ride quality and steering/braking response are intolerable over any paved distance. What a shame. The Dodge Cummins makes an ideal towing platform. Decent fuel mileage is accompanied by seemingly endless torque. It’s easy to amortize the $7600 Cummins option by keeping the truck forever. I hope we get another Dodge Cummins to test. Only this time, please keep the mismatched doo-dads away from an otherwise purposeful truck.

Reader comments:

1. superblackser: — Feb 22, 2011 9:26 a.m.
   

   The 1500 QC SLT really remains both a bargain and compelling model, IF it meets your needs. I’ve never warmed up to the handling of the 2500 compared to other manufacturer’s offerings in its capacity range. 7 years in, I still like my 1500 a lot, its taken everything I’ve thrown at it. Interesting comment re:brakes, fried a caliper on front of mine @28k miles, and OEM pad/rotors just not up to the task. Powerstop +EBC > 50% improvement, 100% better initial bite.

2. Steve Chryssos: — Feb 22, 2011 11:05 a.m.
   

   Had one as well with the Hemi. it was really a muscle car hiding in truck clothing. Went thru fuel and rotors like mad. One of the best upsides to the “Green” movement is that trucks are returning to their utilitarian roots. I want to do an “Improve Your 1500’s MPG” article in a big way using my 08 5.3 1500 GMC as a foundation. I think a lot of GRM enthusiasts prefer 1500 over 2500 or larger.

3. Keith: — Feb 22, 2011 1:20 p.m.
   

   I’ve got a 2010 2500 Cummins, but without the doodads and gee-gaws. Really, the whole truck exists to simply give the engine the chance to drive around and Do Stuff. Mine’s a rare manual transmission, and the exhaust brake works perfectly :)

   Bone stock, it actually rides pretty well. I wish they still came with a slightly smaller crew cab. The headlights aren’t great, either - they’re so high off the ground that they have to aim down quite a way to avoid setting Miatas on fire. The fog lights are almost like a set of driving lights - there’s a reason every big Dodge seems to have the fogs on full-time. But other than that, I’m quite happy with the beast.

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