2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty
Last year we chose the Dodge Ram 1500 as our Driver’s Choice Best Pickup Truck of the Year. We found its overall design, especially the RamBox cargo system and the coil spring suspension, perfect for personal use buyers. But, what about the hoards of Ram faithful that need a pickup as a hard working tool? Well, they’ve not been forgotten. There is now a Ram Heavy Duty. And it’s a big reason why we, again this year, picked the Ram as our Best Pickup Truck. Now for the details.
When the Chrysler Group redesigned the light duty Ram 1500 for 2009, the aim was to build a personal use pickup focused on flexibility. But now, for 2010, their attention swings back to the work truck faithful; those in need of serious haul and tow capabilities. Enter the all-new Ram Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500 pickups.
Gross Weight Ratings and limits are up almost across the board, with a Max Tow Package GCWR elevated to 25,400 pounds. Touting familiar big-rig styling, the Heavy Duty models differentiate themselves from the Light Duty with unique grille, hood, and bumper designs. Like with the 1500, a true Crew Cab is now available. It slots between Regular and Mega Cab. Two bed lengths - 6-feet-four-inches and 8 feet - both remain.
Under the hood, is a choice of two carryover, yet seriously Heavy Duty engines. The standard 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 delivers 383 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. Optional is the 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel producing 350 horses and a stout 650 pound-feet of torque at just 1500 rpm. This engine meets 50-state emission standards, without Urea injection, and includes a class-only, big-rig style exhaust brake.
The RAM HD offers a choice of three transmissions. For the HEMI, a five-speed automatic. The big diesel gets a pair of six-speeds: either a standard manual with ultra-low tow-friendly first gear, or an optional automatic. Ram 4x4s utilize a traditional, part-time two-speed transfer case.
In a straight line on pavement, our HEMI 4x4 Crew Cab tester surprised us with its swiftness. The big truck hit 60 in just 7.2 seconds - that’s a second and a half faster than when we last tested the HD back in ‘04. Our truck barreled through the quarter mile in an impressive 15.4 seconds at 95 miles per hour.
With its hydro-formed, fully boxed frame, HDs utilize coil springs up front, and again, a traditional multi-leaf spring geometry in the rear. Still, both ride and handling are improved thanks to a thorough re-tuning, as well as a new C-pillar structure with fluid-filled hydromounts.
Through the slalom, our 2500 felt big, but not to the extent we were expecting. Turn-ins were quick, and the truck felt amazingly flat. Steering was responsive, though somewhat heavy. Overall, what you have here is a very solid full size pickup that moves in a confident, almost nimble manner. While on normal roads, the HD feels plusher and smoother than before.
In terms of top-end capability, the Ram Heavy Duty 3500 has a max trailer tow limit of 17,600 pounds and a max payload of 5,150. How’s that for a work truck? And to bring this monster to a halt are four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Stops averaged 145 feet from 60 to zero. For something this hefty, we were impressed with a sub-150 number.
The Ram HD also gets a handsomely redesigned interior, similar to that of the Ram 1500, complete with upper and lower gloveboxes. The truck-like cabin of the past now gives way to more style and better materials throughout.
Ram HD also can be outfitted with plenty of luxury with heated and ventilated front, and heated rear seats. The Crew Cab’s rear seats also offer lots of room for up to three well-fed adults. And for weekends, new in-floor storage bins double as coolers.
But size usually translates to thirst, and our HEMI Ram HD was thirsty. We managed 16.4 miles per gallon on regular gas in real-world driving. Still, a lot of light duty pickups do no better. Add the Cummins diesel and mileage approaches 20.
Base prices for the new Ram HD range from $28,165 to a lofty $51,595. And that’s before adding options. The 2010 Ram Heavy-Duty 2500 and 3500 are tough-looking platforms that are more capable than ever, but can also be jammed full of creature comforts. With new entries from both Ford and GM, the HD truck arena is really heating up. But for our buck, the Ram Heavy Duty is the way to work!
Specifications
- Engine: 5.7-Liter Hemi V-8
- Horsepower: 383
- Torque: 400 Lb Feet
- 0-60 MPH: 7.2 Seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.4 Seconds @ 95 MPH
- 60-0 MPH: 145 Feet
- Mixed Loop: 16.4 MPG
2025 Infiniti QX80
Infiniti’s Flagship SUV Sets A Course For Extravagance
This full-size Infiniti QX80 started out as the QX56, a hastily rebadged version of Nissan’s truck-based Armada full-size utility. That was in the early 2000s when the luxury SUV craze was exploding. It wasn’t as much as a game-changer, as it was “try to keep upper”. Now, this new QX80, Infiniti is promising to “Reimagine the luxury SUV”. Let’s see if Infiniti has turned their imaginations into reality.
Well, if over the top is what Infiniti was shooting for in the all-new 2025 QX80, mission accomplished. There’s an overall feeling of extravagance here that we haven’t experienced from Infiniti in quite some time.
It’s not just the open pore ash wood trim with aluminum inlays, 24-speaker audio, and plush quilted leather seating; there’s also nicely integrated ambient lighting, a massive glass roof, plenty of tech, lots of active driving assistance, and even chilled center console storage. Forward of that is a dual touchscreen setup; the top 14.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment sits next to the digital gauge display in a single housing; while just below, there’s a 9-inch one for climate controls.
You are reminded this is still a body-on-frame utility the moment you have to climb up into the cockpit, but there’s also the commanding view of the road that comes with that. Captain’s chairs are standard for the second row, but a three-place bench is optional with all trims except for top Autograph which comes exclusively with these climate-controlled massaging chairs, along with a touchscreen control panel. The third-row experience is great, too, with heated leather seating, and adult size room for three.
Now, there is a whole new experience coming from under the hood. The last gen’s V8 has been replaced with a new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 rated at 450 horsepower, 50 over the V8. More notably, torque is up by more than 100 lb-ft to 516. Transmission is a nine-speed automatic, two more gears than last year, with rear-wheel drive standard, four-wheel drive an option. Max tow rating is 8,500-lbs.
And at the test track, it did pull strongly off the line, getting up to speed in a hurry with the 0-60 sprint taking just 6.3 seconds. There is roughly 3 tons of weight to push through the quarter-mile, but that twin-turbo does it well, finishing in 14.7 seconds at 95 mph. Gear changes are incredibly smooth, while not hindering acceleration in any way.
It's an impressive looking utility from any angle.
In panic braking runs, there was some fade and a considerable amount of nosedive, but our average stopping distance of 115 feet is not bad for a vehicle as big and heavy as the QX80. Last gen, the QX80 moved from the Titan truck platform to the global Patrol SUV chassis, which shifted the vibe from budget Escalade to Lexus LX fighter. The attending improvement in ride and handling was the real bonus, and that largely continues for this gen with air suspension and Dynamic Digital Dampers on all but base QX80s. While we could certainly feel all that weight through our cone course, body roll was well-controlled and without significant oversteer or understeer.
It’s an impressive looking utility from any angle, starting right up front with the big “bamboo forest” grille. The overall shape is boxy, but all body panels are smooth; and for better or worse, Infiniti joins the flush door handle fad. Look for its “Artistry In Motion” design theme to work its way down through the rest of the Infiniti lineup. All QX80s ride on 22-inch wheels except for base Pure trim which makes do with 20s.
A full power play includes standard motion-activated rear liftgate and power operation of both second and third row seats, expanding cargo capacity from 22 cu-ft behind the third row to 59 behind the second, and a max of 101.0 cu-ft with both rows folded.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings with four-wheel-drive are not great: 16 city, 19 highway and 17 combined. We averaged 18.6 mpg of premium. That’s a much worse than average Energy Impact Score, using 17.5 barrels of oil annually, with 8.6 tons of CO2 emissions.
Driving such a PUREly LUXEurious SENSORY overload, you’ll probably be expecting people to want your AUTOGRAPH, which we’re guessing is how Infiniti came up with their grade structure; pricing starts with Pure at $84,445 and climbs to $112,590 for Autograph.
The 2025 Infiniti QX80 is a massive SUV that delivers massive amounts of power and luxury. They aimed for the moon here and have clearly blasted themselves into a much more competitive orbit in the big buck, big hauler, sport-utility galaxy.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 450
- Torque: 516 lb-ft.
- EPA: 16 City | 19 Highway | 17 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 6.3 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.7 seconds at 95 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg.): 115 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 18.6 mpg (Premium)